Cambridge International IGCSE / AS / A LEVEL Examinations
Introduction
CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) is an examining body associated with the University of Cambridge in England. They have adapted the UK secondary schools examinations for international use, and currently there are about 2 million students taking these exams every year in over 150 countries.
Cambridge qualifications are internationally recognised. In general, the CIE syllabuses provide more challenge than their NCEA equivalents and they also provide better preparation for tertiary study. Assessment is normally by external examination.
The CIE qualifications offered at King's College are the IGCSE, AS and A Levels, and the AICE Diploma.
IGCSE, AS, and A Levels are subject qualifications: students can enter for as many or as few subjects as they wish. They will get results reported separately for each subject.
AICE on the other hand is a group qualification: candidates must enter a minimum number of subjects, and their grades in all subjects will determine whether or not they are awarded their Diplomas.
CIE Assessment
External examinations are the main means of assessment used by CIE - the exams are set and marked by CIE-appointed examiners. Usually there are two or three papers per syllabus requiring a total time of about three hours, though this varies from subject to subject.
Many IGCSE syllabuses and some AS/A Level syllabuses have a coursework component. Coursework is internal assessment, and this component allows schools to introduce local material and to assess skills not tested by the exams. All Science syllabuses include practical tests covering experimental and observational skills; the languages have listening and speaking tests; and there are performance or practical assessments in Music, Physical Education, and Computing.
The marks for the various components and papers are totalled for each subject, and the grade boundaries are then determined. For instance it may be decided that for the November 2005 IGCSE Mathematics papers a candidate scoring between 23 and 31 would be awarded a G grade, marks between 32 and 43 would get an F grade, etc. These grade boundaries differ from year to year and from subject to subject.
CIE does not report these "raw" marks to students, but they do provide a scaled mark.
Results for the November exams are available from about the third week of January, and the final certificates are posted out in March or April. Unlike the NZQA, CIE does not return exam papers to candidates.
IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education)
IGCSE courses are generally suitable for Y11 students, though some of the courses are more appropriate for Y12 students. Some subjects offer a choice of Core and Extended papers to cater for students with differing abilities.
Results are graded on an eight-point scale from A* to G : see the table below.
In New Zealand, a scaled mark is provided along with the grade.
The results for each subject stand alone - they are not aggregated in any way, though the results are printed on a single certificate.
| A* | 90 - 100 |
| A | 80 - 89 |
| B | 70 - 79 |
| C | 60 - 69 |
| D | 50 - 59 |
| E | 40 - 49 |
| F | 30 - 39 |
| G | 20 - 29 |
| Ungraded | less than 20 |
AS LEVEL (Advanced Subsidiary Level)
AS courses can be taken by both Y12 & Y13 students. The courses can be quite challenging (particularly in Mathematics and the Sciences), and students must be well organised with good study disciplines and routines if they are to complete the courses successfully.
Some of the courses run over 18 months or 2 years with exams being taken in June or November of the second year.
Results are graded on a five-point scale, from A to E and, in New Zealand, a scaled mark is provided along with the grade.
| A | 80 - 100 |
| B | 70 - 79 |
| C | 60 - 69 |
| D | 50 - 59 |
| E | 40 - 49 |
| Ungraded | less than 40 |
A LEVEL (Advanced Level)
A Levels have for a long time been the "gold standard" for secondary school leaving qualifications in the UK. Up until 2002 students generally took three A Level courses over their last two years of school. These courses have now been split in half. The AS (Advanced Subsidiary) course is the first half of the A Level course, but it can also be taken as a stand-alone qualification. Students wishing to complete the full A Level award go on to complete the second part (sometimes called A2) in their final year at school. The results from the AS and A2 examinations are combined to produce a single grade on a five-point scale, from A to E. New Zealand students are given a mark as well as a grade using the same scale as the AS results.
Students can repeat their AS exams if they are unhappy with their performance. There are exam sessions in June and November.
At King's College, A Levels are available in the following subjects: Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Computing, Economics, Geography, History, Literature in English, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Music and Physics. Students may also do A Level French and A Level Spanish by negotiation with the HOD.
The new AS/A2 structure does provide students with the opportunity to broaden their subject choices at Y12 and Y13. They can do two AS subjects instead of one A Level, and for university entrance purposes the two AS results are, in general, "equal" to an A Level result.
In planning a course of study for Y12 and Y13 it may be useful to think of AS and A2 as similar to Stage I and Stage II courses at university. In the second year of university a student carries on to Stage II in some subjects, but would also pick up some new subjects at Stage I. Similarly Y13 students need not go on to A Levels in all their subjects, but can take up some new AS courses to gain greater breadth in their studies.
For instance a student could do the following courses at Y12 and Y13:
| AS LITERATURE | A2 LITERATURE |
| AS ECONOMICS | A2 ECONOMICS |
| AS HISTORY | AS GEOGRAPHY |
| AS MATHEMATICS | AS CLASSICAL STUDIES |
| AS BIOLOGY |
Of course students may wish to do some NCEA courses as well. However those mixing CIE and NCEA courses need to be aware that the subject requirement for University Entrance should be met using just CIE subjects or just NCEA subjects.
The number of subjects you do at Y13 will depend on your choice of courses: at present the College's policy is that students doing two or more A2 syllabuses should limit themselves to 4 subjects, while all other Y13 students should do 5 subjects.
AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education)
The AICE Diploma is a group qualification. Students must take a combination of A Level and AS subjects with at least one subject chosen from each of these three groups:
| Biology | English Language | Business Studies |
| Chemistry | French | Classical Studies |
| Computing | Latin | Economics |
| Mathematics | Spanish | Geography |
| Further Mathematics | | History |
| Physics | | History (New Zealand) |
| Physical Education | | History of Art |
| | | Literature in English |
| | | Music |
| | | Physical Education |
Candidates must complete at least 6 credits (where an A Level counts as 2 credits, and an AS counts as 1 credit). Points are awarded using the following table:
| A | 120 | 60 |
| B | 100 | 50 |
| C | 80 | 40 |
| D | 60 | 30 |
| E | 40 | 20 |
If a candidate's best 6-credit total is 320 or more, they are awarded an AICE Diploma with Distinction. A total of 220 to 319 gains a Diploma with Merit, and 120 to 219 is awarded a Diploma at Pass Level.
This Diploma is a worthwhile award, but it is probably best to see it as a nice bonus for those students whose course selection happens to fit the requirements. It will certainly not be suitable for all students.
As an example, a student with this set of results would receive a Diploma with Merit:
| A Level LITERATURE | B | 2 | 100 |
| AS MATHMATICS | D | 1 | 30 |
| AS FRENCH | C | 1 | 40 |
| AS ECONOMICS | B | 1 | 50 |
| AS HISTORY | C | 1 | 40 |
| Totals: | | 6 credits | 260 points |
