INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
TO GCSE/IGCSE LENGTH OF
COURSE UK EXAM
BOARDS ASSESSMENT AND
AWARDS
Pupils in years 10 and 11 in the English National
Curriculum study for GCSEs (General
Certificate of Secondary Education) between
the ages of 14 and 16. Here at Wellington we
offer a similar model, studying mostly IGCSEs
(International GCSEs). The terms IGCSE and
GCSE are largely synonymous, the content is
often very close in style, and many independent
schools, including Wellington College UK,
choose to study the IGCSE. Hereafter we will
refer to IGCSEs. IGCSEs are independent two-year courses,
meaning it is rarely appropriate to change once
a course has been started. Any pupil who does
not follow the full two-year course from start to
finish will be at a major disadvantage come the
final examinations. There is a freedom of choice in the UK
system, which means that if a school wants
to deliver a subject at IGCSE, it can choose,
to an extent, the subject content and how it
is examined. Several different exam boards
offer the same subjects. SUBJECT CHOICE
AND QUANTITY Typically, schools will pick the exam board
whose syllabus best matches what the school
wants to deliver, what they feel is in the best
interest of their pupils and/or what will make
administration easier. No one board is more
prestigious than the others and universities
do not take in to account the board the
candidate has sat. IGCSEs do not result in one single grade,
score or level: a separate grade is awarded
for each subject. How well a pupil has done
depends on how many IGCSEs have been
passed, and which grade has been achieved
in each. The awards are made by the exam
boards, totally independently of the school,
according to strict regulations.
The results of the IGCSE exams may be used
in the UK by selective schools to set barriers to
study the IB Diploma or A Levels in the sixth
form (years 12 and 13). The results are also used
by universities when making prospective offers
to pupils hoping to study there. That is to say the
qualifications are not used to gain entry, but may
be used to negotiate terms of entry. IGCSEs give
an early indicator of academic potential.
Most universities worldwide recognise the
IGCSE qualification because they are likely to
have experience of British pupils, and it is the
standard British national qualification for pupils
of that age.
The International GCSE is worth no more
and no less than the GCSE; they are the same
qualification. The IGCSE is offered because
international schools often find exams are
to be sat at awkward times. Some aspects
of administration, such as coursework, are
simplified for the international market. In some
subjects the curriculum content for IGCSEs is
more appropriate