What is IGCSE?

International General Certificate of Secondary Education is known as IGCSE, which is an international curriculum specially designed for teenagers aged from 14 to 16 equivalent to Chinese curriculum of senior high school Grade 1 and Grade 2. In the whole world, there are around tens of millions teenagers enrolled in this curriculum. In some countries, the certificate of IGCSE is one of the condition for entrance into universities. Meanwhile, IGCSE is regarded as a basic curriculum before students read A-Level, IB and AP. It covers a very wide range of courses and one of its characters is that there is a good balance between the application and theory study in this curriculum. Thanks to its course pattern in width and core courses combination, it is suitable for students with different learning ability. The teaching pattern of IGCSE can be integrated with local pattern in specific teaching content. Therefore, it is very suitable for Chinese students whose mother tongue is Chinese.

What is A-Level?

 

General Certificate of Education Advanced Level is known as A-Level and is Britain’s national curriculum. Britain is known as the original country of modern culture, technology, law and industry. It originated from 1951 and has a 50-year of endless cumulated and sustainable revised history. It is one of the two senior high school curricular enjoying world reputation. A-Level certificate is well recognized by 160 countries around the world and accepted by many universities in these countries. Some developing countries introduce this as their national curriculum, which means that these countries won’t have their own national curriculum and they will just localize this curricular. Singapore is one of these nations. University of Cambridge International Examinations is a world leading course and exam research center. Our center introduces its course, exam system and teaching quality recognition system. All these policies can ensure the center’s teaching quality.

 

It takes two years to complete A-Level study. From the pattern of A-Level, it is equivalent to Senior High School Grade 3 and freshman study in Chinese education system. It takes 3 years to complete a bachelor degree in UK. The middle and senior high school pattern in UK is 5-2-3, which means 5 years of middle school study, 2 years of A-Level study and 3 years of undergraduate study. All together is 10-year study in UK’s education system. While in China, it is a 3-3-4 pattern, including 3 years of middle school study, 3 years of senior high school study and 4 years of undergraduate study, it is a 10-year system as well. In view of the content, the width and depth of A-Level are superior than Chinese senior high school Grade 3, but it is not so difficult as the one in senior high school Grade 3. Students with 2 years of A-Level study can make application to Oxbridge in UK with A-Level result and other top universities in Canada, Australia, Europe and HongKong.

 

Though A-Level is for British patterned education, there is also advantage for students with A-Level result to apply for universities in USA. The advantages are as followings. First, A-Level enjoys higher international education reputation than Chinese senior high school education. Secondly, the teaching medium in A-Level is English. It pays more attention to critical thinking and application of theory, which has a good link to western teaching style in most universities in the world. Thirdly, the language and thinking pattern of A-Level is very close to SAT, a very key international exam for US colleges’ application, while it is not easy for Chinese students to have such kind of knowledge in Chinese education system. Fourthly, the exam result of A-Level can be transferred to credits in US universities or colleges, which can save a lot of time and money in education. Though A-Level and AP courses have the same level of difficulty, AP does not offer students’ a complete education certificate, while the application US colleges require a complete education certificate. In this sense, A-Level is more superior than AP courses. This means that students can save more time in preparing for US colleges application.

 

Our center is led by a team of Chinese and Western experts in education with the teaching medium in English plus necessary Chinese guidance. We aim to equip students with necessary English culture and academic training to help them adapt easily to future universities life abroad.