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
 Not for profit organisation
King’s College
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
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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
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
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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
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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
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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