Intermediate Arts (IA) is an academic diploma awarded by a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

after the completion of 12th grade or equivalent in some countries like

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. However, as for Nepal, the usage of IA, ISc, and the like has become obsolete. The

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

has functioned as a world-wide examining body on many levels for more than a century. It used to be the degree-awarding body for many colleges throughout the Commonwealth, which have since become independent universities in their own right, and served as a model for others. At the beginning, in 1837, London degrees such as Bachelor of Arts, were awarded after a single degree examination at least two years after passing the Matriculation (entry) examination, but in 1859 the Intermediate Examination in Arts was introduced making it a three-stage process. When the Bachelor of Science degree was introduced in 1867 it came with a similar Intermediate Examination in Science, and an Intermediate Examination in Law was added in 1867. It was not customary to put IA or ISc after one's name as would be done for BA or BSc. Some Indian universities changed the IA or ISc to First Examination in Arts (or Science, or Law) which could be abbreviated to FA, FSc or FL. The unkind would lampoon those who put one of these after their name as "failed BA" or "failed law" etc. In England the University of London's Matriculation Examination functioned as a school-leaving examination in the local area before the School Certificate and Higher School Certificate were set up on a national basis. Rather than proceeding straight to university, it was possible to stay on at school and take the IA or ISc examinations a year later while still in the

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

, thus shortening the time needed at university.

References

{{reflist Secondary school qualifications School qualifications of India