Today I'll talk about the British educational system, including the primary and secondary education and the higher education in Britain. Meanwhile, I'll try to make a comparison between the US and the UK higher education. First, I'll briefly introduce the primary and secondary education in Britain. In England and Wales, students study in primary schools from age five until eleven. They attend secondary school until age 16. Before graduating, students usually take seven comprehensive exams, called the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. After passing the GCSE exams, students choose to study two to four subjects intensely for the GCE Advanced Level exams, called "A levels." At 18, they enter higher education to focus on a particular subject, called a "course." Now let's move on to the higher education in Britain. First I'll talk about the general practices in England and Wales,and then the general practices in Scotland.