Comparative ages, grades and exams - US vs UK
Age | English Stage | English School Year | English tests/exams | US Grade | US Exams (states may vary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3-4 | Nursery | Pre-school | |||
4 | Foundation | ||||
5 | Reception | Pre-K | |||
5-6 | Year 1 | Kinder- garten | |||
6-7 | Year 2 | SATs - Reading/ Writing/ Maths/ English (Optional) | 1st Grade | ||
7-8 | Year 3 | 2nd Grade | |||
8-9 | Year 4 | 3rd Grade | |||
9-10 | Year 5 | SATs - English/ Maths/ Science | 4th Grade | ||
10-11 | Year 6 | 5th Grade | |||
11-12 | Year 7 | 6th Grade | |||
12-13 | Year 8 | 7th Grade | |||
13-14 | Year 9 | 8th Grade | |||
14-15 | Year 10 | 9th Grade | |||
15-16 | Year 11 | GCSEs | 10th grade | AP courses may be offered, with commen- surate exams | |
16-17 | Key Stage 5 | Year 12 | AS Levelsor IB Diploma | 11th Grade | PSAT; AP courses/ exams; SAT; ACT; CLT; IB Diploma (first year) |
17-18 | Key Stage 5 | Year 13 | A Levelsor IB Diploma | 12th Grade | SAT; ACT; AP courses/ exams; CLT; high school Diploma or IB Diploma completed |
AP (US) = Advanced Placement
SAT (US) = College Entrance Exams (can be taken several times)
ACT (US) = College Entrance Exams (universities may prefer SAT to ACT or vice versa, or may willingly accept either)
CLT (US) = Classic Learning Test (an alternative to SAT and ACT assessments)
PSAT (US) = preliminary (practice for SAT; qualifying exam for National Merit Scholarships)
SATS (UK) = Standard Assessment Tests
GCSEs = General Certificate of Secondary Education
AS Levels = Advanced Subsidiary Level
A Levels = Advanced Levels
IB = International Baccalaureate
