Harry Potter

Really? Then what happens when kids fail their exams?

They retake their exams until they pass them

Sent to Azkaban for execution.

To be honest, I'm not sure what should happen to wizards who fail their exams. I suppose though, at that point, they'd probably been taught how to control their magic and stay safe at least. Maybe if you fail your exams you have to have a licence to perform certain spells? And adults who failed have the option to retake the exam (preferably for free, but probably for a price).

Edited by king15 on Apr 22nd 2024 at 7:56:50 PM

Well originally Flint was a sixth year in book 1 and JK explained he failed his NEWTS and repeated his seventh year. It didn't stop people from pointing out the inconsistencies with Flint and his school years so later copies of Sorcerer made him a fifth year.

Isn't that functionally the same as being held back a year?

Brief overview of the UK school system, or at least as it was when I was at school.

Compulsory education in the UK used to end at sixteen, which is also when you sat your GCSE's and you graduated high school. You could stay at school for another two years and do A-levels if you wanted, but that was optional. The age for compulsory education has since been raised to eighteen, making A-levels or equivalent compulsory.

As far as exams went, if you failed you failed, and moved on to the next year regardless. For the most part, exams were more for the school to assess your ability level. If you failed your exams ... well, that told the school something about your ability level, and you'd likely end up in the bottom-most class in the next year. However, exams weren't the be all end all, course work also counted towards your final grade at the end of the year.

If you failed your final exams? Well, you'd still graduate high school, you just wouldn't have any qualifications.

However, there were typically two versions of the exams. There was the regular exam, and an easier version of the exam. If your teacher thought you'd have too much trouble for the regular exam you could opt for the easier version, but the max grade you could get from the easier version was a C.

Edited by PhoenixAct on Apr 22nd 2024 at 9:42:37 AM

Now, at least, if you fail your Maths and/or English Language GCS Es (which you take when you're in year 11 at age 15/16), you have to keep retaking them until you're 18. This isn't the same as being held back a year as you go into the next year (Sixth Form, College, Apprenticeships etc.), but you might have additional Maths and/or English lessons and will have to retake the test whenever the current year 11 have a mock or do the actual exam. If you haven't passed by 18, then you don't have to keep taking them, though you can pay to retry. I know some University's make you try some sort of Maths test is you haven't passed your Maths GCSE.

Edited by king15 on Apr 22nd 2024 at 8:46:22 AM

They never mentioned Hogwarts students being held back right?

Not that I'm aware of. But they also never mention anyone failing their exams.

I'm pretty sure Hermione mentions that you have to pass your exams to get into the next year in Philosopher's stone.

On the other side, Snape mentions Crabbe and Goyle retaking their DADA OWLs in Sixth year in HBP.

Edited by dcutter2 on Apr 23rd 2024 at 10:34:33 AM

Maybe, but we never see anyone fail to get into next year. Everyone just quietly passes their exams, except when it's for plot reasons.

Crabbe and Goyle might have failed out if Hogwarts hadn't been taken over by the Death Eaters in their seventh year. Nepotism can go a long way.

Crabbe in particular took to the Dark Magic curriculum like an evil duck taking to water.

Well, so did Harry, to be fair. It's not the curriculum that is the problem, it's the mentality of those learning it.

No he didn’t. He only managed Imperio and Crucio. Crabbe could use Avada Kedavra.

Are you seriously claiming Harry is as bad as that?

Edited by M84 on Apr 23rd 2024 at 7:50:52 PM

I mean he took well to the class. I didn't say he took well to being evil.

And what are you talking about? Harry didn't attend Hogwarts in the seventh year remember?

He never took the class taught by the Carrows.

What did you think I meant by "Dark Magic curriculum"?

Edited by M84 on Apr 23rd 2024 at 9:03:36 PM

Oh, I thought you meant the DADA class. That was what D Cutter mentioned.

Edited by Redmess on Apr 23rd 2024 at 3:44:58 PM

With how Crabbe and Goyle were portrayed in the first few books, surprising they even got one OWL, really.

Well, that's kind of the paradox in the series. Exams are shown to be gruelling affairs that require sleepless nights of long study and backbreaking work... and yet, even the dumbest students seem to pass them just fine.

But I think there is some protagonist bias there. The exams are that hard so Hermione can be shown to be very smart, and they are also very hard because our viewpoint boy just isn't all that brilliant himself. Snape's assessment that Harry is just an average wizard is to be taken as a fair assessment by the narrative.

Hell, in the first book alone, Goyle somehow passed the first year exams, much to Harry's hope that he fail given Goyle "was almost as dumb as he is mean."

Edited by terumokou on Apr 23rd 2024 at 3:11:57 AM

Harry get decent grades when he applies himself. He got mostly Es in his Exams. His only bad grades were Astronomy, History Of Magic, and Divination and only the final of those was really just him being crap. The other two being interrupt by the assault on Hagrid, and psychic intrusion into his mind.

Snape's assessment is never fair and is always challenged by narrative.

Edited by dcutter2 on Apr 23rd 2024 at 11:12:24 AM

Harry does feel like he halfasses his assignements pretty often, but that just makes him a regular kid or has him suffer from the plot.

Doesn't Dumbledore take his word for it, though? I thought that was supposed to make the claim sound credible, because Snape is giving his honest opinion to Dumbledore, and has no reason to lie about it in that moment?

No? Snape rants at DD that Harry is just like his father and DD responds that Snapes an idiot and that's not what any of the other teachers say.

Though tbf I think what Dumbledore says is somsthing like 'modest, likable and reasonably talented'

Coupled with the grades Harry's above average but by no means a remarkable prodigy like Tom Riddle or Dumbledore.

Alright. Do you have a quote? I'm curious what it says now.