The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is globally recognized certification developed by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). This program was introduced first for teaching in 1986 and was first examined in June 1988.
Cambridge IGCSE assessment takes place at the end of the course and usually includes oral, written, coursework and practical assessment. This broadens the opportunities for the students to demonstrate their learning especially when their first language is not English. The examinations are taken by students at the level of standard 10th of the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) board or ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) board.
After the successful completion of the examinations, students are eligible to apply for ‘A’ level qualification in the US or the UK. The curriculum is further divided into the Core level and the Extended level for some subjects. Right choice of the levels can be chosen by the students depending on their learning abilities.
Cambridge Assessment Internal Education (CAIE) and Pearson Edexcel are the two examination boards that offer IGCSE. Schools have the choice of examination board through which they prefer to offer the IGCSE curriculum.
Grades are benchmarked using eight internationally recognized grades – A* to G, which have clear guidelines to explain the standard of achievement for each grade- A* being the highest grade and G the lowest one. The examinations occur twice a year- June and November while in India it is conducted thrice a year including March exam which is only for India.
The IGCSE is the most recognised examination qualifications across the world. Students with these qualifications are accepted into several countries like US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. Most of the universities recognize the IGCSE curriculum examinations as the benchmark. The universities use the examinations as an important admission criterion for students. The Cambridge
IGCSE works closely with the colleges and universities to make sure that their curriculum helps students develop the necessary skills needed for their higher education. Also, this curriculum is always relevant and in line with the world today, thus maintaining an international presence. As a result, the IGCSE curriculum is extended and revised periodically.
The IGCSE curriculum offers a variety of routes for students with a wide range of abilities, including those whose first language is not English. Starting from a foundation of core subjects, it is easy to add breadth and cross curricular perspectives. When comparing IGCSE vs ICSE which is harder, many factors come into play including the student’s strengths, interests, and academic goals.
The Cambridge curriculum offers a flexible and stimulating curriculum, along with excellent resources and training. There are over 70 subjects to choose from including 30 languages and schools can offer them in any combination. The students are allowed to choose a minimum of 5 subjects to a maximum of 14 subjects, out of which Mathematics, Science and English are mandatory core subjects. Some of the subjects have two levels to choose from-Core and the Extended.
Core level is for students who are comfortable with standard levels of difficulty and the Extended level is for the students who are strong in their core levels but want to challenge themselves with a rigorous curriculum. The syllabuses are international in outlook and retain a local relevance and cultural bias. Students are provided with a syllabus to learn new practical skills and information based on their culture and geographical position.
The IGCSE Curriculum follows an inquiry-based learning rather than the traditional rote memorization The curriculum to thus curated to encourage the students to think critically and logically about the topics they discuss in the curriculum and so it is student centric curriculum. It also develops the investigative and inferential skills while problem-solving. Students pursuing the IGSCE curriculum are more adaptive and comfortable in the transition to other curriculums. The transition is quicker and easier.
The assessment of the IGCSE curriculum meets the needs of both the ablest students and those who find it academically challenging. The questions are differentiated according to difficulty levels. This form of assessment helps the school as well as the students understand their strengths and weaknesses. The students can thus identify their areas of interests and decide whether they want to continue with the present subjects or change their study path and choose other subjects. Thus, the IGCSE curriculum instils confidence in and boosts the morale of the students.
Students who pursue IGCSE curriculum have an edge over the students of other curriculums because of the vastness of knowledge it provides and the uniformity of the education throughout the world. They are independent thinkers and learners, a trait and a life skill which is a prerequisite for higher education and university studies. They are not memorizing the list of facts to pass the examinations. Higher education needs the student to be aware of these capabilities and learning styles and IGCSE curriculum students are already exposed to learn these responsibilities and traits.
The wide variety of language and cultural studies offers students an opportunity to learn new languages and cultures. IGCSE curriculum offers array of 30 international languages including Hindi, Greek, Italian, Arabic and Mandarin.
It also offers English as a language for non-English speaking students. The curriculum provides the students with the 4 basic language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking for all the language subjects, giving the student an all-round exposure to the new language.
Lay the foundation for IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma programme
Apart from being a great pathway for ‘A’ levels, the IGCSE curriculum works as a great foundation for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). It may not an admission requirement though.
The students, teachers, fresh graduates, institutions, and employers all appreciate the creditability of the IGCSE curriculum and also the skills and abilities it instils in the students over the two-year study. Thus, it holds precedence as a prerequisite in many higher education qualifications and employment requirements. While there are other international boards and curriculums, the IGCSE has carved a unique place for itself in the top and outstanding schools across the world have opted for the IGCSE curriculum for their secondary level.
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Book your Free Counselling Session now!One of the basic reasons is that. IGCSE lets students choose from a large variety of disciplines. In comparison to CBSE. Thus, IGCSE is the best choice for a student.
The ICSE is designed to connect students with the local community in India. ICSE is more well-established in India than IGCSE. Well, the majority of students find IGCSE more suitable. If they need to study abroad for better opportunities. The IGCSE certificate is fairly recognizable in India and within international borders. Thus, it can be said IGCSE is better than ICSE.
IGCSE students adapt quickly to an unknown environment. IGCSE prepares well for other international curricula. Thus, logical-based questions are promoted. IGCSE caters to different strengths. Thus, these are some benefits of IGCSE.
The flexibility in selecting a subject for a student is very high. One should opt for a subject on the basis of interest. The theoretical subjects require more writing and the formula-based or practical-based subjects require point-to-point answers. Thus, there are some subjects that require essays, like English literature. Well, a student should decide on a range between 5-7 IGCSE subjects. A mix of theory and practical.
Yes, one can join a university directly after the IGCSE exams. If a student gets A/A* in the IGCSE academics. Thus, if a student wants to pursue a specialist subject then one should complete the IB or IGCSE boards.
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