A post-GCSE academic course in England and Wales offered at most Secondary School Sixth Forms, some FE Colleges and all
Sixth Form Colleges.
Generally, the requirement to study at
A-Level depends on the school. The most common requirement is five
GCSE's at grade C-A*, sometimes including both English and Maths, but some Sixth Forms/Colleges will let you
resit them if you didn't manage to get at least a C in them.
Sixth Form's that are part of prestigious private schools or grammar schools generally require more/better grades, such as B's in Maths and English, two A's, and a string of
B's and C's.
The A in A-Level stands for 'Advanced'-Level, and so it should. A-Levels are not neccessarily confusing or hard, but they are a LOT more work than GCSE's, and in a shorter space of time. The first half of the A-Level is the Advanced Subsidery or AS-Level, the second year is Advanced 2 or A2-Level, you complete both to get the full A-Levels.
The most common amount of A-Levels taken per person is either three (for the average students) or four (for smart students). However, some people actually pic even more, or less.
The average time spent doing A-Levels is two years, but some people end up doing three years for various reasons, such as failing a year, wanting to do extra AS's, or wanting to change subjects.
Generally after A-Levels, people go on to study at University or a skills/
trade school or college.