A-Levels remain the most globally recognised UK-curriculum qualification, taught in roughly 600 international schools across more than 80 countries. The 2014 to 2017 reforms turned them into a linear, end-of-two-year assessment, removing modular resits and shifting the centre of gravity back to terminal exams. For relocating families considering British curriculum schools, the questions worth asking are about subject availability at the right level, predicted-grade accuracy, and where the school's leavers actually went last year.
How A-Levels are structured
Students typically take three or four A-Levels across Years 12 and 13, alongside an optional Extended Project Qualification. Some schools offer the AS-Level as a half-credit standalone, though since 2017 the AS no longer counts toward the final A-Level grade. Assessment is examination-based across both years, with the substantive grade awarded at the end of Year 13. Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel are the two major international exam boards. For the differences and which one your shortlist uses, see Cambridge vs Edexcel.
Subject choice in practice
A strong international school A-Level offer covers 18 to 25 subjects. The depth matters as much as the breadth: a school with thin Year 13 cohorts in your subject combinations (say, fewer than 6 students in Further Maths) will struggle to deliver A* outcomes consistently. Ask any school for a five-year subject-level outcomes table before committing.
A-Level vs IB Diploma
This is the central choice for British-curriculum families with the option. A-Levels reward depth and specialisation, the IB rewards breadth. UK universities recognise both equally on tariff. US universities recognise the IB more familiarly. See our full IB versus A-Level comparison for the structural decision points.
Where A-Levels lead
UK universities, principally. The UCAS tariff is built around A-Level grade points. Beyond the UK, A-Levels are recognised universally but with varying entry requirements: US colleges typically convert A grades to AP equivalents; Canadian and Australian universities have published equivalence tables; European universities increasingly accept A-Levels for English-medium programmes. Subject-specific recognition (medicine, engineering, law) varies by destination and is worth checking course by course.