March 2013 - the International School of Stavanger

News from the Exams Coordinator
Registration forms for IGCSE examinations in May/June 2013 are now due!
International General Certificate of Secondary
Education (IGCSE) examinations are normally
taken by students in 10th grade, following a two-year
preparation programme in 9th and 10th grade.
Some 9th grade students choose to take the Drama
IGCSE after one year.
Some 11th and 12th graders may choose to retake
IGCSE examinations in English Language or
Mathematics, particularly if they failed to achieve the
‘magic’ grade C (UK universities normally consider a
grade of C or better as a ‘pass’, and in some cases
require the minimum of a C grade in English and
Mathematics for entry to courses).
I am currently emailing the parents of all 10th grade
students as part of the process of entering students for
the IGCSE examinations in May / June 2013.
The letter may also be relevant to the parents of some
9th grade, 11th or 12th grade students, and it can
be accessed via Edline (HS – IGCSE information).
Parents of 10th graders are asked to complete the
registration form carefully, even if they do not wish
their son / daughter to take external examinations
this year. The signed and completed form should
then be returned to me in the Examinations Office
(in the High School office area) by Thursday 24th
January 2013.
Why should students take IGCSE?
There are various reasons why students may choose to
take (or not take) IGCSE examinations, and it should
be a considered decision by the students and their
parents. Every student’s situation is different, and
should be thought about carefully. Some guidelines
are available on Edline (HS – IGCSE information)
along with more information about the IGCSE at
ISS, and the Cambridge website www.cie.org.uk/
igcse is a great source of specific information about
the programme.
The IGCSE is taught in over 2900 schools, in more
than 140 countries worldwide,
and there are approximately
half a million entries each year.
2013 marks 25 years of
Cambridge IGCSE, so it is
a well-established and wellrespected
programme.
In the UK, the Secretary of State for Education,
Michael Grove suggested that UK schools should
“consider how the IGCSE might be an appropriate
preparation for the changes that we [the Government]
hope to introduce”. Many UK schools have, in fact,
changed to Cambridge IGCSE in advance of the
proposed reforms in England.
In the US, a number of high schools are offering
IGCSE as part of a pilot programme which aims
to raise standards in education (the ‘Excellence for
All’ programme developed by the National Center
on Education and the Economy). (Information from
Cambridge IGCSE Update for schools – November 2012)
At ISS, we are seeing that a number of universities
in the USA and Canada are requesting students’
IGCSE results as part of the application process. We
have long known that good IGCSE results certainly
help students’ university applications in the UK, and
it seems that they can now help students applying
to some universities elsewhere in the world. They
act as a positive objective indicator of the students’
performance in subject tests at the 10th grade level.
Many universities use this as part of the selection
process, in addition to other standardised tests that
the students may have taken, and very often predicted
IB scores.
I would always recommend that students taking the
IGCSE examinations should ensure that they do as
well in them as they can – they should never be taken
just as a ‘practice’ for IB, although they can help
students learn how to manage their time and revise
two years’ work for a single examination at the end of
the course (which is something that is also needed for
their IB Diploma in 11th and 12th grade).
Teachers will help students prepare well for the
examinations, providing the necessary instruction,
and opportunities to practise the skills needed to
tackle the different styles of examination questions.
Students should definitely check out the dedicated
student website at http://www.cambridgestudents.
org.uk/ for tips and information (a great resource for
parents too!!).
I wish all our IGCSE students “Good Luck” in their
studies.
Lynn Park
Exams Coordionator
LPark@isstavanger.no
10 · The Informer 23 January 2013 www.isstavanger.no