Text 36. G. C. E

Pupils at secondary school in England (that is, pupils between the ages of twelve and eighteen) have two main exams to worry about, both called G.C.E. (General Certificate of Educa­tion¹).

They take the first one when they are about fifteen. It is called “0” (ordinary) level. There is an exam which you can take instead of “0” level: it’s called the C.S.E. (Certificate of Se­condary Education²), and it’s not as difficult as “0” level.

Most people take “0” level in about seven or eight dif­ferent subjects. There are lots of subjects to choose from: eve­rything from carpentry to ancient languages.

For a lot of jobs, such as nursing, you must have four or five “0” levels, and usually those must include English and Maths.

You may leave school when you are fifteen. But if you stay at school after taking “0” level, you go into the sixth form, and start working for the second main exam: “A” (advanced) level.

Most people take “A” level when they are about eighteen. It is quite a difficult exam, so people usually don’t take it in more than three subjects – and some only take one or two sub­jects.

Three “A” levels are enough to get you into most univer­sities. For others, such as Oxford and Cambridge, you have to ta­ke special exams as well.

Notes:

1. General Certificate of Education – общий аттестат об образовании;

2. Certificate of Secondary Education – аттестат о среднем образовании.

Answer the following questions:

1. How are two main exams called?

2. When do pupils take the first exam?

3. In how many subjects do most people take “0” level?

4. When do most people take “A” level?

5. In how many subjects do they take it?