In
New Zealand schools, there are three different
qualifications given for the
7th Form year. There is the
Bursary, given as
grades per subject. If your marks total up to enough over 5 subjects, you get an
A or
B Bursary.
Providing you get at least 3
C's in bursary
subjects, you are awarded
University Enterance, a
certificate allowing you into
NZ universities. Then there is
Higher School Certificate. This is awarded once you complete the 7th form. There may be some
clause about having to actually
pass some of the subjects taken, it's not important.
Now I gained a B Bursary, automatically gaining University Entrance. I did not however earn Higher School Cert., for the following reason.
I skipped the 4th Form in effect, taking 5th form a year early. This meant that I was technically a 6th former in my final year. Thus I did not get HSC, did not pass go, did not collect $200.
And the moral of this story? Being smart loses you qualifications.