The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) offers students a comprehensive curriculum that serves to develop their knowledge and skills.
IGCSEs provide an excellent foundation for future education, such as A level , BTEC vocational courses and other qualifications that are recognised by employers internationally and by the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Grade for grade, they are equivalent to GCSEs.
Available to students in over 150 countries worldwide, IGCSE qualifications are increasingly gaining popularity in the UK and are often preferred to GCSEs by many reputable independent schools. Approximately 300 British independent schools now offer IGCSEs. Over 1.5 million students from around the world take IGCSE exams annually, with over 40,000 entries in the UK alone.
With GCSE exams gradually being reformed, coursework is now being replaced by controlled assessments that are completed under supervised conditions. However, these controlled assessments are impractical for home educated students. With IGCSE distance learning, 100% of the assessment is done by examination, providing a convenient way to build on and test your knowledge and skills.
For subjects where controlled assessment is not required, you can still enrol on our GCSE home study courses in, for example, Maths, Law, Psychology Sociology and Religious Education. We also offer IGCSE science courses in Biology and Human Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. In some core subjects, such as Maths, it is possible to take either GCSE or IGCSE.
To find out more about our IGCSEs, take a look at our blog on ‘GCSE and IGCSE: what’s the difference?‘
Unlike GCSEs many IGCSEs have a winter exam sitting in January, as well as the normal summer examination sitting. These include
The IGCSE Science Suite offers a wide range of options for the budding Scientist, whether you want to go to university or just a basic grounding.
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“I left school 30 years ago with no A levels and the qualifications I did obtain I never put to use. I always regretted this. So when it was possible financially I enrolled to do my AS English literature along with working and looking after my family. I definitely gave it my all and because of it I have been accepted onto an access course and this time next year I plan to be off to university to train to be a nurse! Thank you Oxford Open Learning for the flexibility and support that enabled me to study and work at the same time and for Colin my excellent tutor.”
Sharon Deeming, English Literature A level