That is the general point of A-levels. Not many people would start A-levels with no intention of going to uni.
Well, that was before they tripled tuition fees last year, who knows how fucked the next generation will be? uni isn’t worth the money for a lot of people now.
Yeah, and O-levels have been replaced by GCSEs.
General pattern:
Y1-Y6 (5–11) Primary School,
General compulsory education
Y6–11 (11–16) Secondary School,
GCSEs taught and taken in the final two years (Y10–11) general synoptic qualifications in compulsory subjects (~10–12+)
Y12–13 (16–18) Sixth Form,
teaches and examines A-levels, more specific chosen subjects (3~5), designed generally for uni admission.
Side Note: Sixth Form is so called, because traditionally the numbering of years restarted on entrance to Secondary School, so Year 6s would be First Years, Year 11s would be Fifth Years, and so anyone who stayed beyond that would be in the Sixth Form.
Generally, university applications are done by students, whilst studying their A-levels in Sixth Form (or at a separate (non-degree awarding) college). They receive “conditional offers” from universities, meaning they will be accepted, provided they achieve the target A-level grades, set by the university.