View source for GCE Ordinary Level in Sri Lanka

{{Short description|Educational qualification in Sri Lanka}}
The '''Sri Lankan Ordinary Level''' ('''O-level''') formerly called Senior School Certificate (SSC), is a [[General Certificate of Education]] (GCE) qualification in [[Education in Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]], conducted by the [[Department of Examinations]] of the [[Ministry of Education (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Education]]. It is based on the [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]] [[Ordinary Level]] qualification. An O-level is a qualification of its own right, but more often taken in prerequisite for the more in-depth and academically rigorous [[Advanced Level (SL)|Advanced Level]] exams. It is usually taken by students during the final two years of Senior secondary school (Grade 10 & 11 (usually ages 15–16)) or external (non-school) candidate. The exam is usually held in December. The exams are held in three mediums [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[English language|English]]. The exam is the basic Certificate awarded in [[Sri Lanka]] as proof of completion of [[Secondary education|Secondary Education.]] The GCE O/L examination is an important milestone for students as it determines their eligibility to pursue further studies at the [[GCE Advanced Level in Sri Lanka|Advanced Level (A/L)]] or [[Vocational education|vocational training]] courses.

== Structure and subjects ==
The G.C.E. (General Certificate of Education) Ordinary Level (O/L) examination consists of six main subjects along with three optional subjects which can be selected according to the candidate’s wish, and altogether 9 subjects.

=== Mandatory subjects ===

* Mother language ([[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] or [[Tamil language|Tamil]])

* Religion (Buddhism, Catholicism / Christianity, Islam, Hinduism)
* English language
* Mathematics
* Science
* History

=== Basket subjects ===
The optional subjects are categorized in to three categories (baskets). Only one subject can be selected from each category. They are as below:

==== First category ====

* Business & Accounting Studies
* Geography
* Civic Education
* Entrepreneurship Studies
* Second Language - Sinhala (For students whose dominant language is Tamil)
* Second Language - Tamil (For students whose dominant language is Sinhala)
* [[Pali|Pali Language]]
* [[Sanskrit|Sanskrit Language]]
* [[French language|French Language]]
* [[German language|German Language]]
* [[Hindi|Hindi Language]]
* [[Japanese language|Japanese Language]]
* [[Arabic|Arabic Language]]
* [[Korean language|Korean Language]]
* [[Chinese language|Chinese Language]]
* [[Russian language|Russian Language]]

One subject can be selected from the first category.

==== Second category ====

* Eastern Music
* Western Music
* Carnatic Music
* Eastern Dancing
* Bharatha Dancing
* Art
* Appreciation of English Literary Texts (English Literature)
* Appreciation of Sinhala Literary Texts (Sinhala Literature)
* Appreciation of Tamil Literary Texts (Tamil Literature)
* Appreciation of Arabic Literary Texts (Arabic Literature)
* Drama and Theatre

One subject can be selected from the second category.

===== Practical tests =====
In the second category, candidates must face both a practical test and a written test for the subjects Drama and Theatre, Oriental Music, Western Music, Carnatic Music, Oriental Dancing & Baratha Dancing. In Drama and Theatre, candidates will be asked to perform an act-out and sing a song. In Western Music, a candidate could be asked to perform a piece on any given instrument as well as an instrument of their choice. In Dancing, candidates will be asked to perform a dance as well as sing.

There are no practical tests for the Art subject. The candidates face an exam paper and are asked to draw.

For Literature subjects, namely English Literature, Sinhala Literature, Tamil Literature and Arabic Literature, there is not any practical test. Candidates only face a written examination in which their writing abilities are evaluated.

==== Third category ====

* Information & Communication Technology
* Agriculture & Food Technology
* Aquatic Bio resources Technology
* Arts & Crafts
* Home Economics
* Health & Physical Education
* Communication & Media Studies
* Design & Construction Technology
* Design & Mechanical Technology
* Design, Electrical & Electronic Technology
* Electronic Writing & Shorthand

One subject should be selected from the third category.

All the above mentioned subjects are not available in each and every government/[[State school|state-run school]] due to lack of teachers, funding and resources.

== Grading ==
The grades for the above subjects are normally graded as below,

Candidates who receive a grade of ‘W’ are considered failed in that particular subject. To be able to pass is to at least have a ‘S’ in the mandatory 6 subjects and if you fail all of the optional subjects but pass the 6 mandatory then you can still pass but if you get a ‘W’ in any of the mandatory subjects it is a immediate fail. 
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Mark
!Grade Awarded
|-
|75 - 100
|A
|-
|65 - 74
|B
|-
|50 - 64
|C
|-
|35 - 49
|S
|-
|Less than 35
|W
|}

=== Former grading system ===
The system used to grade students formally in the Sri Lankan GCE O/Level examination before the adoptation of the newer one was as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Mark
!Grade Awarded
|-
|75 and above
|D
|-
|50 - 74
|C
|-
|35 - 49
|S
|-
|34 and below
|F
|}

==See also==
* [[Education in Sri Lanka]]
* [[List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]
* [[List of universities in Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan universities]]
* [[List of schools in Sri Lanka|Government Schools in Sri Lanka]]
* [[GCE Advanced Level in Sri Lanka]]

==External links==
*[http://www.moe.gov.lk Ministry of education]
*[http://www.doenets.lk Department of Examination]

{{Education_in_Asia}}

[[Category:Educational qualifications in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:School qualifications]]
[[Category:School examinations]]