IGCSE and A Levels
www.cie.org.uk
Cambridge Assessment
www.cie.org.uk
University of Cambridge, UK
Founded in 13th century
31 Colleges and other
departments
CIE is a department of the
University of Cambridge
Began conducting school
examinations in 1858
King’s College
Not for profit organisation
www.cie.org.uk
World’s largest provider
of international
examinations
CIE examinations in 150
countries
Trinity Fountain
About 2 million entries for
CIE examinations each
year
www.cie.org.uk
Who does CIE work with?
Ministries of Education and other
government departments in
Malaysia, Singapore, China,
Brunei, Mauritius, Maldives,
Seychelles, Cyprus, Hong Kong,
Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland
and Lesotho
Clare Alley
Quality schools and training
centres
www.cie.org.uk
The Cambridge curriculum
Primary Curriculum Framework
and ICT Starters programme
Checkpoint
IGCSE, GCE O Level
Advanced Subsidiary (AS Level)
Advanced Level (A Level)
www.cie.org.uk
The end result!
www.cie.org.uk
Cambridge IGCSE
www.cie.org.uk
What is IGCSE?
A high profile qualification with an excellent reputation
Recognised by universities and institutes of higher
education around the world
Equivalent in standard to the British GCSE and
International GCE O Level examinations
The world’s most widely taken examination at 16 years.
Increasing by 10% per annum
www.cie.org.uk
What options are available?
Most students study 7 or 8 IGCSEs
A broad and balanced curriculum:
Languages
Mathematics
Sciences
Humanities and Social Sciences
Business, Creative, Technical/Vocational
www.cie.org.uk
What are IGCSE courses and examinations
like?
A mix of assessment methods, including coursework,
practical exercises, oral and listening tests, projects and
written examinations
Core and Extended papers in many subjects
IGCSE courses usually take two years to complete and
examinations are taken at the end of this period
Learning hours are 170 per subject
Subjects are graded A* through to G
Grade A* is awarded for the highest level of achievement
and grade G for the lowest
www.cie.org.uk
IGCSE - Grading System
Target Grades
Grades Available
Core
Curriculum
D E F G
C D E F G
Extended
Curriculum
A B C
A* A B C D E
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Languages
FIRST LANGUAGE
Afrikaans
German
Arabic
Japanese
Chinese
Portuguese
Czech
Russian
Dutch
Sesotho
English
Spanish
French
Turkish
Thai
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Languages (continued)
SECOND LANGUAGE
Afrikaans
English
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Arabic
Italian
Dutch
Malay
French
Mandarin Chinese
German
Portuguese
Indonesian
Spanish
Hindi and other languages are available as GCE O level
syllabuses
www.cie.org.uk
Humanities and Social Sciences
Development Studies
Latin
Economics
Literature
Geography
Environmental Management
History
Travel & Tourism
Religious Studies
Sociology
www.cie.org.uk
Sciences
Agriculture
Co-ordinated Sciences
Biology
Physical Science
Chemistry
Physics
Combined Science
www.cie.org.uk
Mathematics
Mathematics
Additional Mathematics
Creative, Technical and Vocational
Accounting
Drama
Art and Design
Design and Technology
Business Studies
Food & Nutrition
Child Development
Information Technology
Music
Physical Education
Computer Studies
www.cie.org.uk
What resources are available?
Resource list for each syllabus: details of books and
other materials that may be useful in the classroom
Teachers can draw on a range of resources and
support materials to equip them with the skills they
need to teach IGCSE courses
These include:
Online support and resources
Textbooks and other classroom materials
Professional development qualifications
www.cie.org.uk
Past papers
Reports on past papers
Standards booklets
Distance training packs for coursework
Teacher training workshops
Professional Officers in Cambridge to answer queries
See also the CIE Publications Catalogue
CUP web site: www.cambridge.org/cie
www.cie.org.uk
International AS and A Level
www.cie.org.uk
What are International A Levels?
International A Level is a ‘gold standard’ qualification
For over 50 years A Levels have been accepted for entry to
universities and institutes of higher education around the world
Cambridge International A Levels incorporate the best of UK A
Levels, but are designed to meet the needs of international students
www.cie.org.uk
Good A Level grades can get
students advanced placement in
American universities
For UK universities, students need a
minimum of two A Level passes plus
evidence of English Language
competence
There are 36 A Level subjects to
choose from
Faculty of Law building
Mathematics is the most popular
Cambridge A Level
www.cie.org.uk
International AS Levels?
International GCE AS Level was first examined in 2001
AS represents the first half of an A Level course - the
second half is referred to as ‘A2’
A full A Level takes 360 learning hours
AS Levels allow students to
Follow a staged assessment route to A Level
Take the AS Level as either a one or two year course in
addition to full A Levels
International AS Level has half the value of an A Level
www.cie.org.uk
What are the benefits?
Flexibility - freedom to select the subjects that are right for them
There are 36 different subjects
Most students choose three or four
Passing grades go from A to E
www.cie.org.uk
Maths & Science
Biology
Geometrical & Mechanical Drawing
Chemistry
Higher Mathematics
Computing
Mathematics
Design & Technology
Physics
Environmental Science
Psychology
Further Maths
Marine Science
www.cie.org.uk
Languages
Afrikaans
Arabic
Chinese
English Language
French
German
Hindi
Japanese
Latin
Marathi
Portuguese
Spanish
Tamil
Telegu
Urdu
www.cie.org.uk
Arts & Humanities
Accounting
General Paper
Music
Art & Design
Geography
P.E.
Business Studies History
Travel & Tourism
Divinity
Islamic Studies
Sociology
Dress & Textiles
Lang & Lit
Thinking Skills
Economics
Law
Food Studies
Literature
www.cie.org.uk
www.cie.org.uk
www.cie.org.uk
Resources for students
www.cambridgestudents.org.uk
Revision checklists recently added to
AS/A Level Chemistry
AS/A Level Physics
AS/A Level English Literature
AS/A Level Geography