The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the

General Certificate of Education The General Certificate of Education (GCE) is a subject-specific family of academic qualifications used in awarding bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Crown dependencies and a few Commonwealth countries. For some time, the Scottish e ...

. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

(Advanced Level) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Those three jurisdictions replaced O-Level gradually with

General Certificate of Secondary Education The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

(GCSE) completely by 1988 and, the

International General Certificate of Secondary Education The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based examination similar to GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attainm ...

(IGCSE) over time. The Scottish equivalent was the O-grade (replaced by the

Standard Grade Standard Grades were Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years. Introduced in 1986, the Grades were replaced in 2013 with the Scottish Qualifications Authority's National exams in a major shake-up of Scotland's e ...

). The AO-Level (Alternative Ordinary Level) was formerly available in most subject areas. Sometimes incorrectly known as the Advanced Ordinary Level, the AO Level syllabus and examination both assumed a higher degree of maturity on the part of candidates, and employed teaching methods more commonly associated with A-Level study. The AO Level was discontinued, with final qualifications awarded in 1988. The O-Level qualification is still awarded by CIE

Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...

, the international counterpart of the British examination Board OCR (Oxford, Cambridge & Royal Society of Arts), in select locations, instead of or alongside the

qualifications. Both CIE and OCR have Cambridge Assessment as their parent organisation. The Cambridge O-Level has already been phased out and is no longer available in certain administrative regions.

Current usage

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE) under the board of

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

. O Level qualification has become a replacement for the matriculation qualification (SSC) offered by the Government boards of education. However, due to the high costs associated with O Level qualifications, their reach is limited to middle to elite class families.

Brunei

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE). A number of subjects: English Language, English Literature, Bahasa Melayu (Malay language), Malay Literature, Islamic Religious Knowledge, Ulum al-Quran, Hafaz al-Quran, Tafsir al-Quran (Asas), History, Geography, Pure sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Arabic, Art and Design offer exam papers and syllabuses unique to Brunei. Additionally, the Mathematics (Syllabus D) subject previously offered an exam paper and a syllabus unique to Brunei, but this has since been retired and the regular syllabus used worldwide is offered. This is equivalent to secondary education now.

India

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

(CIE) GCE Ordinary Level qualifications are offered at private and international schools as an alternative to the conventional Indian School Certificate (ISC).

Malaysia

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

, the O Level qualification is offered as the ''

Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), or the Malaysian Certificate of Education, is a national examination taken by all fifth-form secondary school students in Malaysia. It is the equivalent of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (G ...

'' (''SPM'', Malaysian Education Certificate), with examinations conducted by the Malaysian Examination Syndicate (''Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia''). The examinations were formerly conducted by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which still advises the national examination board on standards. The English Language subject was previously offered with an exam paper and a syllabus unique to Malaysia, but this Malaysia-specific qualification has since expired, and the regular English Language exam paper and syllabus used worldwide is now used within the country. The English paper is separately graded by the national examination board and UCLES, and both grades are displayed on the result slip.

Mauritius

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

, the O Level qualification is awarded as part of the School Certificate, which is awarded upon successful completion of Form V in

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. The O Level examinations are jointly conducted by the

Mauritius Examinations Syndicate The Mauritius Examinations Syndicate is the examinations board responsible for administering school exams in Mauritius, run by the Government of Mauritius. Primary school exams, leading to the award of the Primary School Achievement Certificate (PSA ...

and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). The

from

Edexcel Edexcel (also known since 2013 as Pearson Edexcel) is a British multinational education and examination body formed in 1996 and wholly owned by Pearson plc since 2005. It is the only privately owned examination board in the United Kingdom. It ...

is also offered as an equivalent alternative qualification, for which exam registration may be done through the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. A number of subjects, including English Language, English Language (Syllabus B), History, Mathematics (Syllabus A), Mathematics (Syllabus D), offer exam papers and syllabuses unique to Mauritius. Additionally, the subject of Art and Design, the offering of which is restricted to a limited geographic region, is available in Mauritius.

Pakistan

The GCE O Level qualification is offered in Pakistan by the CIE and conducted by the

. Due to the high costs associated with O Level Schooling, it is mostly opted by privileged citizens.

Seychelles

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by

(CIE). Some subjects are unique to Seychelles or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Seychelles.

Singapore

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, the O Level qualification is offered jointly by

(CIE) and the

Singapore Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education (MOE; ms, Kementerian Pendidikan; zh, 教育部; ta, கல்வி அமைச்சு) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies related to th ...

. The examinations are mainly conducted by CIE, with select subject examinations conducted by the Singapore Ministry of Education, including select

mother tongue A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tong ...

subjects, such as Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, and humanities subject of Social Studies. A number of subjects previously offered exam papers and syllabuses unique to Singapore, but these have since been retired or planned to be phased out. After taking O-levels, some Singapore students go on to

GCE Advanced Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

exams, which are also marked by

. In 2024, the O levels as well as the N levels will be phased out for a new local examination.

Sri Lanka

The GCE Ordinary Level qualification is offered by the British council of Sri Lanka School (BCS). Before, this qualification was jointly offered by Cambridge International Examinations and the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe

The GCE Ordinary Level qualification is offered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). Before, this qualification was jointly offered by Cambridge International Examinations and the

in Zimbabwe.

Former usage

Caribbean

The O Level qualification was previously awarded in the Caribbean. However, many Caribbean countries have now switched to awarding Caribbean Secondary Education Certification (CSEC) qualifications based on successful completion of examinations administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

Hong Kong

The O Level qualification was previously awarded in Hong Kong, along with the Hong Kong version of the

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

qualification. However, this was replaced with the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) which was then replaced with the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). The HKCEE was previously benchmarked against the O Levels for comparable subjects, but with the introduction of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) qualification the Hong Kong equivalent qualification was then benchmarked against the IGCSE.

United Kingdom

The

GCE O Level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...

qualification originated in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, where it was awarded as the secondary school-leaving qualification. It was primarily an examinations-based qualification, with a grading system that changed over the years. In the

, the O Level qualifications were replaced in 1988 with the

(GCSE) and the

(IGCSE).

References

{{Education in England Educational qualifications in England Secondary school qualifications Secondary education in England Secondary education in Wales Secondary education in Northern Ireland Educational qualifications in Wales Educational qualifications in Northern Ireland