The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), is the international version of the British national curriculum, the GCSE. Considered to be more academically challenging and rigorous than the GCSE, the IGCSE is a 2-year international educational program designed for students between the ages of 14 and 16 which prepares them for further study, such as the IB Diploma Programme. The IGCSE is one of the most popular educational programs in the world for students in this age range, and is used by many private schools in England, as well as the majority of international schools in Singapore and Hong Kong. Its popularity can be attributed to its thorough and well-balanced curriculum, which helps students deepen their knowledge and develop their critical and analytical thinking skills across a broad range of subjects.
In the IGCSE, students undertake subjects from six subject groups across a range of academic disciplines. This ensures that students develop a balanced and well-rounded foundation of knowledge in all necessary areas for success in the IB DP and beyond. The subject groups are:
Group 1—English Language and Literature
Group 2—Japanese Language
Group 3—Individuals and Societies
Group 4—Sciences
Group 5—Mathematics
Group 6—The Arts (or an additional Group 3 subject)
In addition to these subjects, students engage in Physical Education twice per week, and are guided through a Health and Wellbeing curriculum facilitated by their Homeroom Advisors and the Student Care Coordinators, made up of lessons to inform students about their bodies and physical health, as well as guide students through the social and emotional aspects of adolescence. In this way, the IGCSE years at KIST are designed to support and develop balanced and resilient students.
At the end of their two years of study, all KIST students take externally assessed IGCSE examinations in May or early June of their Grade 10 year. Not only do these tests serve as an important indicator of students’ academic progress over the course of their time studying in the IGCSE, but the results of the standardized and externally marked IGCSE exams can also provide strong support in students’ university applications in the future.
All students at KIST study the IB Diploma Programme (DP) starting in Grade 11, and we place the utmost importance in preparing our students for success in the DP. As such, one of the most important reasons that KIST has implemented the IGCSE for Grades 9 and 10 rather than continuing the MYP is because it serves exceptionally well as a bridge to the DP. One of the many merits of the IGCSE is that the skills and knowledge required for the IGCSE are very close to the DP, so it serves as good preparation for the academically rigorous and demanding DP. Additionally, similar to the DP, the IGCSE is a 2-year linear course which ends in a standardized exam marked externally, so studying the IGCSE helps prepare students for the system of the DP, which requires them to use their long-term memory when they are tested at the end of the 2-year program.
Curriculum explanation sessions are scheduled throughout the year for families to learn more about the nature of the curriculum, the learning methods focused on and other general expectations. All parents/guardians are encouraged to attend these sessions in order to gain the knowledge necessary to be able to provide appropriate support to their children.
