Hi guys,
Just to clarify, GCSEs (no longer O-Levels) are taken by English kids at 15-16yrs, and last 2yrs. They can take up to 10 subjects, and as a result tend to lack depth. Kids wishing to stay on at school then take A-Levels. A-Levels also take two years. Traditionally, students would choose 3 or 4 A-Level subjects and study these alone for the two-year period, allowing an indepth study of their chosen area. Now, the first year (called AS-Levels) is spent studying four or five subjects, one or two of which may be dropped for the full A-Level in the second year. There has been concern as to whether this lowers the quality of the once hallowed A-Level.
I moved to the UK aged 16 and did 5 GCSEs in a single year. Having left school in SA at Std 8 (Grade 10) I breezed through these. The progression to A-Levels was harder. In my opinion, the Matric is harder than GCSEs (GCSEs are rediculous, try googling past paper questions), but A-Levels are more than likely significantly harder than the Matric. To answer the original question: I believe it is generally accepted that A-Levels are equivalent to the first year of a SA degree, and AS-Levels are Matric level, or thereabouts. GCSEs don't really come into it at this level.
Hope this helps,
FA