O level

[ oh lev-uhl ]

noun

, British.

1. a public examination for secondary-school students, usually 15 to 16 years old, testing basic knowledge in various subjects, required before advancing to more specialized courses of study.
2. a pass in this examination.

O level

noun

1. 1. the basic level of the General Certificate of Education, now replaced by GCSE
   2. ( as modifier )

      O level maths

2. a pass in a particular subject at O level

   he has eight O levels

Word History and Origins

Origin of O level¹

O(rdinary) level

Example Sentences

The former Great British Bake Off judge added: "I just wish my parents and brothers were here to share my joy, as my only achievement at school was just one O Level - in cookery of course," she joked.

From BBC

The Xbox One X was terribly bottlenecked at both the CPU and I/O level.

From The Verge

“Dear Julie, How nice of you to write to me and I am so glad you enjoy my books. This is my home and appears in my novel The House on the Strand, which I think you would enjoy as much as the others. Good luck to the ‘O’ level exam in November and to the ‘A’ levels which will follow later.

From The Guardian

A spokeswoman for Lyft said: “Lyft has more than 100 investors, all of whom are extremely excited that Lyft is approaching I.P.O.-level revenue. Our ‘nuclear’ strategy is continuing to take market share with 30 percent month-over-month growth, while building the strongest community of drivers and passengers.”

From New York Times

I was so enthused about it all that my parents insisted my comprehensive school had to provide Latin O level.

From The Guardian