A class in education has a variety of related meanings. It can be the group of students which attends a specific course or lesson at a university, school or other educational institution. It can refer to a course itself: a class in Shakespearean drama. It can be the group of students at the same level in an institution: the freshman class; or the group of students which graduates from the institution at the same time: the class of 2005 (cf. alumnus/a). It can also refer the a classroom, the building or venue where such a lesson is conducted. In some countries' educational systems (such as Taiwan's), it can refer to a subdivision of the students in an academic department, consisting of a cohort of students of the same academic level. For example, a department's sophomores may be divided into three classes. In countries such as the republic of Ireland the word can mean a grade 1st class =age 4/5, 2nd class =6/7(receive communion), 3rd class= 8/9, 4th class=9/10, 5th class10/11, 6th class=11/12(receive conformation)
