Provincial examinations
Provincial examinations are province-wide examinations, held in April, June, August, and January, for students between the grades of 10 to 12, most commonly known in the province of British Columbia, but also taken in other provinces in Canada. Most students write these exams in January and June, based on the two semester system in British Columbia. A variety of practice resources are available for students, through both official and non-official outlets.
Overview
While the exams were initially exclusive to subjects at the grade 12 level, reforms in the education system in 2004 introduced a series of mandatory provincial examinations at the grade 10 level and one at the grade 11 level (Social Studies 11).
In grade 10 and 11, the provincial exams are worth 20% of a student's final mark, whereas the grade 12 exam is worth 40% of a student's final mark.
At the grade 12 level, only the English 12 provincial exam is mandatory for secondary school completion and acquiring the Dogwood Diploma; the remaining exams are optional. The reforms in 2004 additionally specified a student must also successfully complete the provincial exams at the grade 10 and 11 level to obtain the Dogwood Diploma.
Provincial exams (excluding the mandatory English 12 exam) are no longer required by most universities when grade 12 marks are considered assessing a student's acceptance average. However, different universities have different policies regarding the marks one receives from provincial exams; for example, some universities will only take into account one's provincial exam mark if it improves their grade, while other universities mandate that provincial exam marks will be blended with class marks in consideration, should a student choose to take the provincial exam. As of the 2011/2012 school year, optional provincial exams are no longer available.[1]
Provincial exams are also useful for students trying to improve their grade 12 marks, or apply for scholarships.
Examinable subjects
Grade 12
- Communications 12
- English 12
- BC First Nations Studies 12
- English First Peoples 12
Examinable in French (Français)
- Biologie 12
- Chimie 12
- Français langue première 12
- Français langue seconde-immersion 12
- Géographie 12
- Histoire 12
- Physique 12
- Principes de mathématiques 12
Grade 11
- Social Studies 11
- Civic Studies 11
- BC First Nations Studies 12
- BC First Nations 12 meets the Social Studies 11 requirement.
Examinable in French (Français)
- Sciences humaines 11
Grade 10
- English 10
- Mathematics 10
- Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10
- Foundations of Mathematics and Pre-Calculus 10
- Science 10
- English First Peoples
Examinable in French (Français)
- Mathématiques pour les métiers et le milieu de travail 10
- Fondements mathématiques et mathématiques pré-calcul 10
- Français langue première
- Sciences
Formerly Examinable Courses
The following subjects were offered as optional examinations in British Columbia until September 2011.
- Biology 12
- Chemistry 12
- French 12
- Geography 12
- Geology 12
- German 12
- History 12
- Japanese 12
- Literature (English) 12
- Mathematics
- Applications of Math 12
- Foundations of Math 12
- Principles of Math 12
- Mandarin 12
- Physics 12
- Pre-Calculus 12
- Punjabi 12
- Spanish 12
Social implications
Beginning in September 2009, the University of British Columbia no longer requires provincial exams for admission, except the ones required for the Dogwood Diploma.