It’s easy to get lost in the ‘Key Stage’ jargon used to explain the various education stages that your child goes through from ages 5 to 19. Use the following guide to help you to understand each stage and the type of exam your child will take in the coming years.

Each Key Stage is divided into a further three sections or levels named C, then B and then A. A typical student would progress through these stages (like going up stairs) at an average rate of half a level each year, although quicker progression rates are encouraged in schools around the country. During these crucial school and college years, your child will go through five educational stages.

Key Stage One

The first stage is the ‘Infants’ stage. This stage, also referred to as Key Stage One (KS1), includes children aged between four and seven years and runs across two academic years. At the moment of writing, children take three main exams at the end of this stage. These exams are called KS1 SATS (or national curriculum tests) and cover Maths and English: often referred to as the main core subjects.

SATS are meant to provide teachers with a way to monitor children who may be underperforming in comparison to other children in the class.

Key Stage Two

Thereafter, your child will enter the ‘Juniors’ stage at age seven through to eleven. This period is referred to as Key Stage Two (KS2) at the end of which children will sit a SATS exam in Maths, English and Science. Key Stage Two runs across four academic years. 

Key Stage Three

The start of secondary school means that your child has officially entered the Key Stage Three stage (KS3), which covers children between the ages of 11 to 14. Up until recently, children in KS3 were also required to sit SATS but this changed during 2008. The government is currently looking at alternative methods of assessment for children in this Key Stage.

Key Stage Four

Key Stage Four (KS4) covers children from the ages of 14 to 16 who will now be working towards their GCSEs. GCSE stands for The General Certificate of Secondary Education and was introduced to the UK Education System in 1986. With over 45 subjects to choose from, GCSEs offer quite a number of subject choices. They also compliment the soon-to-be-introduced Diploma which is meant to offer an alternative, vocational route to KS4 pupils.

Within the structure of The General Certificate, some subjects are assessed and organised differently. For example with subjects such as History, Religious Education, Music and Art & Design, all students taking these subjects within a school sit the same exam. On the other hand, core subjects including English, languages and Science are organised in a two-tier structure.  Each tier targets a different range of grades; the first tier assesses grades G to C, whilst the higher tier focuses its students on aiming for higher grades, ranging from D to A*.  

Mathematics is the only subject that assesses according to three tiers. The foundation Maths tier assesses grades G to D, the middle or intermediate tier targets grades E to B, and the higher Maths tier assesses grades C to A*.

This method of tier organisation means that examining bodies test each candidate according to his or her personal capability so that each student is given an appropriate opportunity to do the best he or she can do.

Sixth Form (AS/2 Level or Key Stage 5)

This fifth and final stage of a child’s schooling is the most demanding. The AS/A2 Level is very important if the student wishes to carry on his or her education past sixth form. At this stage a child may study just four or five subjects, but in greater depth.They may study these at a school (with a sixth form) or at college.