In Pakistan, the two dominating education systems are the local Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) system, and the British standard General Certificate of Education (GCE).
While most universities and medical colleges recognize the BISE examination results, which compromises matric and intermediate, the GCE examinations for O Levels and A Levels are also quite popular amongst private school students.
GCE O Levels and A Levels are considered to be a good choice for students who are interested in studying abroad. However, in order to apply for universities locally, students must convert their GCE examination results into the BISE standard results. This is done through an equivalence process administered by the Inter Board Committee Chairmen (IBCC).
If you are studying in the British system, then you will first appear for O Level exams. Once your O Levels have been cleared, then you will move on to A Levels. In order to understand the equivalence of GCE to the local BISE system, it is important to learn about the BISE exams.
According to the Pakistani education system, which is known as the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), there are two levels, matric and intermediate.
Matric exams consist of 9th class and 10th class. The completion of the 9th and 10th class examinations leads to the awardance of the Secondary School Certification (SSC).
Intermediate Exams consist of 11th class and 12th class exams. After the clearance of the 11th and 12th class intermediate exams, students receive their Higher Secondary School Certification (HSSC).
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) is administered by the University of Cambridge, hence is a British Standard education system.
In the GCE, O Levels is equivalent to the first two years of high school, i.e. 9th and 10th class. In other words, the completion of O Levels is considered to be the equivalent of completing 10th class. In Pakistan, O Levels are usually split into two years, known as O1 and O2. Some schools divide it into three years for the ease of their students, but it is still considered up to 10th class level.
After the completion of O Levels, then students move on to complete their A Levels. The completion of A Levels is considered equal to the completion of the 11th and 12th classes of the high school.
Simply put, the completion of O Levels is equivalent to the completion of Matric exams. In other words, it is the completion of the 9th and 10th classes. As matric students gear up for their 10th class exams, GCE students simultaneously undergo exam preparation for their final O Levels exams.
After the completion of O Levels, students who would like to pursue a university in Pakistan must go through the equivalence process at IBCC, where their O Levels result is converted into the Secondary School Certificate (SSC).
Whether you are preparing for your O Levels or Matric exams, effective exam preparation is always a must. Head over to tutoria.pk for the best exam preparation resources, including previous five-year solved past papers, book notes, lecture videos, and more!
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