The 40% threshold is also used in Uni, at least for my degree anyways. I never did A-Levels, instead went for a BTEC Diploma in Software Development. In my eyes, doing one broad-ish course (BTEC) is better than taking three modules that each concentrate on specific things. (A-Levels). Plus, I found that with the BTEC, you tend to do more the stuff you'd be doing in a company anyway, such as software analysis and design reports and whatnot.