to teach students one-to-one, to teach students in small groups
to catch up on work
mark (Br) / grade (Am)
bursary, bursary system, to provide bursaries for able students
to skip lessons / to play truant from school
optional subject (electives), compulsory subject
major (1. a student's main subject at college or university 2. someone who is studying a particular subject as their main subject: a political science major)
SATs / Standard Assessment Tests (SATS) (a test in a particular subject given to children in schools in the UK)
GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education. The exams taken by most fifteen- to sixteen-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Marks are given for each subject separately. The syllabuses and methods of examination of the various examining boards differ. However, there is a uniform system of marks, all being graded from A to G. Grades A, B and C are regarded as “good” grades.
SCE= Scottish Certificate of Education. The Scottish equivalent of GCSE. These exams are set by the Scottish Examinations Board. Grades are awarded in numbers
(1 = the best)
A Levels = Advanced Levels. Higher-level academic exams set by the same examining boards that set GCSE exams. They are taken mostly by people around the age of eighteen who wish to go on to higher education.
SCE “Highers” = The Scottish equivalent of A-levels.
GNVQ = General National Vocational Qualification. Courses and exams in job-related subjects. They are divided into five levels, the lowest level being equivalent to GSCEs/SCEs and the third level to A-levels/“Highers”. Most commonly, GNVQ courses are studied at Colleges of Further Education, but more and more schools are also offering them.
High School Diploma / GED (General Educational Development) Certificate