Many of our members are actively promoting awareness and understanding of engineering in education. To help them we have put together a series of FAQs, listed below, with brief answers which give 'context information' about the UK education systems.
In the coming months we will add to these and develop a series of IMechE opinion pieces to accompany them. If you would like to suggest any issues for us to address please contact andrew.mason@power.alstom.com; we will add questions in direct response to demand.
Education FAQs
- How do the various main UK qualification types relate to each other? This gives information about the national qualifications frameworks for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland showing the various qualification levels. Read more…
- How does the Scottish school education system differ from that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland? The Scottish secondary school system differs for that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To start with it does not feature Key Stages or the controversial SATs at age 14. Read more…
- What testing takes place in schools in the UK? This article lists the national tests administered in schools at various age groups in the various regions of the UK. Read more…
- We hear a lot about “vocational” and “academic” qualifications; what do these terms really mean? Historically in the UK there have been time been two distinct routes within the educational systems; these are commonly called “academic” and “vocational”. Read more…
- What are STEM subjects and how are they included in the national curriculum? STEM subjects are Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Within this fall associated subjects such as Applied Maths, Design, various Engineering qualifications, ICT and the there traditional sciences of Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Read more…
- What is triple science and is it important? Various GCSE science options are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; this article explains the difference between them. Read more… Read more…
- What is the new 14-19 Engineering Diploma? The Diploma is a qualification based around an employment sector, bridging the gap between academic study and practical experience. Read more…
- Every year the press print articles claiming that GCSEs and A levels are being ‘dumbed down’; what are the facts? An increasingly greater proportion of exam entrants pass GCSEs and A levels each year and reports have suggested that exams are easier or that the standards needed for each grade have been reduced – in effect, ‘dumbing down’. Read more…