@lewelma all of this is enormously helpful - thank you x

Is this true for all language study in the US - even Spanish? And there I was thinking that language study in the UK wasn't great; other Europeans always speak much better English than we do their languages. That could be partly to do with available resources - books, videos, movies, etc - but I know it's also because they start earlier and learn a lot more grammar. Kids in the UK typically don't start languages until 11 years old, and then spend a lot of time on just 'getting the gist of it' rather than learning the nuts and bolts of a language.

Maybe one day I'll have enough information to pin this all down and create a definitive equivalence chart!

So as far as I'm aware, Canadian degrees are like US ones - 4 years long and they start with a more general first year which is common to most students across the same faculty. However, I have heard of kids doing a year at the equivalent of a community college in order to give them the necessary leg-up to a degree; they will do this if they didn't get good enough grades in their high school diploma to warrant them being giving a university place straight from high school. As you probably know, the UK degree is 3 years, and you can do a Foundation Degree to get you onto a degree course if you don't have the right A levels or enough of them. FDs are usually only available to mature students but again this isn't a hard and fast rule. So blending the two (going from UK schooling to Canadian university), I would assume that since AS levels are usually sufficient to get you into university there, there would be no need for a foundation year other than the first year of the degree.. especially if you had A levels. I can't remember off the top of my head what MUN originally asked for - it was something like either 4 AS levels or 2 A levels - but when it came to my daughter applying, like I said above, she was accepted on the basis of her IGCSEs and the O level because her grades were very high.

That's interesting. So you're saying that AS level French is more difficult than AP French? Now I am wondering how the European languages framework fits into all of this... 🤔 Maybe it differs according to which province or even which university you apply to? There doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what they will accept if you present with international qualifications. One of my older girls got into MUN in Newfoundland on the basis of 6 very good IGCSEs and an O level. No AS or A levels required. But her younger sister is now having great difficulty getting attention from universities in Ontario and Quebec with pretty much the same educational background, plus some distance learning (online) courses from places like Penn State.

Yes and no. In terms of how many years before university, then yes; in terms of difficulty, no. GCSEs or IGCSEs are typically taken at 16yrs old. Those who are academically inclined then go onto A level study, which is two years from 16-18yrs old. At that point, university is an option; but in the UK, university degrees only take 3 yrs to complete. This is because we don't have a more general foundational year where many people in the same faculty are doing the same courses/modules, or at least they get choices of what they do. When you apply to university here, you apply to do a specific subject, like Biochemistry, Neuroscience, or English Literature. Those who are on your degree all do the same modules from the start, and certainly in Year 1 and possibly also Year 2 of the degree you don't really get any choice of what modules you do. If you work back down the educational pathway, you will understand that the second year of A level therefore equates to the first year of a US degree, or perhaps AP courses - whatever would get you further ahead and at or nearly at your second year of a degree. So the first year of A level then equates to Grade 12, and in fact it is accepted as such by the Canadian universities I've spoken to in the past. Working back again, the two GCSE/IGCSE years are therefore Grades 10 and 11 in terms of academic difficulty. The other thing that this does is that it forces young people to make academic and career choices earlier. Around the beginning of Year 9, the year before GCSE study begins, students choose their GCSE subjects from what their school offers. Taking two languages often means not being able to take any Humanities (Social Sciences, I think you would say) like History or Geography. Taking Music often stops students taking any other arts. And so on. Having not taken History at GCSE, it is then harder to be accepted onto an A level History course; and not taking a specific language at GCSE means you cannot take it at A level, and therefore not at degree level either. The choices you make at 14 literally dictate what you can and cannot do for several years. The educational system/pathway here is more rigid, and there are no real options for backtracking and doing a lower level of, say, French when you are 17. The schools just don't schedule things that way. Does that make sense? The advantage to homeschooling for us, of course, is that we can be more flexible in things like this. My daughter has done a couple years of Latin, and two years of German. If she now wanted to do French or some other language for the next 2-3 years, she could do that at home and probably achieve a GCSE in it. We can therefore broaden her education to suit her interests and our knowledge of what would be most advantageous, rather than having to straitjacket her into a system which by no means suits all students.

That would be really helpful, thank you!

It’s looking like we will finally be moving to Canada from the UK – after many years of wishing to do so! So, I need to get my head around how one does a HS transcript for my youngest. We don't have educational transcripts here - just lists of exams taken, if you do them. Can anyone here help me out?

Another UK resident here... London is great for a short period of time! You've got some good suggestions. When we stay in London (we live in Yorkshire) we usually find a cheap AirBnB either west or north - favourite places of mine are Hammersmith, Notting Hill, Highbury, Hampstead. All have very good transport links into the centre - overground train, underground, or bus. My family come from south London, Sutton/Hackbridge area, which is okay but it probably takes longer to get into the tourist/shopping area of London. One place I haven't seen mentioned on here - although I may have missed it - is Covent Garden. Home to the Opera House for operas and ballets, the market, and numerous little backstreets with charming architecture. It's well worth having a wander around on foot. And speaking of markets, you could venture up to Camden Lock and/or Portobello - two eclectic street markets selling everything under the sun. I lived round the corner from Portobello as a student, and spent a lot of time there browsing. The Borough Market in south-east London is a great example of Victorian architecture; it's mainly a food market. If you're into outdoor swimming, check out the various Lidos - Parliament Hill, for example - or wild swim on Hampstead Heath at the Ladies Pond or the Mixed Pond. The ponds are checked for water quality regularly and have outdoor showers. All have a small charge and may require booking in advance. For a hot sultry day in June, it can't be beat. Have a great time!

Yes - I use an App called The Bible in One Year, which I find really helpful. I'm not really recovered, if I'm honest. Thank you for asking. I have sarcoidosis, which has been pulmonary and musculoskeletal. Just recently, I started having some symptoms of neurosarcoidosis, which is worrying because the prognosis isn't good. Plus, with the current situation with Covid-19, it's harder than ever to get suitable treatment unless you are at death's door. The most troublesome thing right now is daily, frequent nosebleeds which happen randomly, and with no warning. I had 5 yesterday and ended up feeling very weak. I talked with my sarc support group, and a number of them suggested that I look into the link between (peri) menopause and sarc flare-ups - yay me! So yeah - I'm feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment.

Been MIA.. I've been ill. Long story, but basically a combo of physical health problems and then extended family issues. I took a few days off my tutoring, and I'm glad I did. So today's list: Tutoring: a profoundly dyslexic 9yo; a 1hr science session for 10-13yos; and a 1hr English session for 13-15yos Friday's workout with my online group Listening to my bible readings whilst sewing A short walk with DD12 Resting/relaxing in the evening That last one is really important and a new thing for me. I am putting rest and relaxation on my list, because I need to get into the habit of giving myself those spaces. I instinctively don't do that, but it needs to change for my own mental and physical health.

I meant to log in and post here this morning, and ended up having to get my a** in gear quick because I had an English student waiting for me! However, I'm feeling quite achieved today. I managed to do the following: A little Bible study Teach two students - one of them new, who has crippling anxiety, but she did really well My online workout Check and correct DS14 and DD12's schoolwork A little of my cross stitch Order Thai takeaway (in lieu of cooking, haha) I'd like to say that I managed to mark the English homework for my Friday group, but I didn't. It's gone midnight here now and I have no brain, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I wouldn't dare! I have very fast growing, thick hair which is best thinned out by an actual hairdresser. Obviously that isn't happening right now, and my hair is a mess. Good thing I'm not going anywhere! I've cut everyone else's hair in the family, and recently DH offered to do mine. But he's got MS, bless him, and his fine motor control isn't what it was.. so I have declined 😉

New week - pick myself up and try again! I've had quite a few setbacks lately, and last Friday I pulled my back. It's still not happy, but it's not as bad as it was. Three English students today - a profoundly dyslexic 9yo, a 12yo on the autistic spectrum, and a 13yo who had a rather disastrous time at school and who hasn't really done any English for quite some time. But then, neither had the 12yo before doing sessions with me and she seems to be doing alright now! I'll need to check DS14 and DD12's work at some point Repot the sunflowers because they're getting a bit leggy Remind DH to pick up the bikes from the place that services them in town, and also pick up a couple more hanging basket brackets for the back of the house Do my Monday workout in the evening when it gets cooler, or if my back is still dodgy, then a Yoga session

It's a Bank Holiday here in the UK, which is sort of equivalent to a North American Labor Day. I gave the kids the day off schoolwork and went out to potter in the garden. Feeling quite achieved.. I managed to give the trees along the side of the driveway a trim, so that we will no longer get out of our cars into holly branches and wild rose claws; Planted up a hanging basket with sweet pea seeds, fingers crossed they will germinate okay; Helped DD20 plant up another couple of hanging baskets with flowers that she had chosen from the garden centre last week; Watered all of the remaining potted flowers and the seedlings I carefully started 2-3 weeks ago; Planted the strawberry plants in a pot and put it out of temptation's reach in the front yard (one of our dogs loves to dig up our pots, so we have gated the front yard to prevent her from ruining them); Had a chat with DD12, who is struggling with lockdown and teenage hormones. DS14 seems to be coping a little better; Went for a walk with DH in the evening just as the light was falling, which was really special as we don't often get the chance to do little things like that. I really hope I am not going to feel utterly wrecked tomorrow as a result of today's activity! Hope y'all are well and happy. 💜