NVQ's and GCSE

NVQs and GCSEs did not exist in the 50s and 60s. We had GCEs which were either 'O' (ordinary) or 'A' (advanced) level;  there were also 'S' levels which were scholarships levels taken mainly by people intent on going to university (in the 50s and early 60s, only about 3% of schoolchildren went to university - the rest mostly went to work, some in apprenticeships and some to technical colleges. GCEs were taken at the end of the 5th year (as it was then) or at the end of the upper sixth year (the second year in the sixth form, the first being the lower sixth); no aids, such as dictionaries or calculators were allowed in exams although I recall that slide rules were OK. You took the exam and there was no input from your teacher, no term work, nothing but the examination.  I think that 6th forms were only in grammar schools and public schools but maybe you could also take some A levels from technical colleges.  There were no sixth form colleges, people continued going to school.