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The iGCSE
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As an internationally recognised qualification, the iGCSE ultimately prepares international students for future academic endeavours. Amy Baker reports.
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The GCSE is the best known exam in the UK – taken at secondary school by 15-to-16 year olds, these examinations provide the academic blueprint that may determine a British student’s future academic path.
An international version, the iGCSE, is offered by both the University of Cambridge International Exams (CIE) and Edexcel, which develops the test, to international schools around the world. What’s more, some schools in the UK are switching to the iGCSE in favour of the domestic alternative.
According to Dr Christopher Ray, Headmaster of Manchester Grammar School in the UK, the iGCSE is a more rigorous assessment, with greater emphasis on the final exam test rather than modular coursework throughout the year. He told BBC News, “Controlled assessments are cumbersome and time-consuming and restrict the ability of schools like [this] to provide inspirational teaching for the most able pupils.” Many independent schools in the UK are reported to now offer iGCSE exams in at least one subject.
According to CIE, entries for the iGCSE were up by 20 per cent in the last academic year, and schools in 125 countries now offer the exam. Dr Kevin Stannard, CIE Director of International Curriculum Development, said the science exam was the most popular. “The growing number of enquiries… suggest that many schools are seeking the stability of iGCSE that this progressive development provides. The nature of the assessment means that outcomes can be compared fairly, and this is important because outcomes matter, not least to students,” he said.
Sheila Alexander at Good Shepherd International School in Tamil Nadu, India, comments that the school has offered the exam since 1994. “It has a good length and depth of study,” she ventures, “and offers a variety of routes for learners of different abilities and incorporates the best in international education for students and develops in line with changing needs.” The school attracts students from around 30 different countries and therefore the exam “satisfies the requirements of parents and students who come from multicultural backgrounds,” adds Alexander.
In Uganda, Catherine Meyer at Kampala International School says that this school offers the iGCSE because of its reputation as well as its efficacy. “We believe it is the most widely recognised exam in Africa and therefore attracts parents,” she says. “We also believe it is one of the best, if not the best, international exam.” Han van der Zwan from the International School Eerde in Holland agrees and states that iGCSE is also an excellent foundation for students wishing to take the International Baccalaureate (IB).
At Edexcel, Susan Yassin explains that the iGCSE course content was recently updated and expanded from 22 subjects to 38. “We have improved the design of our specifications, exam papers and updated the content to ensure that they are modern and up-to-date qualifications suitable for international and UK students,” she relates.
Its main rivals are possibly the IB, German Abitur and Swiss Mature exams; this is certainly what Ursula Sommer at Lyceum Alpinum in Switzerland says the school offers, in lieu of the iGCSE.
Yet Yassin is confident that demand will increase for the iGCSE as it continues to develop. She points to demand for exams offering high academic standards, progression opportunities and recognition. “iGCSEs have all three [qualities] and they are not complicated to deliver,” she says. “They are also very friendly to home-schooled students and private candidates can take these exams at the British Council after independent study.”
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