Qualification Details

A Level

Recognition

The General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level), or International A Level, is the 'gold standard' of CIE qualifications. It has exactly the same value in admitting students to all universities as its UK equivalent. It is also accepted as an entry qualification by universities of the European Union, on a par with the French Baccalaureat, the German Abitur, etc.

International A Level examinations are usually taken after 13 years of education and are based on approximately 360 hours of guided learning, normally over a two-year period. International A Levels are highly specialised and a student will normally take three subjects, although occasionally exceptional students take four.

There are six passing grades (A* - E). Minimum matriculation requirements are at least two pass grades. University courses for which there is not strong demand might accept students with these grades, but typical UK university entrance requirements are closer to three passes at grade C for academic courses in established universities. Very popular courses will often require higher grades. For example, medical schools in the UK often require grades of AAB and the highly selective universities of Cambridge and Oxford ask for at least AAB.

Cambridge International A Levels are taken throughout the world, sometimes as the national examinations of certain Commonwealth countries (such as Singapore and Mauritius), sometimes within international schools and sometimes in bilingual government schools alongside the national exams.

Good International A Level grades can be a key to admission for all the world's major anglophone universities. University course credit and advanced standing is often available in countries such as the USA and Canada, where entrance to university takes place after 12 years of education. Good grades in carefully chosen International A Level subjects can result in up to one full year of credit.

 
IGCSE

Recognition

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is taken in over 100 countries worldwide and is internationally recognised as being equivalent to the GCSE in the United Kingdom.

Grading is on an eight-point scale (A*–G) and grades A to E are equivalent to O Level grades A to E. In some countries, IGCSE qualifications will satisfy the entry requirements for university. In others, they are widely used as a preparation for A Level, AS, International Baccalaureate and US Advanced Placement courses.

Grade C in IGCSE English (both First Language and Second Language) satisfies the English proficiency requirements of many universities in the UK and other anglophone countries.