International qualifications 2013 (pdf) - CUKAS

Qualifications currently offered
EDUCATION SYSTEM
Education is compulsory for children from the age of six to 16,
which includes six years of primary and three years of lower
secondary education. On completion of three years of secondary
education (junior cycle), the Junior Certificate is usually taken,
and the Leaving Certificate after a further two or three years of
study (senior cycle). The Junior Certificate is below GCSE
standard and is not used by the Irish universities for entrance
purposes. The Leaving Certificate is examined at two levels that
are used for the purposes of selection to higher education,
Ordinary and Higher. In general, the standard is somewhere
between GCSE and GCE A level. Pupils normally take six to nine
subjects, of which six or more would usually be at Higher level in
the case of potential university candidates. Instruction in postprimary
schools is in English and Irish. Study of the Irish language
is compulsory but students are not required to take an
examination in the subject.
A variation of the Leaving Certificate is the Leaving Certificate
Vocational Programme (LCVP) which concentrates on technical
subjects with additional vocationally focused modules. An
alternative to these is the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme
(LCA) which is a stand-alone pre-vocational programme designed
to prepare students for working life through a two-year crosscurricular
course. Certification in the LCA is not recognised for
direct entry to HE courses.
Further education is the responsibility of the Further Education
and Training Awards Council (FETAC). FETAC offers a range of
qualifications at levels 1-6 of the Irish National Framework of
Qualifications. See www.fetac.ie for details.
ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
Admission to university studies in Ireland is predominantly on the
basis of the Leaving Certificate examination taken after 13 years
of schooling. The minimum entry requirement of the four
constituent universities of the National University of Ireland (NUI)
is six subjects, including Irish, English and a third language. In
certain circumstances, students can claim exemption from the
Irish and third language requirements. Further information about
exemptions can be found on the NUI website at www.nui.ie.
There are variations between institutions but, in general, a
minimum of grade C3 at Higher level in two subjects is required
(three subjects in the case of Trinity College Dublin) and a
minimum of grade D in other specified subjects, including
mathematics in the case of the three non-NUI universities. The
supply and demand situation between university courses is
broadly similar to that in the UK. Overall demand exceeds supply
in certain disciplines and competition is strong. This is reflected
in stringent entry requirements for areas such as medicine and
law, which may involve five or six passes at grade A in Higher
level subjects.
In practice, a rank order of candidates who satisfy eligibility
requirements is established by converting Leaving Certificate
grades for the six best subjects into a points score. A detailed
system, with possible additional bonuses, awards 100 points
for grade A1 at Higher level and 60 points for grade C3. On
this basis, examples of minimum levels at which places were
offered in 2012 include: University College, Dublin – veterinary
560, law 485, Trinity College Dublin – dental science 570, and
University of Limerick – languages, literature and film 355,
applied languages 460. University admission may also be
obtained on the basis of the Higher Certificate* or Ordinary
bachelor’s degree* awarded by the Higher Education and
Training Awards Council (successor to National Council for
Education Awards – NCEA), which are broadly comparable to
the corresponding BTEC awards. Applicants over 23 years of
age may seek admission on the basis of curriculum vitae.
* These awards were formerly known as the National Certificate
and Diploma. The terminology has now been changed under the
National Framework of Qualifications.
Israel
EVALUATION
Bagrut
Acceptable as a group qualification satisfying general entrance
requirements.
GRADING SYSTEM
10 excellent
9 very good
8 good
7 above average
6 average
5 below average
4 – 1 fail
Successful candidates must take a minimum of 20 study units in
seven required subjects and in additional optional subjects. The
required subjects are: Hebrew/Arabic, literature, bible, civics,
history, English and mathematics. The additional optional
questions are selected from prescribed lists, at least one of which
must be a five-unit subject. At least one option must also be a
general culture subject. Students must receive at least an
average grade in physical education and must not receive more
than one grade of 5 or below, and this is not permitted to be in
Hebrew or Arabic.
EDUCATION SYSTEM
Six years of primary education are followed by three years of
lower and three years of upper secondary schooling. The medium
of instruction is Hebrew or Arabic. There is some specialisation in
the final two years. Although eight is the minimum number of
subjects taken in the Bagrut examination, in 12th grade, the
number may be higher. Pupils can take a subject at one of three
levels, basic, normal and high points/units. The Matriculation
Certificate is then awarded based on the Bagrut examinations.
Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority pupils on the
West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and on the Gaza Strip take the
Palestinian Matriculation Certificate.
ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
The Matriculation Certificate is the basic requirement for
admission to HE in Israel. In practice, however, considerably more
than the minimum points are needed for university entry.
Minimum required points/units in English is 4 points/units.
University applicants must pass the nationally administered
Psychometric Entrance Examination (a multiple-choice aptitude
test), have proficiency in Hebrew, and in some cases be
interviewed. The bachelor’s degree normally lasts three years but
is longer for professional specialisms (such as engineering and
similar BSc degrees).
INTERNATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS 31