The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic certification that secondary school students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland take in various disciplines. Each GCSE certification is on a specific topic and stands alone. Still, in other areas, a suite of such certificates (or their counterparts) is often recognized as a record of performance at the age of 16, replacing a leaving certificate or baccalaureate qualification. Most pupils begin studying for GCSE exams in Year 9 or Year 10, with exams taking place at the close of Year 11.
