GCE Ordinary Level 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 Sri Lanka, conducted by the Department of Examinations of the Ministry of Education. It is based on the 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 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, Tamil and English. The exam is the basic Certificate awarded in Sri Lanka as proof of completion of Secondary Education. The GCE O/L examination is an important milestone for students as it determines their eligibility to pursue further studies at the Advanced Level (A/L) or vocational training courses.

Structure and Subjects
G.C.E. (General Certificate of Education) Ordinary Level (O/L) examination consists of 6 main subjects along with three optional subjects which can be selected according to the candidate’s wish (Known as basket subjects) and altogether 9 subjects.

Mandatory Subjects
Below are the 6 mandatory subjects,


 * Mother language (Sinhala or 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 Language
 * Sanskrit Language
 * French Language
 * German Language
 * Hindi Language
 * Japanese Language
 * Arabic Language
 * Korean Language
 * Chinese Language
 * Russian Language

One subject can be selected from the above 1st 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 above 2nd Category.

Practical Tests for the Subjects of Second Category
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 aren't any 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 above 3rd category.

All the above mentioned subjects are not available in each and every government / 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.

Former Grading System
The system used to grade students formally in the Sri Lankan GCE O/Level examination before the adoptation of the newer on was as follows: