Meaning & use
sixth forms
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Meanings
nounpluralBritish
the last two years of secondary school in Britain, for students who are usually 16 to 18 years old.
Grammar: Always plural in this educational sense: she is in the sixth form, but the school has two sixth forms.
Patterns
- in the sixth form
- a sixth-form college
- sixth-form students
My cousin is in the sixth form now and is studying three subjects.
Most students move into the sixth form after their exams at sixteen.
The sixth form has its own common room and study area.
nouncountableBritish
the classes or groups of students in those two final years at a school.
Grammar: Countable here, so you can say a sixth form or several sixth forms when you mean the groups or the departments.
Patterns
- join a sixth form
- a large sixth form
The school opened a new sixth form last September.
Both sixth forms in the town share a bus to the sports center.
Word forms
| singular | sixth form |
|---|
Common combinations
- in the sixth form
- She has been in the sixth form for a year and loves the freedom.
- sixth-form college
- He left school at sixteen and went to a sixth-form college.
- sixth-form student
- Sixth-form students are allowed to wear their own clothes.
- the lower sixth
- In the lower sixth you choose four subjects and then drop one.
- the upper sixth
- The upper sixth are busy preparing for their final exams.
Synonyms and how they differ
- senior year
- Used in the US for the final year of high school, not for a two-year stage in Britain.
- college
- In Britain this can also mean a place for 16- to 18-year-olds, but it is a broader word than sixth form.
Word family
- sixth-former noun
- a student in the sixth form.
- sixth-form college noun
- a school that only teaches 16- to 18-year-olds.
Commonly confused: sixth forms or sixth grade?
sixth forms vs sixth grade
Sixth grade is a year in a school for children aged about eleven or twelve, not the final stage of secondary school.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sixth form' correctly in British English?
Choose one answer.
The sixth form is for students of about 16 to 18, so joining it at sixteen fits. The other options place it with children who are much too young.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sixth forms”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.