iGCSE is essentially the international version of the British GCSE exams. It is a program that can prepare students for the IB Diploma, the UK A levels or the BTec, The exams are developed by either the University of Cambridge or Edexcel. As the iGCSE is an exam-based course that is right before the IB Diploma, a lot of students and parents see the iGCSE as being quite important. Thus, many iGCSE students see for a iGCSE tutor for various subjects.
In Hong Kong, many schools require students to take iGCSE exams before the IB, particularly the ESF schools. iGCSEs are seen as a preparatory course for the IB. In fact, many fundamental knowledge in IB are taught in the iGCSE.
In the iGCSE, students typically need to pick a first language, a second language, a math and a science subject. In Hong Kong, many iGCSE students would pick an additional humanity subject. As mentioned above, the iGCSE is an exam-based course, meaning that students’ grades are determined based on exams. Thus, many student are looking for a iGCSE tutor for different subjects to prepare them for the exams.
iGCSE students can be graded from A* to U, which are 9 grades in total. A* is to recognise top academic achievement in a particular subject. Typically, iGCSE students in Hong Kong take the iGCSE exams in May.
Most universities only consider a student’s IB score when making admission decisions. Hence, technically iGCSE results do not have much direct impact on a student’s academic career. However, we would argue that iGCSE have tremendous indirect impact on a student’s academic career.
Firstly, the iGCSE is a 2 year course, and takes up 2 years of a student’s academic career. A student who studies hard in the iGCSE will learn a lot that can help them in the IB Diploma. On the other hand, a student who is laid back throughout the iGCSE would essentially waste 2 precious years of learning. Secondly, as mentioned above, the iGCSE covers many of the basic concepts in the IB. We would argue that at least 30% of IB concepts in many subjects are already taught in the IGCSE. Thus, a student who really masters iGCSE will have a significant head start over a student who is falling behind in the iGCSE. Thirdly, for many students, the iGCSE is their first experience of dealing with a standardised examination. There are certainly many techniques that come with tackling an examination, including time management skills, question answering skills and stress management. A student can learn a great deal from doing the iGCSE exam that will help them with the IB when it comes to exam preparation and managements.
Another aspect that makes the iGCSE very important is the mental aspect. Typically, students who do well in the iGCSE develops tremendous confidence in themselves when it comes to their academic ability. This confidence will increase their likelihood of doing well in the IB. Moreover, they are more likely to develop positive habits to ace the IB.
Due to the importance of the iGCSE, iGCSE tutor can do a great deal for any iGCSE students.
HKExcel offers iGCSE tutor for all the major subjects- including English, Chinese, Math, Sciences (chemistry, physics and biology), Economics and Business. Moreover, we have classes for both the Cambridge board and the Edexcel board.
Similar to our IB courses, all of our iGCSE courses use an exam-oriented approach. Normally, in each class, we will focus on a particular topic. Our tutor will work to ensure that the student understands all critical concepts in the topic. Then, our tutor will teach all exam skills related to the topic to make sure the students know the fastest and most accurate way to answer different