Comparison of UK & India Education Systems

What are the differences between UK and Indian education?

Here is a brief comparison of schooling ages in India and in the UK.

Education in India

SSC

The Secondary School Certificate is a public examination taken by students after successfully completing at least ten years of schooling in subjects: Languages (English & 1 Regional Language), Social Studies (SST), Mathematics, Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology).

A new 9 point grading system has been introduced for this level, which is as follows: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D, E1, E2.

HSC

The Higher Secondary Certificate is a two-year study in a School in Science/Commerce/Arts streams. Results are awarded in percentages as below:

• Distinction – 75%+ 
• First Class – 60% 
• Second Class – 50% 
• Pass – 33%

Bachelor’s Degree in India – involves 3/4 years of study in a university with specialisation in an area like Commerce & Economics, Management, Computing, Arts, Engineering or Science.

Degrees are awarded as:

• Distinction 
• First Class 
• Second Class 
• Pass

Education in the UK

GCSE

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Level 2 of the NQF Framework for GCSEs grades A* - C. Students can take up to 9-12 GCSE’s including English and Maths at A*-C level.

GCSE's are available in more than 40 academic and nine 'applied' subjects. The applied subjects are focused on wider areas of work such as engineering. When you take GCSE’s you can achieve pass grades from A* to G. If you don't achieve the minimum pass mark to get a grade G, then a U grade is awarded, which means 'unclassified’.

• Higher tier (difficult level) exams leads to grades A* - D
• Foundation tier exams leads to grades C – G

A-Levels

A-Levels are made up of the AS (advanced subsidiary) level and the A2. Each year makes up 50 per cent of the overall A level grade. This forms level 3 of the NQF qualifications framework.

• Year 1: AS-Level - Students can study the AS-Level as either a free-standing qualification, or it can be the first half of the full A-level.
• Year 2: In year two of study, you take the A2 - this is not a separate qualification, but the second half of the A-Level. The A2 is designed to deepen the knowledge you gained during the AS-Level.

Colleges of further education and sixth-form colleges also offer academic, technical and vocational courses for people over the age of 16. Here is a list of UK colleges which offer vocational courses.

Students can also choose to take the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. This programme is an internationally recognised qualification for students aged 16 to 19. It is level 3 of the NQF qualifications framework and is focused on the study of a wide variety of subjects, including languages, science, maths, history, arts and geography.

Undergraduate Study in the UK

Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS)

UCAS is responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK and they process more than two million applications for full-time undergraduate courses every year. SI-UK uses UCAS for undergraduate applications on behalf of Indian students.

Foundation Study in the UK

Students can opt to study a Foundation Degree (Level 5 of FHEQ / NQF qualifications framework), which is a university-level qualification involving the first two years of an honours degree. Upon obtaining a Foundation Degree, students may ‘top-up’ their qualification to an honours degree.

Undergraduate studies in UK takes three years to complete in most cases, leading to a qualification such as a bachelor of arts (BA), bachelor of science (BSc) - level 6 of NQF/ FHEQ. You will need a minimum of four years of study if you are choosing a sandwich program which involves practical work accompanied by coursework. It can be longer if studying MB – Bachelor’s in Medicine.

A third or above means you receive a bachelor's degree with honours.

Postgraduate Study in the UK

Masters Study

After successful completion of an undergraduate degree, students can go on to study a postgraduate diploma, postgraduate certificate or the more traditional Masters degree. Different types of postgraduate programme include:

• MA: Master of Arts 
• MSc: Master of Science 
• MBA: Master of Business Administration 
• LLM: Master of Law 
• MEd: Master of Education 
• MPhil: Master of Philosophy 
• MRes: Master of Research

Grades are normally awarded as:

• Distinction 
• Merit 
• Pass 
• Fail

Doctorates/PhD

A doctorate qualification or Research degree (Level 8 of NQF/ FHEQ qualifications framework) gives you the opportunity to undertake an original piece of research. It usually takes at least three years of full-time study to complete a PhD. Doctorates are normally awarded as either a pass or fail also in some cases with a distinction.

Education in Scotland

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) provides syllabuses for years S3-S6 in secondary school. “Standard Grade” courses are taken by students which include the study of years S3-S4. These are equivalent to the Indian SSC – 10th STD and UK’s GCSE levels.

• Grades range from 1 (highest) to 7 (lowest). Grade 3 and above is considered as pass.

Years S5 and S6 are 1-year courses and are harder than GCSE’s, but easier than A-Level. Therefore, some feel these courses are insufficient training for university, and is why Scottish university degrees generally last for one more year than those at English universities.

• Grades range from A (highest) to C which are passes and D which is a near pass.

The Advanced Higher is taken by most able S6 students, where students focus on one or two subjects. These papers are graded A-E with similar credit value to A-Level in the UK.

Study in the UK

To learn more about studying foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the UK, book a free consultation with SI-UK India today.