The Key Stage 4 syllabus is taught in secondary school between years 14-16. This is an important time as students are preparing for those exams taken in the summer; choice subjects would have been chosen in year 9.

Transitioning from Key Stage 3, many year 9 students find the shift to KS4/GCSE even more challenging. Students will notice that their workload has increased significantly, with testing starting in year 10 from November and again in January to assess their grades. Some students may find that they are transferred from foundation level to higher or from higher to foundation level.