To ask if you only have one CSE grade 1

No-one ever says GCE O’level they just called them O’levels and A’levels. The distinction was only noted when schools started teaching both CSE and GCE streams which was mainly the preserve of the ‘new’ Comps. The Grammar schools around us only offered O’levels at that point.

People might never have said it in normal conversation but that’s what they were called and that’s what appeared on the certificates

Not quite right. GCE O levels existed from the early 50s to the mid 80s. London university board used letter grades; A to E were pass grades, F and H were fail grades. All other examination boards used numerical grades until around 1975 after which A to C were pass grades. Prior to that your grades did not appear on your certificates.

That's really interesting!!
I was entered for CSEs at my (awful) Comp, just like everyone else (I think it was 'policy' official or not). I chose to also take GCSE papers in 5 subjects as well, as I needed them for 6th form at a different selective school (Kent, 1980s).
The difference in the questions in the exam was noticeable eg an HBiol Qu at O level was: 'describe the function of deoxyribonucleic acid'. The CSE Qu eg was: 'which organ pumps blood around the body'. I passed all my papers at A or B grade for O level, except Maths as I didn't sit it as I was ill that day. I got a grade 1 for CSE Maths which was good enough for 6th form. Five years later I applied to Edinburgh Uni & they would not accept it as evidence of O level Maths standard & I had to provide supplementary evidence to gain entry.

@BatteryPoweredMammy

JMB most definitely did give number grades for O Level. I have the certificate to prove it.

CSE grade 4 was considered the average grade across the ability range. It was a completely different sort of exam syllabus and paper(s) to O level. I used to teach both and I was also involved in the 16+ trials which bridged the old system into the new GCSE exams.

I'm not sure I agree.

1966 here, passed my 11+ with flying colours and whilst I do have 3 O'Levels too I have a CSE grade 2 for Maths thrown in there. I loved my all girls' grammar school, but I wasn't there to learn, I was there for fun and a massive underachiever. All my own doing, I'm not proud of it.

I left school at 16.

Worked up the career ladder and took early retirement this year at 57, can comfortably not work again. DH earns well into six figures, passed for grammar, dropped out at 15 without taking any exams, not even a single CSE.

I think neither of us were disciplined enough to want to achieve academically, but neither of us are thick and it hasn't stopped us achieving in other areas.

We also both know all our timetables, which is more than can be said for my two graduate DC, with a 1st and a 2:1 😀

I suspect most employers would be much more interested in a 60 year old’s work history than school exam results.

I can’t remember the last time I was even asked what GCSEs I have.

It has relevance if you're applying for a job.
Even 60 year olds look for a new job from time to time.

Unfortunately your statement O'levels were never graded by number. They were always A-E and U for unclassified was equally factually incorrect

It means the individual did not achieve highly academically, yes. However its too simplistic to say that means they aren't academic, as you need to see it in the context of school at that time.
I was at school in the 80s, comprehensive, relatively deprived area, and academic success was down as much to your peer group, what band you were placed in age 11, your sex (girls still shunted off to cooking and child care while boys got to go on THE (singular!) computer), the value parents placed on education as oppose to contributing to the household budget, what you got up to in your spare time (very permissive, we were clubbing at 13 if we looked old enough) and a whole range of other variables.
Basically for a WC child in a challenging class, with a teacher who spent more time on crowd control than teaching, with no real targets, and parents who assumed you'd follow them into the local industry; you could be extremely bright and come out with little or nothing on paper to show for it.

It depended which board. Cambridge board had numeric grading for O-levels.

It depends what you mean by a “short period”. They started with the 1944 Education Act, and went on till 1987, so 43 years. GCSEs haven’t got to 40 years yet.

You’ll need to click on that image as it’s zoomed in in an unhelpful bit @BatteryPoweredMammy

Though having a check, to ensure I was entirely accurate, it seems the number grades weren’t reported to candidates for all boards pre 1975, but JMB did use number grades then…

I only got one CSE grade one. However I went on to do Open University, and a physical University, and I have a 2:1 degree, and a Masters. I was born in 1963. My school was shit to be honest, so its not always that the person is not 'academic' or 'intelligent' Sometimes the school is not the right environment, or the timing is not right for the person.

@BatteryPoweredMammy I’m not sure why you are arguing about this. What I’ve said is accurate. I was responding to you saying O levels never had number grades, neither you nor I said anything about specific boards. But ok.

I left with one CSE grade 1 in English and grade 3 in Biology, nothing else

I went to college when I was late 20s and did the AMSPAR Diploma Medical Secretary.

I am now (in my 50s) doing Functional Skills Maths as I have no qualifications in Maths at all, I do not even know my times tables😬 I have always struggled with numbers

1 CSE at grade 1 meant they only got one GCSE equivalent pass, not that they weren't academic. If a 1 at CSE was equivalent to an O-level (GCE), then some lower CSE passes would be equivalent to lowers GCSE grades. So someone with one grade 1 and a clutch of lower grades would have several GCSE equivalent passes.

CSE was brought in to give Secondary Modern students an exam to take. But then it was found that employers were ignoring CSEs, so they brought in GCSE to span the whole range, with C and above being equivalent to a pass at O-level (old GCE), lower grades lining up with the CSE range.

@Parky04 technically I left at 15 in 1991 - my 16th birthday fell after we were on study leave and only had to go in for the exams. If you didn't turn up your parents could get charged the exam fee but really if you didn't turn up there wasn't much the school did. I had a friend who missed most of the exams due to some personal issues he was having at the time (because of when his birthday fell he was still 15 too).

@cardibach

I’m afraid that’s inaccurate. The GCE stood for General Certificate of Education and was always attached to both O and A levels. O levels were number graded before 1974. GCSEs (the S standing for Secondary) we’re letter graded until a roll out of number grades began in 2017 (but not in Wales where letter grades remain).

I’m from England and I’m pointing out that your statement about O’levels being number graded before 1974 is factually incorrect. The JMB board awarded grades A-E and U.

No-one ever says GCE O’level they just called them O’levels and A’levels. The distinction was only noted when schools started teaching both CSE and GCE streams which was mainly the preserve of the ‘new’ Comps. The Grammar schools around us only offered O’levels at that point.

My GCEs were numbers based … but the other way round from today’s GCSEs. 1 was the top, 9 was the lowest apart from “unclassified” which they didn’t even bother marking.

I left school at 15 in 1987.

No i wouldn't totally agree with this.

My parents don't have great school grades. They were from working class backgrounds and attended crap schools. It wasnt considered important for girls in particular to have academic skills. Schools weren't held accountable for how their pupils did in the way they are today, anyone who didn't pass the 11+ was written off.

Both were in fact academically bright. They got their qualifications later on. One ended up with a 2.1 degree in engineering from a red brick university, the other trained as a teacher. With todays accountability in schools, both would have passed a full suite of gcses and a-levels with good grades.

@Cumberb so born in the early months of 1968 they could have left school the Easter of 1984 and only returned to take the actual exams - which I believe you could do but obviously will have missed some of the work.

I know several people of that age group with no qualifications who got firsts when studying through the OU.

The education system just wasn't set up to support learning differences then.