International General Certificate of Secondary Education

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education, or IGCSE, is an international qualification for school students. IGCSE was developed by University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) in 1988, and is currently offered as a qualification by CIE and London Examinations (Edexcel International).

The IGCSE is typically taken by 14 to 16-year–olds, and it prepares students for further academic work, including progression to A Level, AS Level study and the IB Diploma Programme. Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSEs are recognised by academic institutions and employers around the world. UCAS recognises IGCSE as equivalent to the UK GCSE. In both 2006 and 2007 QCA decided not to recognise the IGCSE for league table or funding purposes, although an exception was made with IGCSE maths in 2007, the results for which were included in the level 2 maths totals for that year.

Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSEs provide a broad study programme and cover subjects from a variety of areas: Languages, Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Creative, Technical and Vocational. Most IGCSE subjects offer a choice of Core or Extended papers in Cambridge, and foundation or higher papers in Edexcel. This is designed to make IGCSE suitable for students with varying levels of ability. In some subjects, IGCSE can be taken with or without coursework, making it suitable for schools with less specialised staff.

The IGCSE allows teaching to be placed in a localised context, making it relevant in different regions. It is intended to be suitable for students whose first language may not be English and this is acknowledged throughout the examination progress.

In 2004-05, Cambridge IGCSE papers in more than 60 subjects were taken by students in over 120 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom , India & Bahrain.

ubjects available

The following is a list of subjects for which IGCSEs are available:

* Accounting
* Agriculture
* Art
* Art and Design
* Bangladesh Studies
* Biology
* Business Studies
* Chemistry
* Child Development
* Computer Studies
* Commerce
* Drama
* Design & Technology
* Development Studies
* Economics
* English Language
* English Literature
* Environmental Management
* Food and Nutrition
* Geography
* History
* Information and Communication Technology
* Information Technology
* Mathematics
* Mathematics (Additional)
* Music
* Pakistan Studies
* Physical Education
* Physical Science
* Physics
* Religious Studies
* Science - Combined
* Sciences - Co-ordinated (Double)
* Sociology
* Spanish Literature
* Travel and Tourism

Languages

* Afrikaans as a First Language
* Afrikaans as a Second Language
* Arabic as a first language
* Arabic as a second language
* Chinese as a First Language
* Chinese (Mandarin) as a Foreign Language
* Czech as a First Language
* Dutch as a First Language
* Dutch as a Foreign Language
* English Language
* English as a Second Language (EFL)
* French as a First Language
* French as a Foreign Language
* German as a First Language
* German as a Foreign Language
* Greek as a Foreign Language
* Hindi
* Indonesian as a Foreign Language
* IsiZulu as a Second Language
* Japanese as a First Language
* Japanese as a Foreign Language
* Korean as a First Language
* Latin
* Malay as a Foreign Language
* Portuguese as a First Language
* Portuguese as a Foreign Language
* Punjabi
* Russian as a First Language
* Sinhala
* Spanish as a First Language
* Spanish as a Foreign Language
* Thai as a First Language
* Thai as a Foreign Language
* Turkish as a First Language
* Urdu

External links

* [http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/academic/middlesec/igcse/overview University of Cambridge International Examinations IGCSE Homepage]
* [http://www.edexcel-international.org/quals/igcse/ Edexcel International IGCSE Homepage]
* [http://www.flyingcolours.org.uk British Council IGCSE Homepage]