TO YOUR SUCCESS WITH
OSSD
What is OSSD ?
The Ontario Secondary School Diploma is a diploma granted to secondary school graduates in the Canadian province of Ontario. OSSD is recognized by most universities in USA, Canada, UK, Hongkong, Australia, and other English-speaking countries.
Graduation Requirements
What do you need to graduate from high school?
18 compulsory credits
- Students must earn the following compulsory credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma:
- Plus one credit from each of the following groups:
4
credits in English (1 credit per grade)*
3
credits in mathematics (1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
2
credits in science
1
credit in Canadian history
1
credit in Canadian geography
1
credit in arts
1
credit in health and physical education
1
credit in French as a second language
0.5
credit in career studies
0.5
credit in civics
- In addition, students must complete:
- 12 optional credits****
- 40 hours of community involvement activities
- the provincial literacy requirement
Group 1 (1 credit)
- English or French as a second language**
- A Native language
- a classical or international language
- social sciences and the humanities
- Canadian and world studies
- guidance and career education
- cooperative education***
Group 2 (1 credit)
- health and physical education
- arts
- business studies
- French as a second language**
- cooperative education***
Group 3 (1 credit)
- science (Grade 11 or 12)
- technological education
- French as a second language**
- computer studies
- cooperative education***
*
A maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD) may be counted towards the 4 compulsory credits in English, but the fourth must be a credit earned for a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
**
In groups 1, 2, and 3, a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language can count as compulsory credits, one from group 1 and one from either group 2 or group 3.
***
A maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education can count in compulsory credits.
****
The 12 optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit courses.
Graduation Requirements Summary
18 Compulsory Courses
12 Elective Courses
Pass the Provincial Literacy Test
40 Hours of Community Service
Advantages of OSSD
1. OSSD Recognizes Credits from Korean High Schools and Other International Programs
2. Curriculum Comparison
3. Worldwide Reputation in Admissions
4. OSSD Course Details
5. Further Study Plan and University Preparation
1. OSSD Recognizes Credits from Korean High Schools and Other International Programs
Credit Transfer Chart
Credit transfer to OSSD is more flexible compared to other internationally recognized high school programs such as A-level and IB.
Grade / Level Completed
Foreign Credit Equivalency
Grade Qualified in Ontario
Junior High School / Form 3
Senior High School year 1 / Form 4
Senior High School year 2 / Form 5
Senior High School year 3 / Form 6
8
16
22
24
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
2. Curriculum Comparison
The school has full control over student's marking.
70% Homework + 30% Final Exam avoids test-oriented education and one-test-decide-all scenarios.
Average score for students in OSSD programs is 85+.
|
A - Level IB AP OSSD |
|||||
| A - Level | IB | AP | OSSD | ||
| Entry requirements | Moderate | Extremely high | High | Low | |
| Study time | 2 years | 2 years | 1 - 2 years | 1 - 3 years (flexible) | |
| Credit recognition of other programs | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Community service involvement | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Difficulties of subjects | Moderate | Low | High | Low for sciences, moderate for arts | |
| Comprehensive test | 2 times | 1 time | 1 time | None | |
| How students are tested | Global, uniform comprehensive test | Global, uniform comprehensive test | Global, uniform comprehensive test | Tests by homeschooling | |
| How students are graded |
|
|
|
|
|
| Test location | Authorized location | Homeschooling | Authorized location | Homeschooling | |
| Retake courses to get better grades | No | No | No | Yes | |
Grade Scale Comparison
OSSD vs IB
- IBSO Table of Equivalent Grades
IB 7-point scale
OSSD % Ranges
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
97 – 100%
93 – 96%
84 – 92%
72 – 83%
61 – 71%
50 – 60%
Below 50%
OSSD vs A-level
- Table of Equivalent Grades
A-level Scale
OSSD % Ranges
A*A*A*
A*A A
A A A
A A B
A B B
95 – 100%
90 – 94%
85 – 89%
80 – 84%
75 – 79%
3. Worldwide Reputation in Admissions
Ontario, Canada
- Lower admission requirements compared to other high school diploma or international secondary diploma (IB, A-level, AP).
- GPA > 75% admission to top 10 universities in Canada (high chance)
- GPA > 85% admission to top 3 universities in Canada (high chance)
* Please check out the original admission pages for Canadian universities to check the requirement for OSSD graduates.
Other Countries
- OSSD students have lower admission difficulty in applying for top UK universities and top Australian universities
- OSSD students may have IELTS and other standardized tests (A-level, SAT, ACT) waived in applying for universities in the UK, the USA, Hongkong, Australia, and Canada.
* A-level is required in applying to UK and Australian universities for both local and international students who are not in OSSD or similar programs. Due to the difficulty of A-level studies, students who graduate from OSSD have higher chance of acceptance than A-level students.
** ENG4U is a compulsory English course for OSSD students. Students with high marks not only gain advantages in admissions but also may waive the English language requirements in their university’s application.
For more information, please see the
4. OSSD Course Details
In general, there are two types of OSSD courses
English-as-Second-Language (ESL Courses)
All international students need to attend and finish ESL courses to graduate from OSSD.
- There are 5 levels of ESL courses: Level A to Level E.
- We will assess a student’s English skills first and then decide which level our students should start with:
- Normally, Grade 9 students start from Level A/B.
- Grade 10 & 11 students start from Level C.
* Students must finish ESL Level A to Level C before taking ANY academic courses.
** After students finish ESL Level A to Level C, students can take ESL Level D & Level E with academic courses at the same time.
Non-ESL Academic Courses
300+ offering from Grade 9 to 12 in 16 categories
- The Arts
- Business Studies
- Computer Studies
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Canadian and World Studies
- Classical Studies and International Languages
- Cooperative Education
- First Nations, Métis, and Unuit Studies
- French as a Second Language
- Guidance and Career Education
- Health and Physical Education
- Native Languages
- Social Sciences and Humanities
- Technological Education
How to Read Course Codes?
E N G
These 3 letters identify the subjects.
SUBJECT CODES
The first letter in the course code denotes the course’s program area:
A = Arts
B = Business
C = Canadian & World Studies
E = English
F = French
G = Guidance
H = Social Sciences & Humanities
K = Alternative (non-credit)
L = International Languages
M = Mathematics
P = Health & Physical Education
S = Sciences
T = Technological Studies
1
This number identifies the grade:
1 = Grade 9
2 = Grade 10
3 = Grade 11
4 = Grade 12
P
This letter identifies the course type:
Grade 9 – 10
D = Academic
L = Locally Developed / Essential
O = Open
P = Applied
Grade 11 – 12
C = College
E = Workplace
M = University / College
O = Open
U = University
I
This school indicator is used to distinguish course characteristics:
For example:
I = Common Code
M = Male
F = Female
