Pupils who have completed the work in Forms III, IV, and V and who have passed the School Certificate Examination enter Form VI, if they wish to return to school. Entry to Form VI is not officially dependent on the passing of School Certificate, but schools generally find this to be a convenient prerequisite. It is, indeed, very rare to find any pupil who deliberately by-passes School Certificate. In the first year in Form VI (commonly known as Lower VI or VIB) almost all pupils are preparing for the University Entrance Examination or, in a very few cases, for the Fine Arts Preliminary Examination. A limited number of pupils may be taking a specialised course which does not lead to either examination, but which will entitle them to an Endorsed School Certificate. This certificate, which may be awarded to any pupil who satisfactorily completes an approved one-year course in Form VI, is an accepted educational qualification. The Universities Entrance Board conducts the University Entrance Examination and permits a number of schools to accredit candidates for the examination. Pupils who have gained the University Entrance qualification either by accrediting or by examination and who return to school for a further year are placed in Upper VI or VIA, from which they may compete for a scholarship for University study at the Board's Entrance Scholarship Examination. They may also qualify for the award of Higher School Certificate which, under certain conditions, permits the holder to obtain a bursary for University study. Pupils may proceed direct to the University on obtaining University Entrance, provided they are old enough; but for most University courses a year at school beyond University Entrance is not only desirable but really necessary, except perhaps for the most mature students.

For a pupil who has an uninterrupted course through a post-primary school there are, therefore, five years of study provided — Forms III, IV, V, Lower and Upper VI. Many pupils remain only up to the point of sitting the School Certificate Examination in Form V; many others complete shorter periods, either the two-year period required for entry into a number of trade apprenticeships or until reaching the age of 15 years. The schools are organised to cater for the requirements of all these types of pupils and are commonly said to be of a multi-course type. Only a few specifically academic schools or a few large technical schools do not offer all the normal post-primary courses. These two kinds of schools place particular emphasis on courses which they are specially designed to offer: the academic schools on professional courses leading to University study and the technical schools on trade courses. Even in these schools, however, subjects may be taken which are not specifically academic on the one hand or technical on the other. Other schools are truly multi-course, though single-sex schools will have only those courses which are suitable either for boys or girls. The advantage of this type of organisation is that boys and girls may obtain the type of post-primary education they desire or for which they have particular aptitude in their local area, the one restriction being that in areas which can support only a small school some of the more specialised courses cannot be provided. Agriculture courses are offered provided there is sufficient demand. A disadvantage of the multi-course school system on a national basis is that some of the courses in certain schools cannot attract large enough numbers of pupils to form efficient classes. This is expensive of staff and equipment, and poses very difficult problems of internal school organisation.