Coursework

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, schools place emphasis on two sets of important exams: the GCSEs (usually taken at the age of 16) and the A-levels (at the age of 18). Both of these involve written exams in a number of different subjects, but there is normally an element of project work for each subject as well, which contributes to the final grade. This is referred to as coursework.

Some subjects (such as Mathematics and Languages) have very little or no coursework. Others, such as the Sciences, may involve a moderate amount of project work (performing and reporting on experiments). Some, like Music or Art, normally require extensive portfolios of drawings or compositions, and as a result, coursework is a very important part of the grade, sometimes accounting for more than 50 percent.