GCE Ordinary Level The O-level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-
based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate
of Education (GCE). It was introduced as part of British
educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and
academically rigorous A-level (Advanced Level) in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Northern Ireland
replaced O-levels with GCSE and IGCSE exams in 1988. The
Scottish equivalent was the O-grade (replaced, following a
separate process, by the Standard Grade). O-levels were
predominantly exam-based; this had advantages for students in
part-time or evening education. Some commentators criticised
this mainly exam-based approach as offering only partial proof
of the student's overall ability in comparison with other
methods (e.g., coursework-based assessment). There was no
summative "school certificate": each subject was a separate
O-level in its own right. Madsen Pirie found that the O-level
was advantageous to boys because of exam-based learning. P