Able pupils can get one or two exams out of the way early on, enabling them to focus on a wider range of GCSE subjects overall. Some schools are pushing students into these exams early as a matter of policy.

GCSEs are the main qualification taken by 14 to 16-year-olds, but are available to anyone of any age. You can take GCSEs in a wide range of academic and ‘applied’ or work-related subjects at school or your local Further Education (FE) college.

For example, a Year 10 student can be entered for a maths GCSE in June of Year 10, November of Year 11 and June of Year 11. It’s an expensive thing to do as there are exam fees each time, however many schools feel it is worth it. The reasons schools give for entering students can vary.

Year Fourteen is an educational year group in Northern Ireland. Commonly in England and Wales, students will re-apply to their sixth form after completing year 13 to study a fifteenth year of education if they are unable to obtain a university place or need to complete their A Levels.

A critical feature of tuition fees in the English system is that no student has to pay anything up front: the full amount can be financed via government loans (in other words, fees are effectively deferred until after graduation). Thus, while college is no longer free in England, it remains free at the point of entry.

England. You can leave school on the last Friday in June if you’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays. You must then do one of the following until you’re 18: stay in full-time education, for example at a college.

If the home students do not pay any fees, the UK students are also entitled to study for free. In total, 10 EU countries, as well as Norway, do not charge undergraduate students tuition fees. Other countries charge very low tuition fees.

For international students, undergraduate tuition fees is around £10,000 – £30,000 per year for full-time courses. Note that the higher range is for medical degrees at the best colleges. However, on average, international undergraduate fees is around £12,000 per year.

Now, UK and EU students at English universities are required to pay up to £9,250 (~US$13,050) per year. International undergraduate tuition fees vary considerably, starting at around £10,000 (~US$14,130) and going up to £38,000 (~US$53,700) or more for medical degrees (source: Reddin Survey of University Tuition Fees).

Well, easy or hard is a subjective term — some find it easy and a few find it difficult as well. However, in my experience with quite a few students who studied in the UK is that it’s relatively easy.

For a foreign student the struggle is enormous. Suppose your college is in London then finding an accommodation in the city will be a tad difficult. Housing and rent expenses run on the high side. Even if you do find an accommodation, it might not be to your liking with housing facilities quite dismal.

For self-funded programs, a 1 year program saves you money. Even with funding, there are still opportunity costs associated with the 2nd year. To get to your questions: Why don’t UK universities manage their master programs in 2-year periods, instead of current short 1-year ones?