GCE Ordinary Level

The O Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous A-level (official title of qualification: General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Those three jurisdictions replaced O Levels gradually with General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education exams over time. The Scottish equivalent was the O-grade (replaced by the Standard Grade). The O Level qualification is still awarded by CIE Cambridge International Examinations, the international counterpart of the British examination Board OCR (Oxford, Cambridge & Royal Society of Arts), in select locations, instead of or alongside the International General Certificate of Secondary Education qualifications. Both CIE and OCR have Cambridge Assessment as their parent organisation. The Cambridge O Level has already been phased out, however, and is no longer available in certain administrative regions.

'O' Level

'O' Level were a British, late 1970s, punk rock, post punk and indie band, founded in 1976 by Ed Ball with friends John and Gerard Bennett. The group's name refers to the 'O'-Level of the British General Certificate of Education.

History

Along with the early Television Personalities, 'O' Level's singles are synonymous with a late 1970s DIY-indiesound that emanated from West London, mostly because the personnel of both bands were almost identical.

Fuelled by Punk and the early Beatles, 'O' Level was formed in 1976 by Ed Ball with friends from the London Oratory School, John and Gerard Bennett on drums and bass guitar respectively. Together they played the usual diet of school discos and youth centres, until fellow school chum and sixties enthusiast, Daniel Treacy invited Edward to join him in the studio to record a single. Just to be on the safe side, Edward brought John and Gerard as well, resulting in the TV Personalities single, "14th Floor".

The following week, Ball, the Bennetts and friend Richard Scully recorded "Pseudo Punk", "O Levels" and "East Sheen" as O' Level which came out November 1977. It took Treacy longer to raise the pre-requisite funds to press "14th floor" which finally came out in 1978. In March of that year, John and Gerard Bennett started their own band Reacta, leaving Ball with the name O' Level.