Tawjihi
Encyclopedia
Tawjihi is the general secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 examination in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

, West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

 and Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...

, part of education in Jordan
Education in Jordan
The education system of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has improved consistently since the mid-1900s. The role played by a good education system has been significant in the development of Jordan from a predominantly agrarian to an industrialized nation....

 and education in Palestine.
Upon graduation, the ministry of Higher Education, through a system similar to that of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....

 points, transforms the Grades/Marks of these foreign educational programs, into the same marks used in grading Tawjihi students. However, even after the equivalency transformation, non-Tawjihi graduates are not allowed to compete with Tawjihi graduates for public university places. For non-Tawjihi graduates, there is a set quota of 5% of places. Most graduates of foreign programs end up paying international fees to get a place in their desired faculty. The reason for this, is that the quota set for the number of seats was decided in the 80's when approximately only 4 schools taught international programs, and the number of places allocated seemed fair. In fact, seeing the insignificant number of foreign program graduates, who applied for national universities, it was. Today, however, almost 25 schools teach IGCSE/GCSE/GCE programs alone.

Some argue the number of places is more than fair, and some the opposite. In all cases the issue is a source of much heated debate. Private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

s are constantly trying to convince the National Assembly of Jordan to increase percentage. For the time being there seems to be no plan to do so.

The ministry of Education claims that it has no problem with increasing the number of places, and that it is in fact the universities that do not agree. On some level this is rather true, as universities benefit more by the registration of more students as international i.e. paying international fees.

Another source of trouble is the system used to transform exam results of foreign education programs into the Tawjihi scale, which is a percentage out of 100. Again, some see the system as fair and in fact over lenient with non-Tawjihi graduates, while others see it as unfair. Below is a summary of the requirements to receive an equivalency of Tawjihi, as stated by the British Council Jordan.

Foreign Programs Tawjihi Equivalency

Foreign secondary education programs such as IGCSE
IGCSE
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education is an internationally recognised qualification for school students, typically in the 14–16 age group. It is similar to the GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Standard Grade in Scotland or Junior Certificate in the Republic of...

s, SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...

s, and International Baccalaureate require have Tawjihi-equivalency so that the student could later work in Jordan or proceed to a higher education in Jordan.

IGCSE/A-Levels Equivalency
  • V.IMPORTANT:

-THE O-LEVEL MARK obtained in year 10 HONORS 75% OF THE FINAL TAWJIHI GRADE
HOWEVER THE 2 A-LEVELS OBTAINED over GRADES 11 & 12 HONOR THE REMAINING 25% OF THE FINAL TAWJIHI MARK.
  • You should provide the Ministry with a proof that you have completed 12 years of schooling.
  • You must pass six O-levels and or IGCSE/GCSE subjects and two A-level subjects. Passing grades are as follows:
    • IGCSE/GCSE : A, B, C and D.
    • AS/A2 : A, B,C,D, and E
  • For Arab students one of the eight subjects should be Arabic language
    Arabic language
    Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

     at either the O or A level. The following Arabic subjects are accepted for the equivalency:
    • Modern Arabic.
    • Classical Arabic.
    • First Language Arabic.
    • Arabic 9164.
The Ministry of Education in the UK will not accept GCSE Arabic 1605 as one of the eight subjects for equivalency purposes for the Arab/Jordanian student studying in Jordan. The Ministry will consider acceptance if the student was enrolled in an English language medium school outside Jordan for the majority of his/her scholastic years. The Ministry will consider case by case whether to grant the equivalency.
  • In order to gain a Science Stream Tawjihi equivalency the following is needed
    • six subjects at the IGCSE or "O" level exams including:
      • two science subjects
      • One subject Arabic language
    • two subjects at the A-level including:
      • Obligatory subject:
        • one full A-level Math, OR
        • 2 AS's mathematics, OR
        • A-level in physics
          Physics
          Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

      • Optional subject:
        • a full A- level in any science,OR
        • 2 AS's in two Sciences
  • Literary stream: to gain Tawjihi equivalency the following is needed:
    • six passes in IGCSE or “O” level exams including:
      • one subject in Mathematics
      • one subject in Computer Studies/Information Technology
        Information technology
        Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

    • two subjects at the A-level including:
      • Obligatory subject:
        • one full A-level must be in Arabic
      • Optional subject:
        • A full A-level in any literary subject or
        • two AS’s in any two literary subjects or
        • one AS in a literary subject and one AS in a scientific subject.
  • At the advanced level Computing is considered a science subject. At the ordinary level Computer Studies and Information Technology are considered as science subjects.
  • Co-ordinated Science: for Tawjihi equivalency purposes the Ministry of Education has agreed to equate the Co-ordinated Science as two subjects. Students sitting for Co-ordinated Science should not sit the exams for individual science subjects (i.e. biology
    Biology
    Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

    , chemistry
    Chemistry
    Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

     and physics
    Physics
    Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

    ) as they will not be considered as additional subjects.
  • AS levels: The Ministry of Education has agreed that two AS subjects are equivalent to one A level for Tawjihi Equivalency purposes. To receive an equivalency for a science subject the two AS subjects should be science subjects (i.e. AS Biology + AS Chemistry). If one AS is a science subject and the other is a literary subject (i.e. AS Math. + AS Arabic) then it equals one A level towards the literary stream. The student should check with the university they are applying to whether they require a full A level or not.
  • The Ministry of Education will consider the same subject in two levels as two separate subjects (O level Biology and A level Biology).
  • The candidate may re-sit the exam as many times as he/she needs before obtaining the equivalency. If the student wants to re-sit a subject after obtaining the equivalency in order to improve his/her grade point average then the student has to re-sit all eight subjects.

International Baccalaureate Equivalency
  • You should provide the Ministry with a proof that you have completed 12 years of schooling.
  • You should pass in 6 subjects. Passing grades are as follows:
    • Standard Level Subjects: 3-7
    • Higher Level Subjects: 4-7
  • Arab students do not have a special requirement.
  • In order to gain a Science Stream Tawjihi equivalency the following is needed:
    • 2 Language subjects in either Group 1
      IB Group 1 subjects
      The Group 1 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme refer to the student's "Language A1," which is the student's native language or otherwise best language, taken at either Standard Level or Higher Level . The course focuses on developing oral and written communication skills and performing literary...

       or Group 2
      IB Group 2 subjects
      The Group 2 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of the nearly 80 additional languages offered and may be studied at the following levels: A2 , B , or ab initio . Latin and Classical Greek are also offered and may be taken at SL or HL...

    • 1 Subject in either Group 3
      IB Group 3 subjects
      The Group 3 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of nine courses offered at both the Standard level and Higher level : Business and management, Economics, Geography, History, Information technology in a global society , Islamic history, Philosophy, Psychology, and Social and cultural...

       or Group 6
      IB Group 6 subjects
      The Group 6 subjects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme consist of four courses at both Standard Level and Higher Level : Music, Theater, Visual Arts, and Film...

    • 2 Subjects from Group 4
      IB Group 4 subjects
      The Group 4 subjects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme comprise the main scientific emphasis of this internationally recognized high school programme. They consist of five courses, four of which are offered at both the Standard Level and Higher Level : Chemistry, Biology,...

    • 1 Subject from Group 5
      IB Group 5 subjects
      The Group 5 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of four different mathematics courses and two computer science courses. To earn an IB Diploma, a candidate must pass one of the following four mathematics courses: Mathematical Studies SL , Mathematics SL, Mathematics HL , or Further...

    • At least 2 of these subjects should be at Higher Level
  • In order to gain a Literary Stream Tawjihi equivalency the following is needed:
    • 2 Language subjects in either Group 1
      IB Group 1 subjects
      The Group 1 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme refer to the student's "Language A1," which is the student's native language or otherwise best language, taken at either Standard Level or Higher Level . The course focuses on developing oral and written communication skills and performing literary...

       or Group 2
      IB Group 2 subjects
      The Group 2 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of the nearly 80 additional languages offered and may be studied at the following levels: A2 , B , or ab initio . Latin and Classical Greek are also offered and may be taken at SL or HL...

    • 2 Subject in either Group 3
      IB Group 3 subjects
      The Group 3 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of nine courses offered at both the Standard level and Higher level : Business and management, Economics, Geography, History, Information technology in a global society , Islamic history, Philosophy, Psychology, and Social and cultural...

       or Group 6
      IB Group 6 subjects
      The Group 6 subjects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme consist of four courses at both Standard Level and Higher Level : Music, Theater, Visual Arts, and Film...

    • 1 Subjects from Group 4
      IB Group 4 subjects
      The Group 4 subjects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme comprise the main scientific emphasis of this internationally recognized high school programme. They consist of five courses, four of which are offered at both the Standard Level and Higher Level : Chemistry, Biology,...

    • 1 Subject from Group 5
      IB Group 5 subjects
      The Group 5 subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of four different mathematics courses and two computer science courses. To earn an IB Diploma, a candidate must pass one of the following four mathematics courses: Mathematical Studies SL , Mathematics SL, Mathematics HL , or Further...

    • At least 2 of these subjects should be at Higher Level

For The international baccalaureate the equivalency goes as follows:
Each subject is calculated individually then they are summed up and divided by 6, then a 0.3% is added for each point scored from the diploma program
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...

  • A 7 is awarded a 98%,
  • A 6 is awarded a 90%,
  • A 5 is awarded an 80%,
  • A 4 is awarded a 70%,
  • A 3 is awarded a 60%
  • A 2 is awarded a 50%,
Keep in mind that a 2 is considered a fail and a 3 is considered a fail if it is in higher level.


An example of equivalency for a science stream student:
He obtained a score of 35. A 7 (98%) in Chemistry HL, a 6 (90%) in Physics SL, a 4 (70%) in ITGS SL, a 5 (80%) in Mathematics SL, a 5 (80%) in Arabic A1 SL, a 6 (90%) in English B SL and 2 marks from ToK and EE (0.3%×2=0.6%).
Here is the calculation:
  1. 98+90+70+80+80+90=508,
  2. 508 is then divided over 6=84.667,
  3. then 0.6 is added,
  4. the result is 85.27%.


Some people believe the equivalency is not fair for IB students, and it should be higher since the subjects the IB students take are much higher and are more cumulative than the Tawjiihi. The IB is said to be the most challenging stream available in Jordan.



Official Tawjihi results in Palestine are on http://www.e4t.net/tawjihi


Official Tawjihi results for the 2008/2009 in Jordan are on http://www.memac.com/tawjihi
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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