School Leaving Year Calculator UK

Finishing Secondary School in the UK

Using This Tool

The tool above is based on the United Kingdom education system where children start in September and finish in June the following year.

Enter the grade and year in which you started to calculate the finishing year. It assumes you finished high school in Year 13 in England and Wales and Year 14 in Northern Ireland.

Graduation Age

In England, children finish secondary school at the age of 18 years at the completion of Year 13. Secondary school includes 7 years of school from Year 7 through to Year 13 in the UK.

School Leaving Requirements

There are two stages of school completion on the UK, these are the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) on completion of Year 11 and an A levels (Advanced studies) on completion of Year 13.

School leaving qualification are awarded by the students’ school, but follow the same national education requirements.

GCSEs are usually taken by students who are 16 years old, however anyone can elect to complete the GCSEs if they are studying at school, college or in a private education setting, there are no formal entry requirements.

Students take up to 10 subjects in a two-year timeframe which includes full GCSE subjects and short courses, which are equivalent to half the content of a full course.

Compulsory GCSE subjects include English, Maths, one of several science courses, history or geography and a language. For most students aiming to proceed to university and take A levels or the Baccalaureate it is common to take at least eight subjects.

Students who intend to study A levels in certain subjects such as maths, english and sciences must study those same subjects at the GCSE level first.

GCSE exams are taken in the last 2 years of secondary education in Year 10 and Year 11 in the UK.

Advanced GCSE studies, known as A Levels are undertaken from the age of 16 to 18 years old should a student aim to attend university or a tertiary college.

Students specialise in 3 to 4 subjects that are relevant to the degree or course they are aiming to complete at university. A Levels are nationally recognised examinations accepted by all UK universities and other institutions worldwide.

Students are awarded the A level certificate on completion of their exams at the end of Year 13, typically when they are 18 years old.

School Graduation Requirements in Scotland

While the GCSE applies to students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in Scotland, students attain the Scottish Qualification Certificate (SQC).

Most students undertake subjects at the National 4/5s level in years Secondary 3 and 4 at the age of 15. Student usually take 6 to 8 subjects at this level.

Beyond this students aiming toward higher education and university will progress on to National 6 level subjects in the final year Secondary 6.