About 30 years ago they were separate exams. The GCE O Level (General Certificate of Education "Ordinary" Level) was a direct precident to the GCE A (Advanced) Level exam. That is, you had to pass the O Level in a subject before being allowed to sit the A Level in the same subject.
GCE O Levels were purely examination based. The pupil had to study a (typically) 2 year course and the exam would be based on the whole syllabus. The exam was "sudden death" in that there was a Pass or Fail. You could get grades of Pass from A to C but these must not be equated to today's GCSE grades A to C because of the way the system was structured.
CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education) was run in parallel to the GCE O Level courses. It was intended for those who were academically poor at exams but were good at coursework. The grade of CSE was based on part coursework and part exam.
It was generally thought of an inferior in value to GCE O Level. This was partly because the percentage required before you were "failed" was inreadibly low. Therefore it was considered that a Grade A CSE was equivalent to a Grade C Pass at O level.
This gave many bright CSE pupils (they were not called students until they entered college in those days, the modern useage is an Americanism) who were bad at "memorising" a chance to study for A Level.
As a result of Political Correctness the Labour governments of the 1970's abolished the separate curriculums and merged them into the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE).
They tried to abolish the GCE A Level too (it was called "elitist") but failed because it is used by Universities as an admission guide. Because universities have to have some means of determining who can join their courses (degrees are academically demanding - they have to be or they'd be worthless), the exam based A Level cannot be beaten.
The A Level exams are more than just a memory test. To get a good grade you have to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject, not just regurgitate memorised facts.
To be fairer to people who thrive on coursework but "freeze" in exams the AS Level was introduced which provides a safety net. This enables you to gain "points" which can count towards university admission.
Many have tried to find an alternative to A Levels but the only one that comes close is the International Baccalauriate, and that is one heck of a doozie of a course!
GCE O Levels were purely examination based. The pupil had to study a (typically) 2 year course and the exam would be based on the whole syllabus. The exam was "sudden death" in that there was a Pass or Fail. You could get grades of Pass from A to C but these must not be equated to today's GCSE grades A to C because of the way the system was structured.
CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education) was run in parallel to the GCE O Level courses. It was intended for those who were academically poor at exams but were good at coursework. The grade of CSE was based on part coursework and part exam.
It was generally thought of an inferior in value to GCE O Level. This was partly because the percentage required before you were "failed" was inreadibly low. Therefore it was considered that a Grade A CSE was equivalent to a Grade C Pass at O level.
This gave many bright CSE pupils (they were not called students until they entered college in those days, the modern useage is an Americanism) who were bad at "memorising" a chance to study for A Level.
As a result of Political Correctness the Labour governments of the 1970's abolished the separate curriculums and merged them into the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE).
They tried to abolish the GCE A Level too (it was called "elitist") but failed because it is used by Universities as an admission guide. Because universities have to have some means of determining who can join their courses (degrees are academically demanding - they have to be or they'd be worthless), the exam based A Level cannot be beaten.
The A Level exams are more than just a memory test. To get a good grade you have to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject, not just regurgitate memorised facts.
To be fairer to people who thrive on coursework but "freeze" in exams the AS Level was introduced which provides a safety net. This enables you to gain "points" which can count towards university admission.
Many have tried to find an alternative to A Levels but the only one that comes close is the International Baccalauriate, and that is one heck of a doozie of a course!
GCE 'O'-level is still available and is an alternative to the GCSE exam which was introduced in the late 1980's to replace the CSE (certificate of secondary education) which was a much easier exam than GCE.
Oxford University will advise as to whether your 'intermediate' exams, taken in Pakistan, would be deemed as an acceptable equivalent to GCSE/GCE 'O'-level (the 'O' stands for 'ordinary' by the way; the 'A' in 'A'-level = 'Advanced'
You would be able to take one exam in the subject of your choice (mathematics) should you need to take it. If you go to the websites I've quoted below, you will be able to download past papers.
If you need further help/advice, feel free to e-mail me.
Check AQA and Edexcel website for more information.
Oxford University will advise as to whether your 'intermediate' exams, taken in Pakistan, would be deemed as an acceptable equivalent to GCSE/GCE 'O'-level (the 'O' stands for 'ordinary' by the way; the 'A' in 'A'-level = 'Advanced'
You would be able to take one exam in the subject of your choice (mathematics) should you need to take it. If you go to the websites I've quoted below, you will be able to download past papers.
If you need further help/advice, feel free to e-mail me.
Check AQA and Edexcel website for more information.
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