Page 7 - Options Booklet IGCSE 2022-2023

Helping You Achieve
Helping Y ou Achiev e

Sitting a Minimum of 8 IGCSEs

The IGCSE exams are sat at the end of Key Stage 4 examinations. Their purpose is to show how well
a pupil has been able to master each subject up to this point in a range of subject discipline areas.
They are used as a guide for pupils as to what next steps they should follow for Key Stage 5, wheth-
er that be vocational or whether they should move onto further academic programmes such as A
Level or the IB Diploma programme (IBDP). In the UK the IGCSEs are not used to gain entry onto a
degree programme at university and the IGCSEs were never designed to be University entry certifi-
cates. In the UK pupils applying for a degree course are generally required to have a minimum of 5
IGCSEs including Mathematics and English at ‘C’ and above. Unless a pupil is applying to Oxford
or Cambridge, or Medicine, the universities generally only look to the results of the pre-university
courses (A Level) to make their offers.

The decision to sit a minimum of 8 IGCSEs at the end of Year 11 is in line with the educational norms
of the UK. In order for pupils to be able to cope with the depth and rigour of the A Level pre-uni-
versity course, they need to demonstrate that they have a solid educational foundation upon which
to build. This means that they have been able to cope in a range of subject areas and manage their
time and priorities across a number of subjects. It allows them to progress onto the next stage of
their academic career.

It is important to remember that JPGS strives to give pupils a broad choice. We offer an education
which opens pathways to International universities, but we also push our pupils to achieve their
potential rather than secure the bare minimum.

We do not allow our pupils learning to plateau at a level that will make the step into university too
difficult for them academically. In catering for the International universities we ensure that all our
pupils have been exposed to the educational rigor that prepares them for university life and beyond.
Good learning practices are therefore embedded from early on in the educational journey.

Keep Calm and Pass IGCSE

• Pupils begin their Two Year programme of study in Year 10
• Pupils will be ready to sit in a minimum of all 8 subjects in the June session of
Year 11
• School and home must prepare the pupils mentally for this from day 1 of the
Year 10 and should be a natural progression from a rigourous KS3 programme
• These exams are their first real experience of external examinations.

Jeddah Prep and Grammar School 7