It is usually taken by students during the final two years of Senior secondary school (Grade 10 & 11 (usually ages 15–16)) or external (non-school) candidate.
The exam is the basic Certificate awarded in Sri Lanka as proof of completion of Secondary Education.
The GCE O/L examination is an important milestone for students as it determines their eligibility to pursue further studies at the Advanced Level (A/L) or vocational training courses.
All the above mentioned subjects are not available in each and every government / state run school due to lack of teachers, funding and resources.
The system used to grade students formally in the Sri Lankan GCE O/Level examination before the adoptation of the newer one was as follows: