International General Certificate of Secondary Education

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification. It is similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being about the same level. It was developed by Cambridge International Education. The examination boards Edexcel, Learning Resource Network (LRN), and Oxford AQA also offer their own versions of International GCSEs.

Students usually start studying for the IGCSE at the beginning of Year 10 and take the test at the end of Year 11. In some international schools, students may start at the beginning of Year 9 and take the test at the end of Year 10. The qualifications are based on individual subjects. This means that students receive an "IGCSE" qualification for each subject they take. Common subjects include a First Language, Second Language, Mathematics, and one or more Science subjects.

Examination Boards

Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge are very important for International GCSE exams.

Cambridge IGCSE

Cambridge IGCSE exams happen three times a year in February/March (only in India), May/June, and October/November. Results come out in May, August, and January. These exams are made by Cambridge International Education, which is part of Cambridge University Press and Assessment. This group also includes OCR, a UK exam group. There are more than 70 subjects to choose from, and schools can pick any combination they like.

Cambridge also offers an ICE (International Certificate in Education) for students who pass seven subjects in different groups: Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences, Mathematics, and Creative and Vocational (Professional and Creative) subjects.

Pearson Edexcel IGCSE

Edexcel International GCSE exams used to be held in June and January. Starting from the school year beginning in September 2023, these exams are now held in June and November. The last January exams were in January 2023, and the first November exams were in November 2023.

Oxford AQA International GCSE

Oxford AQA International GCSE exams are held in May/June and November. These exams are created by Oxford AQA, a partnership between AQA, which sets GCSE exams in the UK, and Oxford University Press.

Comparisons with GCSE

Before GCSEs changed in 2017, the IGCSE was often seen as closer to older O-Levels than to the current GCSE in England. Because of this, some people thought it was a tougher exam.

At first, most schools that used IGCSEs were private international schools for children living far from home. But in the 2010s, more schools in the United Kingdom started using IGCSEs instead of regular English GCSEs, hoping it might be more challenging.

A study in 2019 compared GCSEs and IGCSEs. It found that getting an A in English Language and English Literature was easier with IGCSEs, but getting an A in math and science was harder. For most other subjects, the two were about the same.

When England changed its grading from A* to G to a 9 to 1 system, IGCSEs also changed to match. Before, IGCSEs used an 8-point scale from A* to G, with a grade 9 meaning “Ungraded.” Like GCSEs, IGCSEs offer different levels of exams to suit students with different abilities. In some subjects, students can choose whether or not to do extra projects as part of their grade.

For very advanced students in Further Mathematics, there was an extra top grade added so that students could show their strong skills in solving tough math problems.

Recognition and equivalence

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is known by many schools and jobs around the world. It is like other important school tests, such as England's GCSE, North American GED or high school diploma, Hong Kong's HKCEE, Singapore's O-Level, and India's ICSE courses. The IGCSE helps students get ready for harder studies, like A Level and BTEC Level 3 courses. Many universities and employers accept it.

In places like Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Italy, the IGCSE is used in many international schools. It gives students a good start for future learning and work.

Cancellations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all IGCSE exams that should have happened in May and June 2020 were cancelled. Schools had to estimate students' grades using past test results and other evidence.

In April 2020, Pearson Edexcel said they would decide grades using information from schools. Schools had to give a grade for each student and rank them by May 29, 2020.

For June 2021, some countries planned to hold exams if it was safe. Others used school-based assessments with coursework and practice tests. Special rules were also available for schools that asked for them.