Q. What is the O level in the UK?

The Ordinary Level or O level used to be important in the UK until the late 1980s. It marks the end of the secondary education journey. It is typically taken when students are around 16. 

The O level has now been swapped out by the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in most corners of the UK.

Back in '88, England and Northern Ireland shook things up with the introduction of the GCSE. The GCSE takes the stage as an all-encompassing qualification compared to the O Level. 

The O level was much more theoretical, but the GCSE throws in a mix of vocational and hands-on courses. When you hit 16, you will be tackling more practical education instead of dealing with just theoretical material.

Why was the switch from the O level to the GCSE made? Well, they wanted to make education more well-rounded by expanding it beyond theoretical knowledge. 

The GCSE isn't just about acing exams in the classic subjects; it's about offering students choices. And speaking of grades, forget the old A* to G system. The grading system has been switched to 9 to 1 scoring system. Here, 9 is the highest, and 1 is the lowest.

But wait, there's a Scottish plot twist. Over in Scotland, they're rocking their education scene with a different set of qualifications. Instead of the O level, they've got the Standard Grades and the Scottish Certificate of Education.

In a nutshell, the O Level in the UK had its heyday, paving the way for the more modern GCSE system that's now the norm for sizing up what students bring to the table when they hit 16. 

The GCSE adds practicality to the O level and is more suitable for the modern day.