INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION (IGCSE)

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 WHAT IS IGCSE?

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), developed by Cambridge International Education or Cambridge Assessment International Education, is one of the most popular internationally recognised secondary school qualifications designed for students aged 14 to 16 years, who are basically studying in Years 10 and 11. It builds an in-depth understanding of a wide variety of subjects, promotes skill learning and develops logical mindset that helps candidates in higher studies as well as career goals.

 

Isn’t it difficult to find information about various exams and curriculum in an organised manner? Well, TUTOR X is here to provide you with necessary information. We also provide courses to help learners prepare for the exam.

 

WHO IS IGCSE FOR?

The IGCSE exam is mainly taken by students who want to pursue higher studies like A Levels, IB Diploma Programme, or want to continue with their respective national curricula. It is also an excellent choice for students who are willing to build a strong pre-university foundation or are seeking for professional opportunities.

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GCSE AND IGCSE:

The GCSE curriculum is designed mainly for students of UK, as it is based on the national curriculum for England and the content of the subjects are also centred around England (ex- British history, economic issues of England etc.). While the IGCSE curriculum is an international programme in which the contents of the subject are not UK-focused but are rather collected from around the world (ex - global economic issues, world geography, global scientific developments etc.)

The acceptance of GCSE qualifications is narrowed down to United Kingdom, Wales, and Northern Ireland while IGCSE qualifications are accepted in more than 150 countries including UAE, US, India, Australia, Canada and more.

The examination boards that conduct GCSE exams are AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas, and CCEA.

The examination boards that conduct the IGCSE exams are Cambridge International Education, Pearson Edexcel International GCSE, Oxford AQA International GCSE.

 

CURRICULUM AND GRADING SYSTEM

Cambridge IGCSE comprises of two entry levels-

Core curriculum- It includes the necessary core subjects and are for students who are not willing to study broad range of subjects. It covers the grades up to C, or the equivalent on the 9 - 1 scale.

 Extended curriculum -designed for students aiming to have in-depth understanding of a variety of subjects and achieve the highest grades, including A*.

A candidate receives an IGCSE qualification for each subject taken. There are over 70 subjects that candidates can choose from according to the Cambridge IGCSE, although the list of subjects vary by schools and the curriculum they follow.

To give you a brief idea about the subjects, here is a subject list:

LANGUAGES

  • English (First language)
  • French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi and more (Second language)

MATHEMATICS

  • Mathematics
  • Further Mathematics
  • International Mathematics (Core / Extended)

SCIENCES

  • Physics (Core / Extended)
  • Chemistry (Core / Extended)
  • Biology (Core / Extended)
  • Combined science
  • Co-ordinated science
  • Environmental Management

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

  • History
  • Geography
  • Economics
  • Accounting
  • Business Studies
  • Religious studies

CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS

  • Arts and Design
  • Computer Science
  • Music
  • Drama
  • Information and Communication Technology

OTHERS

  • Physical education
  • Food and Nutrition

 

EXAMINATION FORMAT FOR GCSE

WRITTEN EXAMINATION:

Most of the IGCSE subjects like English language, English literature, history, sociology etc. are conducted in written format.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE PAPERS:

This paper is mainly conducted for the science subjects like physics, chemistry, biology etc. to examine their in-depth and meticulous understanding of the subjects.

PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT

 The practical assessment is basically for science, creative and technical subjects in which laboratory experiments and practical skills are evaluated.

COURSEWORK

It is for some selected subjects like Art & Design, Drama etc., and some language subjects.

ORAL ASSESSMENT

This assessment is mainly for the linguistic section (first and second languages) which test a student's language proficiency and communication skills.

PROJECTS AND PORTFOLIOS

It is required mainly in creative and technical subjects where you need to prepare the given projects and create portfolios.

 

HOW TO REGISTER FOR IGCSE EXAM?

Every student (including UAE students) can register for IGCSE in two ways -

1)Through their school

2)Through an examination centre (like British Council) or an authorised school that will host you as a 'private candidate'

 

REGISTRATION THROUGH SCHOOL

CONFIRM ELIGIBILITY

Before registration, your school will confirm your eligibility criteria (like the year or grade you are studying in, subjects you are eligible to take, examination board etc.)

CHOOSE YOUR GCSE SUBJECTS

You have to choose nearly 8-11 subjects for GCSE exam.

 

SELECT YOUR EXAMINATION BOARD

The examination boards that offer International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)are Cambridge International Education, Pearson Edexcel International GCSE, Oxford AQA International GCSE. You have to select the organization or examination board that your school follows.

 

FILL OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM

Fill out the registration form provided by your school's examination officer with the required information such as full name, date of birth, identity documents (Emirates ID details), passport details, etc.

 

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED

Submit the required documents to your school, such as a passport copy, passport-size photograph, copy of identity documents (Emirates ID copy), last academic records, etc.

 

PAYMENT

Pay the required examination fee to your school for the completion of the registration.

 

STATEMENT OF ENTRY

After registration is complete, a Statement of Entry will be issued that includes important details like candidate name and number, subject codes, examination centre, etc. You will be required to show this certificate on the day of examination.

 

REGISTRATION FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES

SELECT YOUR EXAMINATION BOARD

The examination boards that offer International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)are Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, Oxford AQA. Select your examination board.

 

CHOOSE SUBJECTS

Students must choose the IGCSE subjects that they are appearing for.

 

ONLINE REGISTRATION

You must create an account on the British Council's School Registration System (SRS) to complete the online registration by providing the requested details.

 

UPLOAD THE DOCUMENTS

If the candidate is under 18 years of age, then a parent or guardian is required to complete the registration by uploading the documents such as a valid passport, Emirates ID or other accepted identification, a passport-sized photograph, examination reports of previous years, etc.

 

PAYMENT OF THE EXAMINATION FEE

To complete the registration process, the candidate is required to pay the examination fee using an authenticated payment method which is offered by the examination centre.

 

CONFIRMATION CERTIFICATE

After the registration is complete and the fee is paid, you will receive a statement of entry or confirmation certificate, which will include certain important details like candidate number, examination centre, candidate instructions, etc. You will be required to show this certificate on the day of examination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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