The standard (I)GCSE programmes are usually two to three years long and are taken from Year 9-11 or Year 10-11 depending on the school.
The shorter 1-Year GCSE is an intensive version that is a more cost-effective way to gain the internationally recognised qualification within one year. It is suitable for Hong Kong students who have completed F.4. Students can then progress to their A-Level or International Baccalaureate (IB) studies and make applications to top universities in the world.
Students normally study 5 to 6 subjects on a 1-year programme. Some may take up to 8 GCSEs depending on their level of English and academic level. It is also possible to join a 4- to 5-term programme, instead of 3-term, (starting in April and January respectively) if they would like to take up more subjects to increase their chances of getting into a top sixth form school/ university.
Some traditional boarding schools allow students to join their existing Year 11 academic classes for better integration, whereas for 1-Year GCSE programmes run by international study centres would normally form a class of its own, and the pace of teaching will depend mainly on the academic performance of the class.
As for extracurricular activities, students will normally integrate with existing students.
|
Course Length |
Subject Choice |
Start Date |
|
2-Year Programmes (6 terms) |
7-10 subjects |
September |
|
4-5 Terms |
7-8 subjects |
Starts in April and January respectively |
|
1-Year Programmes (3 terms) |
5-6 subjects |
September |
Key details:
– Admissions requirement: Hong Kong students who have completed F.4
– Number of subjects studied: usually around 5 to 8
– Skills taught: study skills, research skills, teamwork skills
– Small classes taught by specialist teachers
– With the GCSE qualifications, students can apply for further education, such as GCE A-levels, International Baccalaureate (IB) or a University Foundation Course.
– Core subjects offered by most schools:
o Mathematics
o Additional Mathematics
o English (2nd language)
o Physics
o Chemistry
o Biology
– Additional subjects:
o Business Studies
o Chinese
o Computer Science
o Geography
o History
o Psychology
GCSE Reform
Starting from the academic year of 2015/16, the GCSEs were reformed in phases every year. By September 2018, all the Year 10 students have started using the new GCSE syllabus.
A new grading scale of 9 to 1 is introduced to replace the original A* to F grading system, in which a grade 9 is set at a more challenging level than the original A* to reflect the abilities of more capable students. In the new grading scale, there are two passing marks, where:
– Grade 4 represents a Standard Pass
– Grade 5 represents a Strong Pass
To find out more about Ampla Education’s test preparation courses and boarding school application services, contact us at info@ampla-edu.com
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