The General Certificate of Education (GCE) is a subject-specific family of academic qualifications that awarding bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Crown dependencies, and a few Commonwealth countries, notably, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Singapore, confer on students. (The Scottish education system is different from those in the other countries of the United Kingdom).
The US equivalent of the GCE for admissions would be, roughly, the High School Diploma. However, in England and Wales, the high school diploma is considered to be at the level of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), which is awarded at Year 11
In Cameroon, The Cameroon GCE Board oversees the setting and making of the exam that is divided into Ordinary and Advanced Levels.
Cameroon GCE Ordinary Level (O Level) is written by students in their 5th year of secondary education whereas, the A-Level at the seventh year of secondary education.
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The GCE is composed of three levels for countries with the governing body in England for example; they are, in increasing order of difficulty:
- the Ordinary Level (“O Level”);
- the Advanced Subsidiary Level (“A1 Level” or “AS Level”), higher than the O Level, serving as a level in its own right, and functioning as a precursor to the full Advanced Level; and
- Advanced Level (“A Level”).[/tds_info]
The General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE “A Levels”) is an entry qualification for universities in the United Kingdom and many other locations worldwide.
GCE Grading System in Cameroon
Letter grades are used and below is the grading system used by the Cameroon GCE board for the examinations it administers:
- GCE O Level Grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, U
Letter grades A, B, and C represent a passing grade, with the A grade being the highest and the C grade being the lowest, and U (unclassified) representing a fail. Grades lower than C are not stated on the certificate.
- GCE A Level Grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, O, or F
Ordinary Level General Grading
Attainment is indicated by the Grades A to E of Which Grade A is the highest and Grade E the lowest. A candidate with Grades A, B, or C has reached the standard of the subject pass at the Ordinary Level. Grades D and E indicate a lower level of attainment, not representing a pass. Grade E is the lowest level of attainment judged by the Board to be of sufficient standard to be recorded. Performance below the standard Grade E will be unclassified and will not be indicated on the certificate.
Advanced Level General Grading
Attainment is indicated by the Grades A to E of Which Grade A is the highest and Grade E the lowest. A candidate with Grades A, B, C, D, or E has reached the standard of the subject pass at the Advanced Level. Grades F indicates a lower level of attainment, not representing a pass. Grade F being the lowest level of attainment judged by the Board to be of sufficient standard to be recorded. Performance below the standard Grade F will be unclassified and will not be indicated on the certificate.