Year 13: age, curriculum and assessments
Year 13 is the final year of sixth form, and the last year of school.
The answer
Young people in Year 13 are 17 or 18 years old. Year 13 is in the sixth form, and every child turns 18 during the year.
Year 13 at a glance
Year 13 is in the sixth form, sometimes called Key Stage 5, for ages 16 to 18. The national curriculum ends at Year 11. Year 13 combines final exams with the next step: university applications through UCAS, apprenticeship applications, or job hunting.
- Age
- 17 to 18
- Key stage
- Sixth form
- Where
- Sixth form or college
- National assessments
- A level exams; T level assessments
What children learn in Year 13
Taken from the rules for post-16 study in England: there is no national curriculum after Year 11.
Maths in Year 13
- A level maths and further maths are assessed by exams at the end of Year 13, with no coursework.
- Students still retaking GCSE maths have another chance in November or the summer.
English in Year 13
- English A level coursework is usually finished and handed in during the spring term, before the summer exams.
- Students still retaking GCSE English also have a November or summer sitting.
Tests and assessments in Year 13
- A level exams
- Mostly in May and June
- Graded A* to E. Results day is in August.
- T level assessments
- Through the course
- Exams, an employer-set project, and an industry placement of at least 45 days.
University applications go through UCAS in the autumn and winter of Year 13. The main deadline is in January, and courses at Oxford and Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, close in October.
Is your child in Year 13?
Enter a date of birth to check which year group a child is in today, for this school year.
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How to help at home in Year 13
- Help your child keep one calendar of application deadlines and exam dates.
- Read personal statements or applications if asked, but let them stay in your child’s own words.
- Talk through student finance, or apprenticeship pay, before offers arrive.
- Plan for results day in August: know the options if grades are higher or lower than expected.
Other year groups
Questions parents ask
What age is Year 13?
Young people in Year 13 are 17 or 18 years old. Children in the same year group are born between 1 September in one year and 31 August the next, so each child turns 18 at some point during Year 13.
What key stage is Year 13?
Year 13 is in the sixth form, sometimes called Key Stage 5, for ages 16 to 18. The national curriculum ends at Year 11.
When are A level exams?
Mostly in May and June of Year 13. Results day is in August.
When do students apply to university?
Through UCAS, in the autumn and winter of Year 13. Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses close in October; the main deadline is in January.
Last year of school, and a younger child starting out?
For a child in Years 4 to 6, our free diagnostic covers maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and gives next steps. No card is required.