Before attending sixth form, students are required to decide what their major is going to be because the classes they take at sixth form are prerequisite courses for their major at university. For example, a literature major would take predominantly English courses during sixth form. At the end of sixth form, students need to pass standardized A-level tests in order to apply to universities. These A-level tests serve the same purpose as the ACT and the SAT in the United States, in the sense that they’re used to evaluate whether a student will get accepted to the universities they apply to. However, the ACT and SAT cover math, science, reading and writing, whereas A-Level tests are specific to what a student studied in sixth form.
Since students choose their field of study at an earlier age and primarily focus on that area until they graduate, their education is geared towards the courses they will need for their profession from the early age of 16. In the United States, our education tends to be broader because we are required to take general education classes. I think there are benefits to both systems of education. I like that in the United Kingdom you get to spend all your time learning about what you’re interested. However, I also like that in the United States you get to experience multiple fields of study and gain a broad range of knowledge. I also don’t think I would have been ready to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life at the age of 16.
Here in London, I have seen this focused view of education evidenced in the assignments I’ve been given this semester.
