What the labels mean

The subjects and topics the government sets for state schools in England, from age 5 to 16. Academies and independent schools don't have to follow it, but many use it as a guide. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own.

The national curriculum's list of what to teach in one subject at one key stage. Our history, geography and music pages quote these statements and show where we cover each one.

School years in England are numbered. A child is in Year 4 in the school year they turn 9, and the school year starts in September. Year 1 starts at about 5, and Year 13 ends at about 18.

The national curriculum is split into key stages, each a few school years long:

• Key Stage 1 is Years 1 and 2 (ages 5 to 7);
• Key Stage 2 is Years 3 to 6 (ages 7 to 11, the end of primary school);
• Key Stage 3 is Years 7 to 9 (ages 11 to 14);
• Key Stage 4 is Years 10 and 11 (ages 14 to 16, the GCSE years).

A short on-screen check of times tables up to 12 × 12, taken in June of Year 4 (age 8 to 9) in state schools. It has 25 questions, with 6 seconds for each. There's no pass mark.

National tests at the end of primary school, in May of Year 6 (age 10 to 11): reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. "SATs" is the everyday name for these national curriculum tests. The results show how a child is doing, and are also used to compare schools.

The exams most children in England take at the end of Year 11, at about 16, one qualification per subject. Most take between eight and ten. In England they're graded from 9 (highest) to 1.

A qualification at the same level as a GCSE, set by exam boards such as Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel for schools around the world. Many UK independent schools use it too. Many IGCSEs can be taken by exams only, so they're often chosen by students learning outside school.

A one-year qualification, usually taken at about 17 in Year 12. In England it no longer counts towards an A level. It's optional, and fewer students take it now.

Two-year courses taken in Years 12 and 13 (ages 16 to 18), usually in three subjects. They're the main way into university in the UK, graded from A* to E.

GCSEs, IGCSEs and A levels can also be taken as a "private candidate" at an exam centre, at any age.

School years in the US are called grades. They're numbered one lower than England's years: a child in Grade 3 is about 8 to 9, the same as Year 4 in England. Kindergarten comes before Grade 1. Grades 6 to 8 are usually middle school, and Grades 9 to 12 are high school, which ends at about 18.

Shared goals for maths and English, from kindergarten to Grade 12, published in 2010 and used, in full or adapted, by most US states. They say what a child should be able to do by the end of each grade, not how to teach it. Codes such as L.5.2b point to one standard (here, language, Grade 5).

Shared goals for science from kindergarten to Grade 12, published in 2013 and used, in full or adapted, by many states. Codes such as MS-LS1-3 point to one standard (here, middle school, life science).

The first full algebra course in US high school, usually in Grade 9 (age 14 to 15). Some students take it a year earlier.

A high-school course on shapes, angles, proof and the start of trigonometry, usually in Grade 10 (age 15 to 16).

The next algebra course, usually in Grade 11 (age 16 to 17): functions, quadratics, exponentials and logarithms.

A course that gets students ready for calculus, usually in Grade 11 or 12 (age 16 to 18): functions, trigonometry and graphs.

University-level courses taken in high school, usually in Grades 11 and 12 (ages 16 to 18), each ending in a May exam scored from 1 to 5. They're run by the College Board, a US non-profit. Many universities give credit for good scores.

The Advanced Placement calculus course, usually taken in Grade 12 (age 17 to 18). It's close in level to calculus in A level maths.

A non-profit foundation based in Geneva that runs programmes for ages 3 to 19, taught in IB schools in more than 160 countries. The IB sets frameworks and how learning is assessed. In the PYP and MYP, each school decides much of the detail of what's taught.

The IB programme for ages 3 to 12. Children learn through questions and projects that cross subjects, organised around themes. There are no external exams.

A project in the final year of the PYP, at about 11. Children choose a real-world issue, research it, and present what they found.

The Middle Years Programme, the IB's five-year programme for ages 11 to 16. MYP 1 is about the same age as Year 7 in England, and MYP 5 as Year 11. Students study eight subject groups, including "individuals and societies" (history and geography) and "arts" (music). Teachers assess work against set criteria. Some schools add optional IB exams at the end of MYP 5.

In MYP 4 and 5, maths splits into two levels. Extended goes further, and sits closest to GCSE Higher.

The Diploma Programme, the IB's two-year course for ages 16 to 19. DP 1 is the first year and DP 2 the second. Students take six subjects plus three core parts: a 4,000-word extended essay, a course on how we know things (Theory of Knowledge), and creativity, activity and service. Exams are at the end of DP 2, in May (or November in some schools), and the Diploma is scored out of 45. Universities around the world accept it.

Higher level and standard level. In the IB Diploma, students take three or four subjects at higher level, which goes deeper, and the rest at standard level.

Exams on one instrument or voice, in steps from beginner up to Grade 8, open to any age. Boards include Trinity College London (whose Rock & Pop exams cover drums, guitar, bass, keys and vocals), ABRSM and RSL. They're separate from school. A music teacher usually prepares a child for them.