1. A Key Stage is a stage of the state education system in England, Wales, Northern
Ireland and the British Territory of Gibraltar setting the educational knowledge
expected of students at various ages. The term Key Stage is also used in Hong Kong
although the ages at which each Key Stage applies differ from England.
The stages are as follows:
Key Stage 0: Nursery and reception years (3–5 years old). Now included as part
of the Early Years Foundation Stage
Key Stage 1: Years 1 to 2 (5–7 years old)
Key Stage 2: Years 3 to 6 (7–11 years old)
Key Stage 3: Years 7 to 9 (11–14 years old)
Key Stage 4: Years 10 to 11 (14–16 years old). The exams at the end are
typically of the GCSE level.
Key Stage 5 (more commonly referred to as Sixth Form): Years 12 to 13 (16–18
years old). The exams at the end are typically A-Levels, AS-Levels, NVQs or
National Diplomas.
The National Curriculum sets out targets to be achieved in various subject areas at each
of the Key Stages.
Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in
maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when
pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the term also refers to the first three
years of secondary education, although these are known as Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10.
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs,
and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally
known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern
Ireland, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16.
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic
qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by
students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
and is equivalent to a Level 2 (A*- C) and Level 1 (D- G) in Key Skills. (In Scotland,
the equivalent is the Standard Grade.) Some students may decide to take one or more
GCSEs before or afterwards; people may apply for GCSEs at any point either internally
through an institution or externally. The education systems of other British territories,
such as Gibraltar,[1] and the former British dominion of South Africa, also use the
qualifications, as supplied by the same examination boards. The International version of
the GCSE is the IGCSE, which can be taken anywhere in the world, and which includes
additional options, for example relating to coursework and the language used. When
GCSEs are taken by students in secondary education, they can often be combined with
other qualifications, such as the Business And Technology Education Council (BTEC),
the Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA), or diplomas.
Education to GCSE level is often required of students who study for the International
Baccalaureate or to GCE Advanced Level (A-level). GCSE exams were introduced as
the compulsory school-leavers' examinations in the late 1980s (the first exams being

2. taken in the summer of 1988) by the Conservative Party government, replacing the
Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) and GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level)
examinations.
Key Stage 5 is an unofficial label used to describe the two years of post-compulsory
education for students aged 16-18, or at sixth form, in the United Kingdom, to align
with previous Key Stages as labelled for the National Curriculum.
Halfway through Key Stage 5, students sit the GCE Advanced Subsidiary Levels
examination and at the end of Key Stage 5, the A2 Level examinations. Sitting both AS
and A2 level form the GCE Advanced Level qualification.