IGCSE versus GSCE

goldencik

Active member

Member since 30 September 2010

Petaling Jaya

goldencik

11 August 2015 07:59:02

goldencik

11 August 2015 07:59:02

Petaling Jaya

I have read on various occasions that the quality of IGCSE's are not comparable to (lower) than the UK GCSE. Here are some articles that may make you question that assumption. In fact IGCSEs are known to be much more rigorous than GCSE being more comparable to the old GCE O level.
Many schools in the UK are actually moving to the IGCSE and the IB in favour of the existing GCSE and A levels as their quality is dropping.

PS I am not a school teacher and have no personal interests other than educating myself on seperating fact from heresay.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … evels.html

also

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/educ … 924496.stm (note this is an old article and changes have been made to say speaking in French, etc)

ClanC

Active member

Member since 29 July 2015

ClanC

11 August 2015 08:37:58

ClanC

11 August 2015 08:37:58

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08 … 27952.html

More recent article

Gravitas

ViP

Member since 02 March 2011

Kuala Lumpur

Gravitas

11 August 2015 08:50:31

9040

Gravitas

11 August 2015 08:50:31

9040

Kuala Lumpur

The point that interested me in this debate is the fact that a wider range of languages can be taken. So I looked up a list of subjects that are examined under IGCSE.

http://www.cie.org.uk/programmes-and-qu … /subjects/

Nemodot

ViP

Member since 04 April 2011

Kuala Lumpur

Nemodot

11 August 2015 21:04:42

2093

Nemodot

11 August 2015 21:04:42

2093

Kuala Lumpur

Like comparing chalk and cheese. It depends on the subject.

In UK many public schools changed to IGCSE as GCSE considered too easy by them.

IGCSE Geography and Eng Lit for example are old school. Think 1950s

Phys Chem Bio are far more fact based (eg 1950s) than GCSE Triple and have far greater depth of content. Main complaint about double science in UK is that it has no "real" science in it and a useless prep for A level whereas double IGCSE science is far better prep for A level..

Some subjects are actually very thoughtful - Business Studies and Econs for example.

Ad Maths is very hard - Chinese standard lol

Overall tough quality of the student depends as always on the teaching quality.

I will say though the Singapore O level is far harder than either!