graham@UG.CS.DAL.CA (Michael Graham) (06/13/91)
i remember reading somewhere that Kate had ten or so "0 levels". What does this mean. Obviously it means that she is very intelligent, but what is the american (or canadian) equivalent? -- Michael Graham | "Well she's not really my half sister...err... graham@ug.cs.dal.ca | more like 2/5ths" mgraham@ac.dal.ca | - Diane Keaton, Love and Death
nrc@cbema.att.COM (Neal R Caldwell, Ii) (06/14/91)
In article <1991Jun13.001804.24370@cs.dal.ca>, graham@UG.CS.DAL.CA (Michael Graham) writes: > i remember reading somewhere that Kate had ten or so "0 levels". What does > this mean. Obviously it means that she is very intelligent, but what is the > american (or canadian) equivalent? Evidently your question got sucked into a black hole and spit out almost six years ago for Henry Chai to answer! :-) | From: Henry Chai <chai%utflis%toronto.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA> | Date: Wed, 30 Oct 85 22:51:11 est | Subject: O-levels | | Someone asked what an O-level is; I haven't seen a reply so I'll give | one -- trust that I know coz I've got a few of them (including music!) | and a couple'a A-levels as well! | | The U of London gives a (yearly?) public exam called the General | Certificate of Education Exam (GCE), of which there are the ordinary | level (O) and advanced level (A), on a host of academic subjects | including math, chemistry, economics, art, french etc etc. The | O-level corresponds roughly to grades 10-11 in North America, and | the A-level grades 12-13. To get into university in the UK (or most | U's in the world, as a matter of fact) you need (at least) 2 A's and | 3 O's. (and that's how many I have.) | | (no no, I didn't take it in the UK but in Hong Kong where I'm from) | | -- Henry "Don't drive too slowly." Richard Caldwell AT&T Network Systems att!cbnews!nrc nrc@cbnews.att.com
scott@cs.heriot-watt.ac.UK (Scott Telford) (06/16/91)
In article <1991Jun13.001804.24370@cs.dal.ca> graham@UG.CS.DAL.CA (Michael Graham) writes: >i remember reading somewhere that Kate had ten or so "0 levels". What does >this mean. Obviously it means that she is very intelligent, but what is the >american (or canadian) equivalent? O-levels ("Ordinary Level General Certificate of Education", I think) were high school exams taken round about the age of 16 (17?). They were the first level of school qualifications (I say "were" cos they've been superceded now). If you're *really* clever, you then do A-level exams when you're 18. I think 10 is the absolute max number of subjects you can do in one year. Somebody from England could probably tell you more about this since we have a different system up here in Bonnie Scotland... _____________________________________________________________________________ | Scott Telford, Dept of Computer Science, scott@cs.hw.ac.uk | | Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. scott%hwcs@ukc.uucp | |_____ "Expect the unexpected." (The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy) ______|
ee8kh@gdt.bath.ac.uk (K House) (06/17/91)
nrc@cbema.att.COM (Neal R Caldwell, Ii) writes: >In article <1991Jun13.001804.24370@cs.dal.ca>, graham@UG.CS.DAL.CA (Michael Graham) writes: >> i remember reading somewhere that Kate had ten or so "0 levels". What does >> this mean. Obviously it means that she is very intelligent, but what is the >> american (or canadian) equivalent? >Evidently your question got sucked into a black hole and spit out >almost six years ago for Henry Chai to answer! :-) But in case you want to know more :- 'O' levels or ordinary levels are exams taken by many schoolchildren at the age of 16 (or thereabouts). Asking the half a dozen or so people sat around me, the general concensus is that only approximately 20% of children succeed in getting any O levels at all. The average 'A level' student (i.e. ages 17-18) has to first pass five or more 'O levels'. Three (usually) A levels are required for entry to University (aprrox 1% of population get to this). By this scale, if Kate does indeed have 10 O levels that puts her in the top percent or two based on exam performance. She clearly could have gone on to A levels and presumably from there to University. Luckily for us she had something else to do :-) (BTW, O levels no longer exist, they have been replaced by GCSE's, but I won't go into that). Hope this explains it. Kevin (One day I'll post about Kate, honest :-) -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Kevin House | School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, | | ee8kh@uk.ac.bath.gdt | University of Bath, ENGLAND | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------