US / UK / Australia / South Africa Educational System Differences

[@alexa-zen5070]

For south Africa when you finshed school the exams are called matric finals

[@damianvos3562]

It would actually be the NSC or the IEB depending on what type of school you would've gone to

[@Kanyongosisters]

For some degrees you have to write something called a National Benchmark Test (NBT). It measures academic readiness for university

[@melusishozi9528]

and some universities require a national benchmark test(NBT)

[@notdebby]

This lady forgot alot about south Africa

[@sibabalwesisowilson2164]

@@melusishozi9528 Do not remind me

[@Yuleni21299]

For Australia, it depends the age a student starts. My sis started at 4 (turning 5), I started at 5 (turning 6). But that’s when we started prep which I consider part of primary school. I forgot to say. The cut-off date (QLD) did only start for those born in 2002/2003 (I’m pretty sure), so he most likely would not know much about that unless he had children/nephews/nieces.

[@idek28]

yeah exactly. i think he was from another state

[@Madstar316]

I’m from Victoria, started school at 5 in prep.

[@Yuleni21299]

@@Madstar316 yeah QLD has a stupid cut off date thing. It’s really trip when you turn 16/18 and half of your grade is still a year younger when you finish school.

[@samuellangdon8569]

we also go to school for 13 years

[@lucy-nr5bl]

yea i was 4 lol

[@darkbunny387]

im from victoria, Australia and we start school when we are 5 years old, so we go for 13 years

[@lanibarr7577]

Same in Queensland Aus, we have preschool/prep at 5 then start grade 1 at 6 so we go for 13 years as well

[@simplelife6294]

Same in NSW, kids start kindergarten at 5 years and then yr 1 following year all the way to yr 12 - total of 13 years. Some kids go to preschool prior to starting kindergarten.

[@kuhujoy]

Same in South Australia, we have a grade called reception as grade 0, and then have grades 1 - 12, so 13 years!

[@saltleaf]

Some kids start foundation at 4 in Victoria

[@ChaosPod]

@@saltleaf Foundation? I think you mean prep.

[@augustcannon]

I can confidently say these guys don’t know what the hell they’re talking about

[@bradleylefika9209]

Probably didn't attend school in their respective home countries 😂😂😂😂😌😌

[@jake-gs4do]

Fr australia starts when you are 3 or 4

[@jake-gs4do]

He is also forgetting kindergarten and preschool you dont have to do pre school though

[@jake-gs4do]

Also q3 its 14

[@jake-gs4do]

There is also pre-primary before primary school

[@uchihasasukiya8137]

The final exam in South Africa is either called matric exams or final exams and the test you write to get into a university is called an NBT(National Benchmark Test) ❤️

[@disneydisney1490]

you don't need take the nbt to go to university. It's a bonus for medicine in some universitys. what you need are the matric exams

[@VoiceOfReason579]

@@disneydisney1490 they're actually a requirement for some degrees in some universities. I had to write them for Electrical Engineering @ University of Pretoria

[@oldboys3244]

No unfortunately not! Matric is an "informal" almost slang term. Before 1994 in South Africa "Matric" (short for Matriculation or Matriculated) informally represented having "passed" high school and your "marks" were good enough to be granted University access. Now it is referred to the NSC Grade 12 or the IEB. For Adults not qualified at Grade 9 to Grade 12 - represented at NQF Level 2 - 4 will need to complete adult education (AET) at NQF Level 1 and then can enter the NCV system to obtain a Qualification similar to the NCS Grade 12 at NQF Level 04 before they gain access to an University. There are other routes for Higher Education as well which would include learning at Technicons and Universities of Technology. Universities are not the only option to study for example to obtain a post graduate degree or P.hd.

[@GenericUsername1388]

It's called NSC exams and we do it after our preliminary exams in matric. I just finished my exams and I'm starting college next year

[@linguaphile88]

John - Are you forgetting Kindergarten? Usually beginning at 5 y/o. And then Preschool for 3-4 y/o.

[@rayt.3143]

Right, my 4 yr old niece is in school now.

[@rebeccalynn3980]

i worked with preschoolers, and yeah, 3-4 year olds, sometimes 5 where i’m from. we would work on motor skills - learning how to write their names, their numbers. stuff like that.

[@yuukinoyuki9064]

He must have because he said 12 years til graduation and with Kindergarten you're in school for 13 years

[@duane_313]

I was yelling at the tv like, C'MON mention kindergarten and pre-scool!!!

[@deanmcmanis9398]

I work at an elementary school, and there is first Pre School at ages 3-4, then TK (Transitional Kindergarten) age-4-5 (but not for all schools) then regular Kindergarten (5 year olds) then 1st and so on as John explained. I started Elementary school at age 4. Sometimes Elementary was grades TK-6th, Jr. High 7-8, High School 9-12, but sometimes Elementary is TK-5th, 6-8 Middle School, and 9-12 High School. Also there is Jr. College for 2 years just after High School, and Colleges, and Universities for higher education. Plus there are many private colleges and trade schools.

[@nathan_scofield_ynwa]

UK: PreSchool - 2-4 Primary - 4-11 Secondary- 11-16 College/Sixth Form - 16-18 University- 18-22

[@elviofrancisco8638]

same in my country

[@oliviaboyd1229]

England*

[@Ellemug]

Yoh

[@sald6815]

Pre school is called nursery as well in the uk

[@aralinya2652]

As far as I'm aware preschool is a pretty uncommon term...nursery or kindergarten is used more.

[@anilkumardubey3807]

Me who went to school from the age of 3 be like: 👁_👁

[@toyosia8051]

Same bc of nursery and reception

[@step30dub]

Same I went at 4

[@nikkid4890]

South Africa also has nursery and reception years too, but formal schooling starts at 6

[@galaxykitten8344]

I started a 3 as well 👀

[@harriantoncornell5405]

I started at 3 for Kindy/ Pre-primary

[@Druklet]

This was briefly mentioned, but in Australia, and probably many countries, education is state run, not done federally, so what the Aussie guy is talking about really only applies to Queensland. I'm a NSW primary teacher and kids start between the ages of 4.5 and 5.5 with kindergarten and there are 13 years of schooling with primary being K-6 and high being 7-12.

[@HCain]

Thanks for clarifying this because many people wouldn't be aware that this is the case. He said a lot of things that don't apply to South Aus where I did my schooling.

[@megan2366]

im from queensland and we start school at 5. primary is prep - yr6 and high school is 7-12 . so we also have 13yrs of school. what he was saying is just very outdated i reckon.

[@clairerandel6798]

not QLD, They start prep at 4-5, then all up to grade 12

[@clairerandel6798]

@@megan2366 yeh, I'm pretty sure he is talking about the old QLD system. The first-year level to do prep and grade 7 in high school left school last year

[@cranberryjuice1005]

oh at my school in NSW, people started 5-6. Only rarely when they’re 4.

[@prince55fragile19]

I’m from queensland australia and graduated last year so I’ll tell you how it went for me :) So we start age 5/6 in prep (depending on when your birthday is- after July you start the year after you turn 5 and before July you start the year you turn 5). We also have pre schools but that isn’t mandatory and is like a child care centre starting at any age. Primary school is now grade 1-6 (we use both grade and year e.g grade 1 or year 1). High school is now grade 7-12. We used to do the OP system but have changed in 2019 to ATAR. Many people use TAFE or other bridging courses to get into uni but we have a unit with final exams with all our subjects which create percentages that go into your final ATAR (you need a certain ATAR to get into certain courses- and may need to fo further exams to get into the courses also) and you don’t have to do ATAR to graduate high school you only need QCE points to graduate which you get from passing subjects. ATAR comes from percentages and only starts at unit 3 until end of unit 4 whereas QCE points start at unit 1 until the end of unit 4. Unit 1-2: I get a QCE point for getting 50% from an assignment or exam and it doesn’t go towards my ATAR Unit 3-4: I get 75% on a test, giving me a QCE point and a higher score for ATAR whereas 50% would still get me a QCE point but would lower my ATAR score. We have 4 units over grades 11 and 12 as shared above. We also can do certificates thru tafe and just thru school (depending on your school) that can get you QCE points and certifications you can use to get jobs! We also got graded A-E (A being highest, E being lowest) or N (didn’t complete it) from grades 1-10. Then Grade 11 was an S (pass) and SE, I think (fail) they didn’t give us percentages until unit 3 and 4 which was grade 12 :) and then the percentages from the assignments gave us an ATAR from scores 1-99.9 (1 being lowest and 99.9 being highest) The Aussie guy got the grading for uni so don’t need to explain that. Many wonderful opportunities in Australia and it’s a blessing to be able to use them.

[@molly5280]

I’m from qld as well but I’m in year 5. Prep and kindergarten were the best.

[@rusty3398]

I started prep when I was 4 in Queensland

[@Adam-mu1rb]

@@molly5280 k

[@yehwtf3685]

@@rusty3398 same

[@bob-kt2cv]

I am considering transferring from US school to AU school however not sure if I should. Would you suggest it ?

[@ronaldodasilva9402]

For South Africa 🇿🇦 Final Matric exams are the NSC examinations standing for the National Senior Certificate

[@thatocyberspace]

Now is CAPS

[@LM-he7eb]

True

[@ismaeel2932]

What about nbt’s

[@renierbarnard2999]

@@ismaeel2932 nbts are not for everyone, it is only needed for some uni courses and therefore not included in a question like the final exam Usually if you didnt clear the minimum average by 5% or there abouts they will ask you to write it

[@renierbarnard2999]

@@thatocyberspace CAPS is the education standard but it is still named NSC exam

[@stusiiiii]

In south africa now after we finish our matric exams (gr 12 finals) our percentages are converted to an APS (admission point score). Its different according to which university/tertiary institution you're going to but generally it goes as follows: 80-100% = 7 70-79% = 6 60 - 69% = 5 50 - 59% = 4 40 - 49% = 3 30 - 39% = 2 0 - 29% = 1

[@Cavlen]

Thanks I did not know this as back in my time we did not have this.

[@cheetahrose97]

I remembered that John was homeschooled when I saw the look of confusion on his face for the whole video, so here is an American perspective of someone who went to public school (I graduated in 2015). 1. I started kindergarten when I was 4. 2. My cities school system starts at Central Elementary which is k-5. Then there is Junior High 6-8 then High school 9-12 (the Junior High and High school are in one building but in separate parts). 3. K-12 would be 13 years until graduation. 4. Students take the SAT or the ACT. I took the ACT, but it's more common for students to take the SAT right now. 5. Associate degree is 2 years, Bachelors is 4 years, Masters is 6+ years, and Doctorate is 8+ years. 6. We use letters for grades in all learning systems. A 100-91, B 90-81, C 80-71, D 70-61, E 60 and less. We do have GPA but I never cared about it so I don't remember how it works. Remember that every state has different rules and regulations for our public schools while also having to follow the federal standard, so they will all be different in some way and similar in others.

[@yuukinoyuki9064]

GPA just works by converting your letter grade to a 4.0 scale such that A - 4.0 B - 3.0 C - 2.0 D - 1.0 F - 0.0 In a +/- system, so a system where you could earn a B- or D+, they add in more options. The point of a GPA is to not only keep track of the average of your grades (a student with a 3.2 GPA is averaging B's and some A's) but also to give weight to the difficulty of your different classes. [In Highschool harder classes have an inflated weight to them. Where an A is a 5.0 a B a 4.0 and so on.] In college the grade counts for each course credit. So an A in a 3 credit course doesn't effect your GPA as strongly as an A in a 4 credit course. In order to earn a degree in an accredited university in the US you need a GPA of 2.0 (or an average of Cs). And if you're going to graduate school many Universities suggest (or require) GPAs of 3.0+ Thus it's not surprising to find University students in the U.S. calculating what grades they need to score in what classes to bring their GPA up to X value.

[@eisamiller88]

@@yuukinoyuki9064 There are some schools that use a 5, 6, 7, or 8 point GPA system. I used to work in college admissions. There are a lot of different versions. We used to have to convert the others to the 4 point scale since that's what we used at our college. There are also other scales for determining letter grades from the percentages. My state used 93-100 for an A as an example. It's wild how confusing it all gets with so many different rules depending on the system. The easiest but also craziest scale for me was always the pass/fail system. Our admissions rule was to assign an automatic 3.0 to students who earned their diploma through pass/fail grades. It always seemed really unfair to me since some of those students if they'd been graded traditionally might have had much higher GPAs. We actually had special GPA calculators programmed into an Excel spreadsheet that we used for conversions with worksheets for each of the different rules.

[@yuukinoyuki9064]

@@eisamiller88 That's crazy. I know about colleges having to convert grades from different countries where the grading system didn't match up. Or did match up but the other country was more rigerous and so grades had to be adjusted to match that. But I didn't know about such vastly different grading scales with-in the states. Were these Public Highschools?

[@eisamiller88]

@@yuukinoyuki9064 Yes, they were. Usually, they were rural schools. City schools were all typically very similar, but the rural school boards had some crazy ideas sometimes.

[@Mrs.Silversmith]

Also for High School GPA there are weighted GPA systems for people who take AP and IB courses, so you earn more than a 4.0 for earning an A+ in one of those classes.

[@charlesngwenya1586]

In South Africa the test which students take to get get admission for University is called Matric Exams. Within the exams, they are differentiated into two parts. Government schools are using NCS, then for private schools is IEB

[@rickmorty5215]

There's also the NBT.

[@JohnnyMavuso]

@@rickmorty5215 that one only applies on specific courses.

[@JohnnyMavuso]

Government schools used curriculum systems like OBE, NCS and currently it's using CAPS

[@tshepangmokwena6597]

I feel like the South African lady is a bit behind the curve on the education system for a video that came out 7 months ago. I legit thought this video was years old. There are some things that she forgot to mention that had been in place since she was in school, but maybe she forgot about: -Standard-based grading was a prevalent approach to education up until 2008, when the education minister of that time initiated the Outcomes-based education system. -If you went to a certain specialist school, some years in high school such as 8 and 9 were mashed together leading to a grade 13 for vocational training. -Year 12 has 2 exams. First exam is mid-year and is called your preliminary exam. Then there are your final year exams which when compared to your prelim marks, determine whether you qualify for a National Senior Certificate, which tells you that you've completed high school with a qualification to study, depending on your marks, a bachelor's degree, a diploma or a higher certificate in university or college. South Africa does not have a GPA, but we do have an APS (admission point score) which is determined by the final year markshow many credits you have to qualify for admission to a specific course. The highest achievable APS is 42, however one of the subjects, Life Orientation is excluded as it is not a course specific subject and focuses more on sex education, life skills and physical education. -Most of South Africa's universities follow a model based on the British system.

[@princeswitch3116]

OBE was a breeze😂😂😂. Im glad I missed CAPS, though I am worried how it will affect my ability to help my children in school.

[@FlamingInkjet]

@@princeswitch3116 obe was significantly easier cause i was caught between the transition

[@bellataylah10]

That guy from Australia is saying things so off but I guess he must be in another state because everything he is saying is wrong from a NSW point

[@rachoc74]

And from Victorian point of view too. Think he is Queensland where they started grade 1. Victoria it's prep the grade 1-6 then year 7-12 and we have VCE to get ATAR for uni

[@chloethreadgold2769]

Different from a WA perspective too! I think QLD is quite different to the rest of Aus or at least they were until recently when they switched to ATAR

[@ellabonsack8334]

@@rachoc74 yeah I agree, from a Victorian view

[@Zoeguacamole]

Agreed

[@ladycaissia1547]

He is just wrong.

[@jlpack62]

Most kids in the USA go to structured Kindergarten at age 5, and that is nearly always within the context of an elementary school. When kids start in Kindergarten, they complete 13 years when they graduate from high school. As for numbers associated with grading at universities, it's typically like this: A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=under 60.

[@christopherstreet2214]

Yeah I was confused why the American said 6 and not 5 ... because the 5 years old is the norm

[@lifeofjohn3993]

Thanks for clarifying! I did talk about kindergarten but it must have been left on the editing floor ha ha

[@missxtal]

Plus US kids can go to pre-k and start at age 4. So that could be 14 years of school before university!

[@oscaravila-ponce2273]

missxtal some start at 3 like me so that an additional school year

[@ChaosPod]

What do you mean by structured kindergarten? Is that like a full school day?

[@sinakhokonkesphiwe541]

in most South African universities 75% is a distinction

[@randomsupra5113]

Oh god I'm from KZN and am now terrified as I'm also in high school

[@sinakhokonkesphiwe541]

@@randomsupra5113 terrified bc distinctions are 75% in uni?

[@randomsupra5113]

@@sinakhokonkesphiwe541 kind of I'm a slightly above average student and physics is getting me rethinking me choice

[@sinakhokonkesphiwe541]

just do your best, hey. like i'm ngl to you physics does get harder as you move up the grades. but at the end only you know what you're capable of academically.

[@randomsupra5113]

@@sinakhokonkesphiwe541 thank you

[@rebekahbodkin7504]

I’m Australia an atar is not a test it’s your combined grades put through a system to get a final score and you have to achieve a certain number for certain university courses.

[@biscuitcucumberpatch3311]

My predicted score from year 11 was so much better than my actual score smh

[@leettarajakumar6336]

Being an Indian after seeing this video my reaction was like🤔😱 I think India's can relate In india! Pre school. (2 1/2years - 3years) Kindergarden (Lkg-Ukg ). (4years - 5years) Primary(1st std -5th std). (6years-10years) Secondary (6th std -8th std). (11years-13years) High school (9th std -10th std). (14years -15years) Higher secondary (11th std -12th std). (16years-17years) There is not just one exam to get into college/university but different exam for different courses Eg. :jee, neet,nata,gate College/university.(batchelor degree) (depends on the course usually between 3-5years) (Master degree). (Depends on the course usually between 1-3years)

[@sajanas2489]

You are correct.After watching this,my reaction was like 😱😱😱🙄🙄

[@Clara-vy7wi]

I’m Australian and this is what we have as well. We have 13 grades/years. I started kindergarten at 4 turning 5. I will graduate at 17.

[@Clara-vy7wi]

When we graduate high school we go either tafe or university. You can drop out of school at the end of year 10 (15 and 16 years old) and also go to tafe.

[@sbonelocele3711]

It's not really that shocking though...these countries have something in common...it starts with a C..

[@CarolSam11]

Being an Indian parent living in Europe, I nearly had a massive heart attack when I was told that my child has to be 5 in September to start their Reception year!!!!

[@piratesswoop725]

Why on earth would you pick a guy who was homeschooled to talk about the American school system lol he didn’t even know kindergarten was a think apparently 🥴

[@Withasideofranch]

I'm wondering the same thing.

[@lisah1506]

British guy was pretty useless too. We start at 4 years old here. Mandatory after the first term after they turn 5. All children mostly go to preschool/nursery part time from 3 (sometimes 2) also.

[@olajong2315]

@@lisah1506 he said the school he went too was different.

[@lisah1506]

@@olajong2315 The school system is nationalised here so it isn't possible unless he went to private which it didn't sound like he did.

[@itsnixey]

@@lisah1506 could've changed since he last went to school

[@soniquesmith6397]

I'm 20 from South Africa, recently many people start going to school from 4 or 5 for grade R

[@MK-hu7zk]

Most times in the US kids go to kindergarten (5), a lot go to preschool (3-4, 2years)

[@erichvonmanstein992]

Maybe you should go back to school so you could learn to spell

[@soniquesmith6397]

@@MK-hu7zk we aldo have preschool from about 2-3

[@MK-hu7zk]

@@soniquesmith6397 Wow school starts real early for y’all.

[@molemoseothaeng2482]

These days kids go to a creche

[@JulieS261]

School in Queensland has changed since Walter was there. Primary school is now Prep (ages 5-6) to Year 6 and Secondary (high school) is Year 7 to Year 12. TAFE (Technical and Further Education) is a college where you can learn a trade or use it as stepping stone to University. In TAFE you get a Diploma which is six months of a Bachelor degree.

[@frankie3213]

Prep in Queensland start is at age 4.5 to 5.5 years old. My son was 4 when he started Prep.

[@cinuzuka]

As a Queenslander, THANK YOU! for saying it was changed.

[@buzzydaze540]

Walter said 12 when we have 13

[@crazyminegamer2339]

The change from when primary school ended and high school started is definitely something I’d consider a recent-ish change. If I remember correctly, it happened 5-6 years ago. I know because I remember the year 7’s still being around when I was in my last couple years of primary school. By the time I started school Prep had already been established, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s a pretty old change to the education system.

[@mkj161996]

Prep in QLD is only the year before you start primary not the whole time up to year 6. Years 1-6 is still primary and prep is undertaken at the same primary school.

[@lawrenceatherton4310]

when i was at school in south africa , primary school was called Standards (std 1 , std 2 etc) that was then changed when i was completed at school to grades. Std 1 is now called grade 3 for example

[@robritoboy]

I actually started school at 4.5 in Australia. The cut-off was June, our year went from Feb to December, so everyone is between 4.5 and 5.5. It's the same in every state. The Australian guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

[@thatbloodypanda6989]

Which state are you from? Because the stuff he's saying is pretty accurate from a Queensland perspective.

[@HCain]

I started when I was 5 (South Australian here) because my birthday is in January. My brother, on the other hand, started when he was 6 because he turned 5 in the middle of the year. When you start primary school, it all depends on when your birthday is. I should also point out that SA is the last state to have primary school going to year 7. They're just starting to move year 7 into high school now.

[@megan2366]

@@thatbloodypanda6989 im from qld and what hes saying doesn’t apply to us either

[@aneiasl]

The US has so many variations. I would say most start at 5-6, because there is also Kindergarten which is for 5 year olds. Some areas of the country also have Intermediate schools which can be 5th and 6th grade

[@ksmith8130]

Also, Kindergarten in the US was typically a half day program (morning or afternoon) until fairly recently, when most Kindergartens became full day.

[@T_hhhhj2]

@@ksmith8130 really?! mine was always full day btw I’m from the US

[@ksmith8130]

@@T_hhhhj2 Around here (MI) didn't really start seeing a lot of all day kindergarten until about 10 years ago.

[@T_hhhhj2]

@@ksmith8130 oh okay, now it make sense because I’m 17 so around the time I was 5-6 it was already changed to a full day and not half day. (I Might not done the math correct😂 )

[@jamesjenkins4655]

@@ksmith8130 I had Pre-Kindergarten which is like what you were explaining, then full day normal Kindergarten, then first grade, etc.

[@ituleo697]

In SA theres no term, and each university has different rules for grading including different systems. But we are all use percentages 0-100% Mostly pass mark is 50% Distinction 75% and above

[@fergie1014]

In the UK, we start when we are 4 and it lasts 14 years. You can go to something called nursery or preschool from the age of 2 if you want.

[@foundingtitann]

You can also start primary school at 3

[@luhama]

I’m from Victoria, Australia. It is also possible to start school at 4 years old, and do kindergarten at 3 years old, as I have done.

[@fygfjkkhfgfghkhd6095]

in britain (or at least where i’m from) you do nursery age 3-4, reception age 4-5 and then do year one age 5-6 which is ‘proper school’. since the year starts in September, if your born in august you’ll be youngest in the year and three in nursery like i was, born in September one of the oldest.

[@ciarasavage]

In Northern Ireland you do nursery age 3-4 but we don’t have reception so we go from P1 age 4-5 and so on until P7 where your 10-11. If your born in June you are the youngest and July would be the oldest. I think it’s similar in Scotland too

[@incognito_donut]

In South Africa Uni's want you to take a NBT benchmark test but they mostly want your Matric results

[@neil2090]

(10:10) I know in Australia, it's different from uni to uni, but for my uni it was, you get graded based on your assignment pieces and their specific weighting, and your end results (adding all the grades together) get translated into a number and gets calculated for your GPA 4 (pass) - 50% 5 (credit) - 65% 6 (distinction) - 75% 7 (High distinction) - 85%

[@1djlovers]

In Victoria Australia we have in primary school, prep at age 5 or 6 depending on when you are born and then grade 1-6. High school was year 7-12 😊

[@ChaosPod]

Yeah, I also remember grade for primary school and year for secondary school.

[@maddisongraham3174]

I thought prep was 4/5 years old but then you turn 5/6

[@1djlovers]

@@maddisongraham3174 you can only go at 5 years old at the earliest. I was born in April so I was allowed to go at 5 years old. Most people just start at 6 years old 😊

[@1djlovers]

So I was only 4 years old for a few months*

[@alexanderirving7577]

The entire country is being bought into this standard. Queensland is the only one now that doesn't do the HSC. In the area they are better because the HSC test is out of date

[@tayla4297]

Actually in South Africa, we have the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations that is commonly referred to as “matric final/end-year examination" where one has to write a final exam in each of your matric (grade 12) subjects. In addition to this some universities/degrees also require of one to write the National Benchmark Tests (NBT), which measures your academic readiness for University. The NBT consists of two test, namely, the AQL and MAT. The degree you want to study determines if you have to write the AQL and the MAT or just the AQL. The AQL consists of an academic literary and quantitative literary test. The MAT is a mathematics literary test which is normally required for medical degrees, engineering degrees, accounting, etc.

[@ditebohomotlohi2790]

I'm from South Africa and I was in matric last year. In regards to the examination process for University entrance, there are 2 types of exams that are required. There are final exams which are either set by the state (if you go to a government school) or set by your examining board (if you go to a private school) so that every student writes the same exam. There are then NBTs which are National Benchmarking Tests for Maths and English which every student has to take in matric. They are also set by the state. Universities grant you conditional acceptance depending on the results that you have submitted which include your final grade 11 marks, which are taken from internal examinations set by your school, your matric marks (first term, June exams and trials/prelims - also internal) and your NBT results. Final acceptance is granted after the Universities have received your Finals marks which they get directly from the examination board once marking has been completed.

[@btsfangirl2905]

I don't think UK kids go to school earlier in India kids go to school when they are 4

[@i_A691]

No it’s true I’m from the uk

[@maryamquraishi992]

to be fair we start preschool(nursery) at 3 years old

[@i_A691]

@@maryamquraishi992 Yh we start it so early

[@RobertHeslop]

I started school when I was 3. I'm from England.

[@nl3087]

Nursery or preschool most from 3 and proper school reception starts at 4 depending on birthday could be 5

[@rrekomane9631]

In SA, to enter into University now you take the National Benchmark Test (NBT)

[@lu881]

Not for all courses. I wrote one for engineering. But when I did accounting I didn't

[@all-in-all929]

You need matric. You don't need NBT

[@rorisangraphadu5999]

You need a matric bro Nbts are not mandatory

[@immyray4287]

Depends on the degree and what university

[@hlulanimongwe3584]

Not for all

[@vaarbz6764]

Everyone talking about how the didn't mention preschool or whatever I think they just figured that he meant formal schooling. Which usually starts from grade 1

[@RobertHeslop]

I'm from the UK and I started school when I was 3. My birthday is in August though, which is why I finished certain year groups at an age under others. 3 and 4 - nursery 5 - 11 - primary 12 - 16 secondary 17/18 - sixth form 19 - 21 university 21 to now, I am a teacher.

[@obscuritiez]

I think Australia's Education system is very very dependent on which state you're in. Where I went to to school we had playgroup (2-3 years old) , preschool (3-5 years old) primary school (Kindergarten, YR1,2,3,4,5,6) then High School (7-12). Some schools in my area required preschool first before primary, but not all. This is only my experience, and I imagine it's different depending on location.

[@bellaequestrian8670]

Australia Start at prep now witch is primary school at around age 5 many 6/ Primary goes to grade 6 now High school starts at grade 7 through to grade 12 You can drop out at grade 11 and get a apprenticeship

[@Mia4]

Yeah we also go for 13 years and not 12

[@triarb5790]

Don't forget each State is quite different.

[@plantagenetsurvivor8771]

John, you forgot about kindergarten. 13 years

[@princeswitch3116]

So then kindergarten would be like crèche?

[@marydavis5234]

John was homeschooled and he probably started at 1st grade, Kindergarten did not start in my school until I was in 3rd grade.

[@acrojen03]

Glad to see other people struggle with explaining their school systems as well. I know that if I were to try and explain the Norwegian system in English, it would take a long time... (trust me, I have tried multiple times. It's hard.) 😂🥲

[@gemeroperiddle9462]

True.. after moving countries, I've had to explain the Dutch school system as well to my german friends and colleagues and it's just so different that I often get many noncomprehending looks and dozens more questions.

[@zoe-nx2wh]

I have answers as someone who currently goes to school in Australia 1) we start prep (before grade 1) at the age of 5 2) primary school 3) 13 - there’s prep, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. 11 and 12 optional but most do them 4) ive only heard of ATAR 5) I think.p can be anywhere from 2-4 yrs 6) a lot of the time we have marks out of a certain number (a few marks rewarded for 1 right question) which are then converted to percentages and the standard grades.

[@bethanhancox9075]

England I started at 4 and did reception year then year 1, year 2 etc. It goes up to year 13 before uni but including reception year ( which is compulsory) you study for 14 years before uni. You can only study years 12 and 13 if you passed your GCSE exams.

[@andrewberrie5328]

70% in a UK Uni might be the equivalent of an "A" however, by definition of most universities is supposed to be worthy of being published in an academic journal - its a stricter set of criteria compared to international standards, thus the lower benchmark compared to say 90% elsewhere.

[@boiphemelomagampa6187]

The test we take to go to uni in SA is called the NBT (National Benchmark Test). A test to determine whether or not you are ready for uni😊

[@rue3816]

Yeah I don’t know why she didn’t mention that

[@vuyokazimthethwa]

Nbts aren't compulsory for some degrees though... I'm at Wits (as well as applied to a few unis and got accepted) and never wrote Nbts

[@rouelescanilla3819]

In Philippines we used to have a 10-11 years educational system, which consists of Preschool (Kindergarten), Elementary (Grade 1-6) & High School (First Year - Fourth Year), then later change it to K-12 which become a 13 Years Educational System, which consists of now Preschool (Kindergarten), Elementary (Grade 1-6), Junior High School (Grade 7-10) & Senior High School (Grade 11&12).

[@AneleDMonqo]

In South Africa, those percentages reflect on levels from 1 to 7 with 7 being the distinction

[@h.9183]

As an Indian I will answer all these questions! Q1) 3-4 yrs (b4 1st its nursery) Q2) I'd say nursery but after that from 1st grade primary. Q3) 12 years but theyr'es nursery too Q4) School Exams and Boards. Boards are for grade 10 and 12 they're like a government based test for students and they matter when applying to universities. Q5) 4-5 years depends on ur major. Q6) Marks are given but then converted to grades and grade point to end of each semester and students carry CGPA through graduation. That's it!!

[@liukin95]

In the UK, the university grading system goes like this: 1:1 (70%+) ⇢ The highest grade you can get 2:1 (60%-69%) 2:2 (50%-59%) 3:1 (40%-49%) FAIL (39% and under)

[@andrewberrie5328]

Also worth referencing that UK exams (A-Levels in England, Highers in Scotland) are a set of subject specific exams related to a syllabus over a number of years and not a multiple choice reasoning test like the US SATs - a key difference. Similarly to Chantelle, UK students typically apply to universities with predicted grades, prelim grades and admissions are conditional on a final mark being attained in exams.

[@Kanyongosisters]

In South Africa towards the end of high school, some degrees you have to write something called a National Benchmark Test (NBT). It measures academic readiness for university

[@the_Kutonarch]

Australian here, Specifically New South Wales: Primary school starts with kindergarten, then each subsequent year you move up 1, so it goes Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6. Then you go onto High school, starting from Year 7, until Year 12, for a total of 13 years of formal education. Some high schools divide their students into juniors/seniors, seniors start at either Year 10 or Year 11. My High school had a slightly different uniforms for seniors, they had grey jumpers(Sweater) and I think pants as well, whilst juniors had maroon everything except for a white shirt.

[@Matt-sw5bn]

Kids in the US start at 5-6. Pre-school is also a normal thing in the US, so its actually 13 years in schooling before Uni. There is also a way to finish High School quicker than the standard 4 years. The time spent towards earning your Uni degree depends on what your major is in and how many classes you put in in a single year. You can get a Masters in 3 years in the US. GPA is also used in High Schools in the US.

[@marydavis5234]

Not always, my elementary school was 1st grade to 6th grade, High school was 7th grade to 12th grade, Kindergarten was not added to the elementary school until I was in 3rd grade and my brother was in the 2nd grade then.

[@ksmith8130]

One thing not covered was that the years of schooling in the US are typically referred to "First grade", "Second grade", ... , "Twelfth grade" instead of "Grade one", "Grade two", ... , "Grade twelve".

[@lolo_z]

😂 how old is Chantelle? I laughed when she mentioned Sub A and Sub B, it would then be Std 1 to Std 10.

[@missbstuurman]

Lol Same. I thought she was younger, she looks 25.

[@siphosethusithole8192]

I came to the comments section to ask just that 😂😂 she's doing us dirty

[@rico_1_1_six]

She's probably 29 and up

[@mthunzimapatwana]

Bruhhhh, Quite a lot of differences from the old system to the current system

[@shaunfebruary8870]

I'm 30 and when I started school it was sub a and sub b and then grade 3. I think it changed when I was in grade 2 or grade 3 to grades for everyone.

[@S_Kirahhh]

I remember when my mum dropped me off at nursery without saying anything and tried to leave, I bawled my eyes out screaming for her to "not abandon me" while clinging onto her. Nursery was fun🙃 But I started school at the age of 3 so.....

[@bradleysowell141]

As an American, I started at age 4 in PreK. I know that’s normally optional, so I would say the average American starts school at age 5. I also went to primary (K-2), elementary (3-5), middle (6-8), and high (9-12) schools. But I know the use of primary school varies in America.

[@emmkay7573]

ME TOO!!😀😁😋😎🤔😏😐😑😶🤐😮😥😣😏

[@marydavis5234]

my elementray school years was 1st grade to 6th grade, my high school years was 7th grade to 12 grade, kindergarten did not start until I was in the 3rd grade, but this was back in the 1960's.

[@tashthewriter]

South African teacher here: Gr R and GR RR has been a feature of South African schools for at least 25 years. It is now becoming compulsory to send a child to school from age 4/5. It is currently law to send a child to school by latest age 7. To get into University you write the National Senior Certificate. Gr 11 results are only allowed for provisional acceptance.

[@nehatyagi1729]

I start my schooling when i was 3 (Indian 🇮🇳)

[@priscilladarngawn0325]

Same 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@iniknetz9663]

Is it from kindergarten or-?? I mean, there's kindergarten here but i think it doesn't count in educational system(?), so it's just count as pre-school since kindergarten is not a 'must' to go to bf the elementary/primary school

[@nehatyagi1729]

@@iniknetz9663 here children formally start their actual education at the age of 3

[@iniknetz9663]

@@nehatyagi1729 oh wow, just learn something today thank u!

[@edwin5656]

Sameeee 😂😂😂

[@mischachetty8778]

For South Africa it's just called finals, and you start applying in grade 11 for university.

[@mariajane542]

Sam said if you got 70% and above it was an A. In my school in the us 93% and above is an A and 70% is a C-

[@Hydraas]

In the UK, 70%+ is an A because the exams are at the end of the year and cover the entire syllabus and we have no idea what questions they will ask so it is hard to get 70% of the marks

[@mariechenanthony370]

Uk exams are harder than US school exams

[@Jprager]

@@mariechenanthony370 it’s harder because its only until college that people really have to dedicate themselves in their career to earn their degrees

[@helloimlois]

70% doesn't really translate into an A in GCSE or A-Level where it's probably more like 80% but at uni averaging 70% gets you a first class degree

[@soundsforself]

I don’t know if this counts for anything but, in my UK school we had a bunch of kids from America and a couple from Australia who were all held back a year when they joined (I think that UK kids learn everything a year earlier or school is maybe harder? Which makes sense when you consider that a degree in the UK is one year shorter, probably because we covered more in “college” before university. Those who don’t get great grades can take a foundation year at the start of university though)

[@Rickyraider23]

For the South African version there is definitely a generational difference. When I went to is was grade 1 & 2, then year 3 was called standard. And the standard was used until year 12 which is called matric. However halfway through my school life they changed it all to grades, but matric is still matric (year -12).

[@HCain]

If I'm not mistaken, the STAT test is for medical students that didn't get a high enough ATAR to get into medicine. If they pass the STAT test, they can bypass the ATAR requirement. ATAR isn't a test. It's a combined grade from all your year 12 assessments. If I remember correctly, the highest you can get is 99.9 which guarantees you entry into any course you choose.

[@zachb1706]

The STAT is a non-compulsory exam, and is usually taken if you don’t meet some of the requirements of your desired course. It’s usually only accepted for low-ATAR degrees, or to prove basic English competency (if you fail English in Year 12 but have the ATAR to get in) It’s a backup plan, unlike the SAT/ACT

[@christineglass3439]

In south africa the tests to get into uni are the NSC/IEB depending on public or private schools and grade 12 is also called Matric

[@zane6577]

The NBTs as well.

[@tshwa_nelo]

For the test taken to go to uni here in South Africa we have the Final exam (could be NSC or IEB) and then you get the NBT - the national benchmark test (which is for certain degrees though, I would say mostly science but I'm not sure)

[@reveranttangent1771]

In secondary school, it's possible to get a gpa higher than 4.0 by taking advanced placement classes, but only in secondary, if I remember correctly.

[@emrox4181]

🇦🇺 Australian system from an Australian student and teacher. 🇦🇺 Students start school from age 4 to 6. (Depending on readiness and birthday) In the old Queensland system you started the year you turn 5. (So I was 4 when I started school) and graduated at 17. Whereas everyone else in the country was a year older (Starting at 6 and going until 18.) Everyone now finishes at 17/ 18 depending on birthday and readiness. School lasts for 13 years. The first year you have is Prep or Foundation. After this you go to year 1 all the way through to 12. In Queensland, Prep was called Pre School and was optional until the new system came in. You can quit at 15 or year 10 if you have a job though. Primary is Prep to 6 (5 to 12 years old) then at about 13 you go to high school/ secondary school. The old test for Queensland was looking at your OP (Overall positioning) this would be determined by your subject grades and the QCS test (Queensland Core Skills test). Nowadays, it's ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks) that's used to get into Uni. This is similar to rankings which were also used by people to get into uni in the old system, which is just based off your subject grades. TAFE, as mentioned, was a third way in. Uni is 3 to 4 years for a Bachelor and an additional 2 for a masters. My Uni (QUT) used numbers for grades. 1= Low Fail (less then 25%) 2= Fail (25- 39%) 3= Marginal Fail (40- 49%) 4= Pass (50- 64%) 5= Credit (65- 74%) 6= Distinction (75- 84%) 7= High Distinction (85- 100%)

[@mieshac9124]

the Australian one is so different to what school is like now, I did kindergarten from 3 years old to 5 years old, and then for primary school we have prep 5 years old to 6 years old, then year 1 6 years old to 7 years old, then year 2 7 years old to 8 years old, then year 3 8 years old to 9 years old, year 4 9 years old to 10 years old, year 5 10 years old to 11 years old, year 6 11 years old to 12 years old… and then we have high school which is, year 7 12 years old to 13 years old, then year 8 13 years old to 14 years old, year 9 14 years old to 15 years old, year 10 15 years old to 16 years old, year 11 16 years old to 17 years old, year 12 17 years old to 18 years old (graduate high school) and then you can go to university depending on what you want to do as a career. That’s how school works for me!! Btw I live in Melbourne, Australia :)

[@thatocyberspace]

I'm from South Africa and am currently studying computer science at one of the US institutions. The grading system was unfamiliar to me at first, but I've adjusted to it.

[@Papi_21]

What is it called?

[@thatocyberspace]

@@Papi_21 The name of the institution or?

[@aussie2343]

the aussie bloke does not know anything about australian schools lmao, we start at 5, sometimes 4 and we have 13 yrs of schooling before uni

[@_goc]

2:38 I went to preschool in 2003 and 2004.(grade R and grade 0) So not so 'new'. (From South Africa lol) 6:42 National Senior Certificate exams (NSC's) + National Bench mark Test (NBT's) are specifically for university entrance.

[@Jones5781]

True, not so new, I went to grade R in 2001 but there was no grade R for my brother in 1999, and if you think about not so "new" but 20yrs old

[@mckenzyworthington5459]

In America Daycare: 6 weeks-4/5 Preschool: 4/5 Kindergarten: 5/6 First grade: 6/7 etc. Elementary school: Kindergarten-5th grade Middle school: 6th-8th High school: 9th-12th

[@craigholmes1189]

In South Africa, I went through the school system earlier than Chantelle. The country was changing from apartheid to democracy and as I finished school in 1997, it was during this transition. Your final year was called 'Matric' (Grade 12). When you attend that year it's called 'Matriculation' and you as an individual, are called a 'Matriculant.' It was based on the old British education system prior to 1928. South Africa inherited it from the public school system in the colonial period. There was much fanfare about being a Matriculant - you could attend Matric dances at other schools and yours - much like a prom. When you took your final year exams, you can qualify for uni. These exams were called the 'National Senior Certificate' during apartheid and if you qualify for university you are awarded with a 'University Exemption.' You can then take this certificate to an appropriate university and enrol based on your 'exemption.' Also all South African universities require you to do two majors (in Britain its just one), so in my case, through the University of South Africa as a correspondence student in Britain, I did my majors in Occupational Psychology and Communication Science. I actually finished my degree in London; UNISA has a huge outreach of testing centres - Washington to Tokyo, etc. In SA you also have to do an Honours degree between your Batchelors and then only go on to your Masters; 3+1+2=5 years to get a masters. For grades, I did see a big difference between my South African education and the UK employment criteria, where I now live. In South Africa you get a 'pass' anything over 60% but in SA they do make a big thing about a Distinction, which is 85% and above. In the UK they have different standards: a 1:1 is an A grade, a 2:1 is a B grade, a 2:2 is a C grade and so on. I got a 2:1. For employment applications in the UK they really want to know this score. It can mean the difference between getting the job or not. Hope this has been helpful and thanks for the awesome videos!

[@lmadeit163]

Happy to see Walter!😃😃

[@heeheemichaeljackson0]

ive never met anyone that calls it the atr test everyone i know calls it atar (pronounced: ay tar)

[@catherinemeyers2020]

It's also not a test, you get an ATAR

[@lungilechonco7910]

I live in South Africa and my bachelor's degree is 4 years

[@kenemesay]

yeah, but most B's are 3 and 4th year is usually H

[@siphesihleoliphant8734]

Professional degrees like engineering and law are 4 years, academic degrees like BSc and BA are 3 years

[@mcgwillam]

1. 4-5 2. Infant/Primary or nursery but that’s like preschool 3. Reception to Year 11 (u can go sixth form or collage) 4. GCSE (for collage) A Levels (for Uni but u can do B Tech aswell) 5. 3 years on a average but if ur a doctor it’s 7. It really depends what u wanna do. 6. Idk but It might be 9-1 or A- U Semester: Term Grade: mark

[@mrpilot99]

In Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 1) 5 2) Primary 3) 14 4) A/L 5) B:3-4 / M:1-2 6) as same as UK

[@randominternetstranger1148]

As a South African living in the UK, I can relate to more than one groups of people

[@mariyana4509]

I'm from Bangladesh 🇧🇩.We start school when we are 3-4 years old

[@aplam94]

In Canada I start preschool at age 3

[@issag2138]

I am gonna do this for the Caribbean which is influence by the British. Also varies in each island. Q1- we start from 2 yrs ( basic school) but it can be 6yrs as well Q2- Primary school Q3- We can stop at 11th (5th form ) grade but can choose to continue to 12th (6a form) or 13th (6b) grade. Its basic school to primary (1-6th grade) to secondary / high school (7th-13th or 1st-5th form + 6a n 6b) Q4- CSEC ( at 11th grade) and CAPE (12 n 13th grade) Q5- it varies on what u studying for but it's typically 2-4 years n I THINK 7+ years for doctorate Q6- a combination of 0/100 n A, B, C grading then combine to give an average grade (not a GPA) This varies too

[@JA-jj1jd]

For me in Australia, People generally start school at the age of 5 and turn 6 that year. Younger students born earlier the next year will start school at 4 and turn 5 at the start of the year. Technically Australia has 13 years of education including prep/foundation (this is the first year of school). After prep/foundation the years go….year 1, year 2 ect. Up until year 12 Primary school is: prep/foundation - Year six Secondary school is: Year 7 - year twelve With this system majority of students: turn 6 in prep/foundation turn 13, a teenager in their first year of high school turn 18 (an adult) in year 12, their last year of secondary school (obviously it may vary for different people)

[@sarahbendall737]

100% agree. This guy did not know what he was talking about lol 😂

[@thegamingcowl9690]

In the uk primary to uni is 15years. 8 years nursery and reception primary. 5 in high school 2 in college.

[@helloimlois]

14 really because nursery isn't compulsory

[@hvr1874]

South African Universities do have the credit system which "weighs" the different subjects in addition to the percentage grade. You earn the all the credits if you pass a subject. Credits are used in 3 ways, you have to earn minimum amount of credits to continue a degree. If you change Universities doing the same degree the credits are used to see which subjects you still have to complete at the new university. And if your degree course and university is recognised by overseas university/College the combination of credits and grades are used to calculate a GPA for post graduate applications

[@imamorayludick4477]

Me, a South African, sitting here in a private school on my way to write my A-levels😶

[@erichvonmanstein992]

What's your @

[@redu8806]

I am also an international A level student I am also siting in the SAT examination just bcz you could higher percentages easily in SAT than A levels

[@chintuvallabhapuram2392]

Q1)4-5 years changes according to parents Q2) nursery school or play school Q3)15 years(including nursery school) Q4) entrance tests Q5)5 - 7 years Q6)distinction we use first class pass, second class pass etc..( it differs from place to place) Q7 Q7)

[@star646star4]

In NSW Australia, we do an exam called the HSC to receive our Atar to get into uni, but these days there are more ways to go into uni than just atar. You are only required to be in school up to year 10, but you will not receive the highest school certificate. NSW and a few other states are the only states who are doing exams for the Atar and each state is run by different systems. In NSW our current one running our education system is NESA, but before that, it was called BOSTES. We have Tafe here and there are courses that you can do that are the same as the ones at Uni. Tafe is also another way to get into uni. After NESA took over BOSTES in 2017 and now we are required to do the HSC to receive the highest school certificate.

[@theesquad4722]

Q2) What is the name of the first school students go to? Chantelle: Primary Me: Uhm...What about Pre-School?🤣

[@theesquad4722]

@@gideonroos1188 That's fair, given that I don't know when that was so it may be more official than my response will take it to be but, to consider something a certain way doesn't make it so. For example, one could consider themselves an athlete just because they're the best runner in their class but that doesn't actually make hem an athlete. My point is, even if it is called PRE-Primary (or Pre-school based off of my original post) it still falls under the South African definition of schooling as such, My case stands.

[@theesquad4722]

@@gideonroos1188 on that note, yes. Forgive this long reply, but I ended up doing a little digging. Pre-school is recognized as a part of formal schooling it is referred to as the Foundation Phase and it does have Curricula that must be met for the student to have the ability to grasp more abstract concepts further on in their schooling. A quote taken from www.news24.com/parent/learn/learning-difficulties/the-department-of-educations-proposed-no-repeat-policy-for-grade-r-to-3-will-do-more-harm-than-good-on-the-state-of-education-in-sa-20190610 of Nikki Bush on the topic of pushing children through Grades R to 3 as opposed to repeating (failing) the respective grade, "For school readiness children need to acquire strong perceptual skills in the preschool years through concrete learning and guided play experiences that will provide them with the foundations for numeracy and literacy to enable them to cope with the demands of Grade R." I've also quoted from www.expatica.com/za/living/family/childcare-and-pre-schools-in-south-africa-105899/ with the intention to show that there is curricula in Grade R, which falls under Pre Primary, "Grade R programs are appropriate for 5-6 year-olds. Lessons focus on language, mathematics, life skills, technology, arts and culture." In conclusion, I still believe my point is valid.

[@theesquad4722]

@@gideonroos1188 mhmmm, shout out to you for the awesome debate though🤣

[@theesquad4722]

@@gideonroos1188 oh damn, Enjoy Japan my dude, Living my dream. But yes, It eas a nice exchange. I wonder about that too now🤣

[@theesquad4722]

@@gideonroos1188 that's crazy, But it makes sense...having lived in a few different parts and experienced safer areas of SA, sometimes even I get shocked by just how safe someplaces can be... So I can imagine how surreal it could be for a whole country to be on that level.

[@Prathikshaaa]

Fact:In India kids go to the first school at the age 3.

[@simrangupta3292]

I went at 2

[@Mahi_Sv]

Finally.... First comment 😂😂😂😂 now I'm going to watch video😅

[@ashstonpetersen8881]

For South Africa when you finish school the exams you write is called the NSC(Nasional Senior Certificate)

[@lizzolisa9068]

South Africa has kindergartens and nurserys... But formal school starts at 5 for those who are born in january _ June Then 6 for those born in July _ December

[@oscaravila-ponce2273]

I feel like the American doest really know anything about US Schools. Wouldnt fully go with his answers

[@duane_313]

Apparently he was homeschooled so def a warped perspective on this topic

[@vcwloves9864]

Same.

[@colinmiller8824]

Yeah. For reference. The US school system is like this Elementary school Younger years Pre-kindergarten = age 4-5 (some schools might have this) Kindergarten = age 5-6 1st grade = age 6-7 2nd grade = age 7-8 Older years 3rd grade = age 8-9 4th grade = age 9-10 5th grade = age 10-11 Middle school 6th grade = age 11-12 7th grade = age 12-13 8th grade = age 13-14 High school Underclassmen 9th grade = age 14-15 10th grade = age 15-16 Upperclassmen 11th grade = age 16-17 12th grade = age 17-18 And here are the others in comparison (with Canada, Ireland and New Zealand added in) Canada Elementary school Younger years Junior Kindergarten = age 4-5 Senior Kindergarten = age 5-6 Grade 1 = age 6-7 Grade 2 = age 7-8 Older years Grade 3 = age 8-9 Grade 4 = age 9-10 Grade 5 = age 10-11 Grade 6 = age 11-12 Junior high school Grade 7 = age 12-13 Grade 8 = age 13-14 Grade 9 = age 14-15 Senior high school Grade 10 = age 15-16 Grade 11 = age 16-17 Grade 12 = age 17-18 UK Primary school Younger years Reception = age 4-5 Year 1 = age 5-6 Year 2 = age 6-7 Older years Year 3 = age 7-8 Year 4 = age 8-9 Year 5 = age 9-10 Year 6 = age 10-11 Secondary school Younger years Year 7 = age 11-12 Year 8 = age 12-13 Year 9 = age 13-14 Older years Year 10 = age 14-15 Year 11 = age 15-16 College/sixth form Year 12 = age 16-17 Year 13 = age 17-18 Ireland Primary school Younger years Junior Infants = age 4-5 Senior Infants = age 5-6 1st Class = age 6-7 2nd Class = age 7-8 Older years 3rd Class = age 8-9 4th Class = age 9-10 5th Class = age 10-11 6th Class = age 11-12 Secondary school Younger years 1st Year = age 12-13 2nd Year = age 13-14 3rd Year/Junior Certificate Year = age 14-15 Older years 4th Year/Transition Year = age 15-16 5th Year = age 16-17 6th Year/Leaving Certificate Year = age 17-18 Australia Primary school Younger years Preparatory = age 5-6 Year 1 = age 6-7 Year 2 = age 7-8 Older years Year 3 = age 8-9 Year 4 = age 9-10 Year 5 = age 10-11 Year 6 = age 11-12 Secondary school Younger years Year 7 = age 12-13 Year 8 = age 13-14 Year 9 = age 14-15 Older years Year 10 = age 15-16 Year 11 = age 16-17 Year 12 = age 17-18 New Zealand Primary school Younger years Year 0 = age 4-5 Year 1 = age 5-6 Year 2 = age 6-7 Year 3 = age 7-8 Older years Year 4 = age 8-9 Year 5 = age 9-10 Year 6 = age 10-11 Secondary school Younger years Year 7 = age 11-12 Year 8 = age 12-13 Year 9 = age 13-14 Year 10 = age 14-15 Older years Year 11 = age 15-16 Year 12 = age 16-17 Year 13 = age 17-18 South Africa Primary school Younger years Grade 0 = age 5-6 Grade 1 = age 6-7 Grade 2 = age 7-8 Grade 3 = age 8-9 Older years Grade 4 = age 9-10 Grade 5 = age 10-11 Grade 6 = age 11-12 Grade 7 = age 12-13 Secondary school Younger years Grade 8 = age 13-14 Grade 9 = age 14-15 Grade 10 = age 15-16 Older years Grade 11 = age 16-17 Grade 12 = age 17-18 *This may very

[@BucyKalman]

The final (Grade 12) exams in South Africa are popularly called "Matric" (from Matriculation Exam), but their official name is now the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Exams. The South African girl probably didn't go to school in South Africa if she doesn't know that.

[@ddw88]

US: Daycare/Nursery School: 3 months to 3 y/o Pre-school: 4 (can also be done at elementary school) Kindergarten: 5 (done at elementary school but not considered a grade or year) Elementary School: 6-11 Middle School: 11-13 Junior High: 12-14 High School: 14-18 College/University: 18 -22

[@ziggy4465]

I went to public schools in the US (New York). Elementary was K-6, Middle 7-9, High School 10-12. Since graduating it changed to the following: Elementary K-5, Middle 6-8, High School 9-12. K stands for Kindergarten, so all students attend at least 13 years before going to college/university. We also have preschool, which is not publicly funded (parents pay out of their own pocket). It can be anywhere from 1-3 years prior to Kindergarten. I am born in December and started Kindergarten at age 4. My children started at ages 5 and 6, but only attended public school until grade 5. We home schooled for the last six years due to various issues. It was difficult to find a program that was not faith based, but we did. Right away, we noticed that our children were ahead of their public school friends. It’s kind of interesting that this was what we found, being that New York is considered pretty forward thinking education wise. While they only received Graduate Equivalent Diplomas (GEDs), their education would be considered Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) level. Each state must meet a national standard of education, but not all states are on the same level when it comes to delivery.

[@jislaik]

South African schools start in January and kids are usually 6. They turn 7 in their first year, which is grade 1. U.K. schools start in September. Kids start in reception for the school year generally if they turn 5 in that year.