Year 11 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is the eleventh or twelfth year of core education. For some Year 11 students it is their final year studying and may include final exams. In the US and Canada, it is referred to as

tenth grade Tenth grade or grade 10 (called Year Eleven in England and Wales, and sophomore year in the US) is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten or the tenth year after the first introductory year upon entering compulsory schooling. In many parts ...

. Students in Year 11 are usually aged 15–16.

Australia

In Australia, Year 11 is typically the twelfth year of education. Although there are slight variations between the states, most students in Year 11 are aged between sixteen and seventeen. Queensland year 11 students are the youngest in the country, as they usually enter at age fifteen. In New South Wales, Year 11 is the shortest year as it only lasts three whole terms. Year Twelve begins its first term where Year 11 would have its fourth.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, Year 11 is the eleventh full year of compulsory education (5-year-olds usually start their first year in Year 0 until the new calendar year). Students entering Year Eleven are usually aged fifteen between 14.5 and 16, but there is no minimum age. Year 11 pupils are educated in Secondary schools or in

Area school In New Zealand and Australia, an area school is a school that takes children from kindergarten age (usually 4 or 5 years old) all the way through to tertiary entrance exams (at about age 18). They tend to be built in small towns where the cost of ...

s. Year 11 was previously known as the 5th Form and for most students they are studying for NCEA Level 1 which equates to what was previously known as School Certificate.

United Kingdom

England

In schools in England, Year 11 is the eleventh year after

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

. It is the eleventh full year of compulsory education, with students being admitted who are aged 16 years old by 31 August in any given academic year. It is also the final year of

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

in which the Secondary National Curriculum is taught and

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private s ...

examinations are taken. Year 11 is usually the final year of secondary school. In some schools, students may stay on in the same establishment for their

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A- ...

education, where year groups may continue to be numbered 12 and 13. Since September 2013, further education has been compulsory. Most state schools adopted Year 11 as the title for the final year of compulsory education in September 1990, in place of Fifth Year. Students go on to complete further education in the forms of

BTEC Diplomas The Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) is a provider of secondary school leaving qualifications and further education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Whilst the T in BTEC previously stood for Technical, accord ...

A-Levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...

, or completing an

Apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

in whatever subject they would like.

Wales

In schools in Wales Year 11 is the eleventh year after

Reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

. It is currently the eleventh full year of compulsory education, with students being admitted who are aged 15 on 1 September in any given academic year. It is the final year group in

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland Year 11 is the fourth year of Secondary education. Students in Year 11 are aged between 14 and 15. It is the first year of

Scotland

In Scotland Year 11 is known as

Fourth year Fourth year, also known as S4, is the fourth year of schooling in Scottish, Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, Colombian, and other Latin American countries secondary schools, and is roughly equivalent to Year 11 in England and Wales and Year 12 (Sixth For ...

which is the fourth year of secondary education. Fourth year, also known as S4, is the fourth year of schooling in Scottish secondary schools. Most pupils are 15 or 16 years old at the end of S4. Fourth year students sit their National 3, 4 or 5 exams, and formerly Standard Grades. Students pick their courses for Highers to sit in

Fifth year Fifth Year refers to the fifth year of schooling in secondary schools in Scotland and Ireland. It was also the traditional term for the same year group in England and Wales, until about 1990 when most schools replaced it with Year Eleven and Ye ...

. Students aged 16 are entitled to leave school at the end of fourth year, the

age of majority The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contro ...

in Scots law.

References

{{UK Education 11