IGCSE stands for 'International General Certificate of Secondary Education' and is more or less a model for the British middle school degree that is obtained by taking several IGCSE subjects in various disciplines.
IGCSE was introduced in 1986 in the UK and the first official examinations took place in June 1988. IGCSEs can be taken all around the world in accredited test-centers by Cambridge or Edexcel (Pearson).
Apart from a few minor differences the UK GCSEs and the international GCSEs are very similar and therefore equally recognized by universities. Students in the UK usually take GCSEs in English, Mathemtics, Science and Humanities at the end of grade 11 in no less than 8 subjects after a minimum of two years of study.
The minimum requirement for most universities is 5 IGCSEs containing English, Mathemtics, Science, and Humanities. To apply for a job, employers and vocational schools usually want to see at least passing grades in English and Mathematics.
For Chinese students, it is advisable to finish IGCSEs in at least English, Mathematics, Chinese, Science, and Humanities subjects. It is of course possible and welcome to take more than five but with the enormous pressure of starting IGCSEs in grade 10 and not being willing to spend four years in high school to prepare for those five subjects should be doable for most students.
Students who are aiming higher, should try to finish eight IGCSEs before joining A-Level courses. The premise of IGCSE, however, is not quantity but quality. All IGCSE grades count upon application. So, rather than taking and failing too many, A and A* in the core subjects is a wise decision.
The grading scale for IGCSE is different than other evaluation systems and counts from A* to G with an additional X for unattended. The percentages in between are 10 down to G where a passing grade is defined by at least 20%.
If you are a students and would like to consult me on the question if your IGCSE preparation is sufficient for application or you are a school principal, counselor, or dean of academics and need some support in how to implement IGCSE at your school, feel free to contact me for individual guidance.
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