Examinations Terminology Glossary
Key Stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
- KS1 is Years 1 and 2 with students from 5 to 7 years of age following the National Curriculum
- KS2 is Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 with students from 7 to 11 years of age following the National Curriculum
- KS3 is Years 7, 8 and 9 with students from 11 to 14 years of age following the National Curriculum
- KS4 is Years 10 and 11 with students from 14 to 16 years of age following the IGCSE programme
- KS5 is Years 12 and 13 with students from 16 to 19 years of age following the AS and A Level programme
The National Curriculum
The Department for Education in the UK has developed over many years a National Curriculum for England and Wales. The NC is tested at the end of each Key Stage by National Curriculum Tests (NCTs – formerly known as SATs) and through teacher assessment. The students are awarded a level appropriate to their attainment in the subject. At the end of Year 9 the National Curriculum leads on to the GCSE.
IGCSE
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education is the international version of the UK’s GCSE. This is administered by University of Cambridge International Examinations and is taken by students at the end of Year 11. IGCSEs are awarded in individual subjects.
AS and A Levels
The General Certificate of Education Advanced Level is the basic pre-university and completion of schooling qualification. This is administered by University of Cambridge International Examinations. A Levels are awarded in individual subjects. The students sit for AS examinations after one year of study and A2 examinations after the second year. The two combined equal a full A Level.
Diploma
The diploma programme is a vocational variant of the AS and A Level system.
CAT3
The Cognitive Abilities Test version 3 is the baseline assessment used at TBS. The test covers verbal abilities, numeracy and non-verbal skills. They can be used to predict levels and grades for end of Key Stage assessments, IGCSEs and A Levels. A comparison of this prediction and the actual grades achieved allows the school to measure value added.
Value Added
A calculation as to how much a student has progressed compared to CAT3 predictions.