Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma
The Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma prepares students for honours degree programmes. It is made up of individual Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level and Advanced (A) Levels, and requires the study of subjects drawn from three curriculum areas within an international curriculum framework: mathematics and sciences; languages; and arts and humanities.

To achieve the Diploma, all learners also need to study and pass a compulsory core subject: Cambridge International AS Level Global Perspectives & Research. This is a cross-curricular skills-based course.

In order to receive a Cambridge AICE Diploma, a candidate must earn a minimum of seven credits (including Cambridge International AS Level Global Perspectives & Research), with at least one credit coming from each of the three curriculum areas. The remaining credits can come from any of the curriculum areas, including an optional group of interdisciplinary subjects (Group 4).

A Cambridge International AS Level is awarded one credit, and a Cambridge International A Level is awarded two credits.

Learners who pass the Cambridge International A Level in Global Perspectives & Research meet the compulsory requirement of the core group and also have one credit which may then be included in Group 4 to contribute to the overall requirement of seven credits.

Grading and points system

Cambridge International AS Level subjects – candidates are graded A to E.

Cambridge International A Level subjects – candidates are graded A* to E.

The Cambridge AICE Diploma is awarded on the basis of a points system:

Two credits study (A Levels)

Grade A* (140 points)
A (120)
B (100)
C (80)
D (60)
E (40)

One credit study (AS Levels)

Grade A (60 points)
B (50)
C (40)
D (30)
E (20)

Candidates who meet the requirements will receive a Cambridge AICE Diploma at one of three levels – pass, merit or distinction – on the basis of their overall AICE diploma score:

Cambridge AICE Diploma with Distinction: awarded to students with a score of 360 points or above. The maximum Diploma score is 420 points.

Cambridge AICE Diploma with Merit: awarded to students with between 250 and 359 points.

Cambridge AICE Diploma at Pass level: awarded to students with between 140 and 249 points.

The maximum number of Cambridge AICE Diploma points is capped at 420.

Subjects

Group 1: Mathematics and sciences. Subjects available include biology, chemistry, computing, design and technology, environmental management, mathematics, physics and psychology.

Group 2: Languages. Subjects available include English language, Afrikaans, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Urdu.

Group 3: Arts and humanities. Subjects available include accounting, art and design, business studies, economics, geography, history, English literature, French literature, Portuguese literature, Spanish literature, music, psychology, sociology.

Group 4: Interdisciplinary subjects (optional). Subjects include a general paper and thinking skills.

Core: Cambridge Global Perspectives. It is compulsory for all learners to study Cambridge International AS Level Global Perspectives & Research.

Website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/aice

Cambridge International AS & A Level is an internationally benchmarked qualification, taught in over 130 countries worldwide. It is typically for learners aged 16 to 19 years who need advanced study to prepare for university. It was created specifically for an international audience and the content has been devised to suit the wide variety of schools worldwide and avoid any cultural bias.

Cambridge International A Level is typically a two-year course, and Cambridge International AS Level is typically one year. Some subjects can be started as a Cambridge International AS Level and extended to a Cambridge International A Level. Students can either follow a broad course of study, or specialise in one particular subject area.

Learners use Cambridge International AS and A Levels to gain places at leading universities worldwide, including the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Egypt, Jordan, South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. In places such as the US and Canada, good grades in carefully chosen Cambridge International A Level subjects can result in up to one year of university course credit.

Assessment options:

Cambridge International AS & A Levels have a linear structure with exams at the end of the course. Students can choose from a range of assessment options:

Option 1: take Cambridge International AS Levels only. The Cambridge International syllabus content is half a Cambridge International A Level.

Option 2: staged assessment, which means taking the Cambridge International AS Level in one exam session and the Cambridge International A Level at a later session. However, this route is not possible in all subjects.

Option 3: take all Cambridge International A Level papers in the same examination session, usually at the end of the course.

Grades and subjects

Cambridge International A Levels are graded from A* to E. Cambridge International AS Levels are graded from A to E.

Subjects: available in 55 subjects including accounting, Afrikaans, Afrikaans – first language (AS only), Afrikaans language (AS only), applied information and communication technology, Arabic, Arabic language (AS only), art and design, biology, business, chemistry, Chinese, Chinese language (AS only), classical studies, computing, design and technology, design and textiles, digital media & design, divinity, economics, English language, English literature, environmental management, food studies, French, French language (AS only), French literature (AS only), general paper, geography, German, German language (AS only), Global Perspectives & Research, Hindi, Hindi language (AS only), Hindi literature (AS only), Hinduism, history, Islamic studies, Japanese language (AS only), English language and literature (AS only), law, Marathi, Marathi language (AS only), marine science, mathematics, further mathematics, media studies, music, physical education, physical science, physics, Portuguese, Portuguese language (AS only), Portuguese literature (AS only), psychology, sociology, Spanish, Spanish first language (AS only), Spanish language (AS only), Spanish literature (AS only), Tamil, Tamil language (AS only), Telugu, Telugu language (AS only), thinking skills, travel and tourism, Urdu, Urdu language (AS only).

Website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/alevel

Cambridge IGCSE is the world’s most popular international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds. It develops skills in creative thinking, enquiry and problem solving, in preparation for the next stage in a student’s education. Cambridge IGCSE is taken in over 150 countries, and is widely recognised by employers and higher education institutions worldwide.

Cambridge IGCSE is graded from A*-G. In the UK, Cambridge IGCSE is accepted as equivalent to the GCSE. It can be used as preparation for Cambridge International A & AS Levels, UK A and AS levels, IB or AP and in some instances entry into university. Cambridge IGCSE First Language English and Cambridge IGCSE English Language qualifications are recognised by a significant number of UK universities as evidence of competence in the language for university entrance.

Subjects: available in over 70 subjects including accounting, Afrikaans – first language, Afrikaans – second language, agriculture, Arabic – first language, Arabic – foreign language, art and design, Baha Indonesia, Bangladesh studies, biology, business studies, chemistry, child development, Chinese – first language, Chinese – second language, Chinese (Mandarin) – foreign language, computer studies, Czech – first language, design and technology, development studies, drama, Dutch – first language, Dutch – foreign language, economics, English – additional language, English – first language, English – literature, English – second language, enterprise, environmental management, food and nutrition, French – first language, French – foreign language, geography, German – first language, German – foreign language, global perspectives, Greek – foreign language, Hindi as a second language, Italian – foreign language, history, India studies, Indonesian – foreign language, information and communication technology, IsiZulu as a second language, Japanese – first language, Japanese – foreign language, Kazakh as a second language, Korean (first language), Latin, Malay – first language, Malay – foreign language, mathematics, mathematics – additional, international mathematics, music, Pakistan studies, physical education, physical science, physics, Portuguese – first language, Portuguese – foreign language, religious studies, Russian – first language, science – combined, sciences – co-ordinated (double), sociology, Spanish – first language, Spanish – foreign language, Spanish – literature, Thai – first language, travel and tourism, Turkish – first language, Urdu – second language, world literature.

Website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/igcse

The Cambridge International Certificate of Education (ICE) is the group award of Cambridge IGCSE (see above). In order to be awarded a Cambridge ICE certificate, a student must obtain at least grade G in seven subjects from five subject groups. They must take two different languages and one subject from each of the other groups: humanities and social sciences, sciences, mathematics, and creative and professional. The seventh subject can be taken from any of the five subject groups.

The certificates are awarded in the following levels:

Distinction – student must obtain grade A or above in five subjects and grade C or above in two further subjects.

Merit – student must obtain grade C or above in five subjects and grade F or above in two further subjects.

Pass – student must obtain grade G or above in seven subjects.

The Cambridge Pathway gives students a clear path through education from age 5 to 19. It has four stages: Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, Cambridge Upper Secondary and Cambridge Advanced. Schools can offer all the stages, or just some of them.

Cambridge Primary

Cambridge Primary is typically for learners aged 5 to 11 years. It develops learner skills and understanding in 10 subjects: English as a first or second language, mathematics, science, art & design, digital literacy, music, physical education, Cambridge Global Perspectives and ICT. The flexible curriculum frameworks include optional assessment tools to help schools monitor learners’ progress and give detailed feedback to parents. At the end of Cambridge Primary, schools can enter students for Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests which are marked in Cambridge.

Website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/primary

Cambridge ICT Starters introduces learners, typically aged 5 to 14 years, to the key ICT applications they need to achieve computer literacy and to understand the impact of technology on our daily lives. It can be taught and assessed in English or Spanish.

Cambridge Lower Secondary

Cambridge Lower Secondary is typically for learners aged 11 to 14 years. It develops learner skills and understanding in 10 subjects: English, English as a second language, mathematics, science, art & design, digital literacy, music, physical education, Cambridge Global Perspectives and ICT, and includes assessment tools. At the end of Cambridge Lower Secondary, schools can enter students for Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint tests which are marked in Cambridge and provide an external international benchmark for student performance.

Website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/lowersecondary

Cambridge Upper Secondary

This stage is for learners typically aged 14 to 16. They follow either the Cambridge IGCSE or O Level curriculum.

– Cambridge IGCSE
(includes Cambridge International Certification of Education (ICE)

Cambridge Advanced

This stage is for learners typically aged 16 to 19. They work towards Cambridge International AS & A Level qualifications or the Cambridge AICE Diploma (a group award).

– Cambridge International AS & A Level

– Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma

Pearson’s Edexcel International GCSEs are academic qualifications aimed at learners aged 14 to 16. They’re equivalent to a UK General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), and are the main requirement for Level 3 studies, including progression to GCE AS or A levels, BTECs or employment. International GCSEs are linear qualifications, meaning that students take all of the exams at the end of the course. They are available at Level 1 (grades D-G) and Level 2 (grades A*-C). There are currently more than 100,000 learners studying Edexcel International GCSEs, in countries throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Developed by subject specialists and reviewed regularly, many of Pearson’s Edexcel International GCSEs include specific international content to make them relevant to students worldwide.

International GCSEs are offered in over 40 subjects. Subject areas include: Art and Design, Business & Economics, English, Humanities, Information and Communication Technology, Languages, Mathematics, Sciences. Note that the subject areas highlighted in bold are also available as part of the Edexcel Certificate qualification suite.

Not to be confused with the International Baccalaureate (IB) or the French Baccalaureate, this certificate is available in European Schools (www.eursc.eu/en/European-Schools/mission) and recognised in all EU countries.

To obtain the baccalaureate, a student must obtain a minimum score of 60%, which is made up from: course-work, oral participation in class and tests (40%); five written examinations (36%) – mother-tongue, first foreign language and maths are compulsory for all candidates; four oral examinations (24%) – mother tongue and first foreign language are compulsory (history or geography may also be compulsory here, dependant on whether the candidate has taken a written examination in these subjects).

Throughout the EU the syllabus and examinations necessary to achieve the EB are identical. The only exception to this rule is the syllabus for the mother tongue language. The EB has been specifically designed to meet, at the very least, the minimum qualification requirements of each member state.

Study for the EB begins at nursery stage (age 4) and progresses through primary (age six) and on into secondary school (age 12).

Syllabus

Languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, Finnish as a second national language, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Swedish for Finnish pupils.

Literary: art education, non-confessional ethics, geography, ancient Greek, history, human sciences, Latin, music, philosophy, physical education.

Sciences: biology, chemistry, economics, ICT, integrated science, mathematics, physics.

For more information, contact:

Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools, c/o European Commission, Rue Joseph II, 

30-2ème étage, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium

Tel: +32 2295 3745

Fax: +32 2298 6298

Website: www.eursc.eu

The French Baccalauréat or ‘le bac’, is an academic qualification taken at the end of the lycée (secondary education), usually when the student is 18. It is the required qualification in France for those students wishing to carry on their studies at university. Students not wishing to go on to higher education can, in theory, opt out of taking the baccalaureate and those who do not have one can instead take the higher education entrance exam, which leads to its own diploma.

There are three main types of baccalaureate in France:

the baccalauréat général (general);

the baccalauréat professionnel (professional);

the baccalauréat technologique (technological).

General Baccalaureate

Students who sit for the baccalauréat général have to choose one of three specialised streams as follows:

S – scientifique (sciences)

Mathematics, physics and chemistry, also biology or engineering sciences

ES - sciences économiques et socials (economics and social sciences)

Equally split between literary and economic/social studies.

L – littéraire (literature)

French literature, philosophy, history and geography, as well as foreign languages.

The French baccalaureate exam is available in over 40 languages including French regional dialects such as Alsation and Catalan.

Exams take place in June each year, in the final year of the lycée, they are usually in the form of an essay and take between two and four hours to complete. Some options are more popular than others due to a weighting system that can have a significant effect on the student’s final grade. There are exams in September each year as well, but these are for those students who missed the June exams for reasons such as illness. Students who fail their June exams cannot retake the baccalaureate in September that same year.

Option Internationale du Baccalauréat

This is an additional option to the general baccalaureate and offers further subjects. Extra exams are offered in literature, history and geography allowing a higher grade to be achieved towards the final baccalaureate mark. In general, this option is taken by students wishing to study at overseas universities.

Grades

In order to obtain a baccalaureate, the student must achieve at least ten out of a possible mark of 20. Above this, honours are awarded as follows:

marks between 12 and 13.99 – assez bien (honours);

marks between 14 and 15.99 – bien (high honours);

marks between 16 and 20 – très bien (highest honours).

In addition, those students obtaining marks above 18 may also receive the félicitations du jury (jury’s congratulations), which is an unofficial award given entirely at the panel’s discretion.

For those students who score less than ten, but eight or more, they can opt for the épreuve de rattrapage, which is an oral exam given in two subjects of the student’s choice. In this way, providing the student does well enough to raise his/her overall grade to ten, those students just missing the required pass mark are able to obtain their baccalaureate without having to repeat their final year at school.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers four challenging and high quality educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools, aiming to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better, more peaceful world.

The IB works with schools around the world (both state and privately funded) that share the commitment to international education to deliver these programmes.

Schools that have achieved the high standards required for authorization to offer one or more of the IB programmes are known as IB World Schools.

The Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes share a common philosophy and common characteristics. They develop the whole student, helping students to grow intellectually, socially, aesthetically and culturally. They provide a broad and balanced education that includes science and the humanities, languages and mathematics, technology and the arts. The programmes teach students to think critically, and encourage them to draw connections between areas of knowledge and to use problem-solving techniques and concepts from many disciplines. They instil in students a sense of responsibility towards others and towards the environment. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the programmes give students an awareness and understanding of their own culture and of other cultures, values and ways of life.

A fourth programme called the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) became available to IB World Schools from September 2012.

The IBCP incorporates the educational principles, vision and learner profile of the IB into a unique offering that specifically addresses the needs of students who wish to engage in career-related education. The IBCP encourages these students to benefit from elements of an IB education, through a selection of two or more Diploma Programme courses in addition to a unique IBCP core, comprised of an approaches to learning (ATL) course, language development, a reflective project, and community and service.

The IBCP is designed to provide a ‘value added’ qualification to schools that already offer the IB Diploma Programme and are also delivering career-related studies to their students. The IBCP enables schools to widen participation to an IB education. Schools retain the ability to choose the career-related courses that are most suited to local conditions and the needs of their students. Schools gain the added flexibility in direct curriculum development as well as the IBCP core to create an educational pathway that puts a strong focus on individual student needs. All IB programmes include:

– a written curriculum or curriculum framework;

– student assessment appropriate to the age range;

– professional development and networking opportunities for teachers;

– support, authorization and programme evaluation for the school.

The IB Primary Years Programme

The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), for students aged three to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework consisting of five essential elements (concepts, knowledge, skills, attitude, action) and guided by six trans-disciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas (language, social studies, mathematics, science and technology, arts, personal, social and physical education) with a powerful emphasis on inquiry-based learning.

The most significant and distinctive feature of the PYP is the six trans-disciplinary themes. These themes are about issues that have meaning for, and are important to, all of us. The programme offers a balance between learning about or through the subject areas, and learning beyond them. The six themes of global significance create a trans-disciplinary framework that allows students to ‘step up’ beyond the confines of learning within subject areas:

Who we are

Where we are in place and time

How we express ourselves

How the world works

How we organize ourselves

Sharing the planet

The PYP exhibition is the culminating activity of the programme. It requires students to analyse and propose solutions to real-world issues, drawing on what they have learned through the programme. Evidence of student development and records of PYP exhibitions are reviewed by the IB as part of the programme evaluation process.

Assessment is an important part of each unit of inquiry as it both enhances learning and provides opportunities for students to reflect on what they know, understand and can do. The teacher’s feedback to the students provides the guidance, the tools and the incentive for them to become more competent, more skilful and better at understanding how to learn.

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)

The Middle Years Programme (MYP), for students aged 11 to 16, comprises eight subject groups:

Language acquisition

Language and literature

Individuals and societies

Sciences

Mathematics

Arts

Physical and health education

Design

The MYP requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject group in each year of the programme. In years 4 and 5, students have the option to take courses from six of the eight subject groups within certain limits, to provide greater flexibility in meeting local requirements and individual student learning needs.

Each year, students in the MYP also engage in at least one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit that involves at least two subject groups.

MYP students also complete a long-term project, where they decide what they want to learn about, identify what they already know, discovering what they will need to know to complete the project, and create a proposal or criteria for completing it

The MYP aims to help students develop their personal understanding, their emerging sense of self and responsibility in their community.

The MYP allows schools to continue to meet state, provincial or national legal requirements for students with access needs. Schools must develop an inclusion/special educational needs (SEN) policy that explains assessment access arrangements, classroom accommodations and curriculum modification that meet individual student learning needs.

The IB Diploma Programme (IBDP)

The IB Diploma Programme, for students aged 16 to 19, is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations, which prepares students for success at university and life beyond.

IBDP students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students must choose one subject from each of groups 1 to 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in languages, social studies, the experimental sciences and mathematics. The sixth subject may be an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups 1 to 5. At least three and not more than four subjects are taken at higher level (recommended 240 teaching hours), the others at standard level (150 teaching hours). Students can study these subjects, and be examined, in English, French or Spanish.

In addition, three core elements – the extended essay, theory of knowledge and creativity, action, service – are compulsory and central to the philosophy of the programme.

Students take written examinations at the end of the programme, which are marked by external IB examiners. Students also complete assessment tasks in the school, which are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners.

The marks awarded for each course range from one (lowest) to seven (highest). Students can also be awarded up to three additional points for their combined results on theory of knowledge and the extended essay. The diploma is awarded to students who gain at least 24 points, subject to certain minimum levels of performance across the whole programme and to satisfactory participation in the creativity, action, and service requirement. The highest total that a Diploma Programme student can be awarded is 45 points.

The IB Career-related Programme (IBCP)

The IB Career-related Programme, for students aged 16 to 19, accentuates and enhances skill development and the attainment of the competencies relevant to today’s challenging work place. Students are able to develop a specific pathway into higher education in consultation with their school. A specially-designed IBCP core recognizes and emphasizes IB values, missions and the needs of career-related students.

IBCP students study a specialized IBCP core and a minimum of two Diploma Programme courses. The IBCP core consists of the following:

Community and Service: This element of the IBCP core is based on the principle of service learning, which uses community service as a vehicle for new learning that has academic value. The service learning model in the IBCP emphasises knowledge development, civic development, social development and personal development.

Approaches to learning (ATL): This course is designed to introduce students to life skills. At the heart of the ATL model is the learner who uses a range of skills to make sense of the world around them and develops skills with an emphasis on critical and ethical thinking and effective communication.

Language development: Language development ensures that all students have access to, and are exposed to, a second language that will assist and further their understanding of the wider world. Students are encouraged to extend or begin a second language that suits their needs, background and context.

Reflective project: Through a reflective project students identify, analyse, critically discuss and evaluate an ethical issue arising from their career-related studies. The project can be submitted in a variety of formats including an essay, web page or short film. This work allows the student to engage in personal inquiry, action and reflection and to develop strong research and communications skills.

The Diploma Programme courses are assessed in accordance with the standard Diploma Programme assessment process. However, the career-related courses are assessed by the career-related course provider, not the IB. Approaches to learning, community and service and language development are internally assessed by the school, while the reflective project is moderated by the IB.

For more information on IB programmes, visit: www.ibo.org
Tel: +31 (0)70 352 6233
Email: communications@ibo.org

The French Baccalauréat or ‘le bac’, is an academic qualification taken at the end of the lycée (secondary education), usually when the student is 18. It is the required qualification in France for those students wishing to carry on their studies at university. Students not wishing to go on to higher education can, in theory, opt out of taking the baccalaureate and those who do not have one can instead take the higher education entrance exam, which leads to its own diploma.

There are three main types of baccalaureate in France:

the baccalauréat général (general);

the baccalauréat professionnel (professional);

the baccalauréat technologique (technological).

General Baccalaureate

Students who sit for the baccalauréat général have to choose one of three specialised streams as follows:

S – scientifique (sciences)

Mathematics, physics and chemistry, also biology or engineering sciences

ES - sciences économiques et socials (economics and social sciences)

Equally split between literary and economic/social studies.

L – littéraire (literature)

French literature, philosophy, history and geography, as well as foreign languages.

The French baccalaureate exam is available in over 40 languages including French regional dialects such as Alsation and Catalan.

Exams take place in June each year, in the final year of the lycée, they are usually in the form of an essay and take between two and four hours to complete. Some options are more popular than others due to a weighting system that can have a significant effect on the student’s final grade. There are exams in September each year as well, but these are for those students who missed the June exams for reasons such as illness. Students who fail their June exams cannot retake the baccalaureate in September that same year.

Option Internationale du Baccalauréat

This is an additional option to the general baccalaureate and offers further subjects. Extra exams are offered in literature, history and geography allowing a higher grade to be achieved towards the final baccalaureate mark. In general, this option is taken by students wishing to study at overseas universities.

Grades

In order to obtain a baccalaureate, the student must achieve at least ten out of a possible mark of 20. Above this, honours are awarded as follows:

marks between 12 and 13.99 – assez bien (honours);

marks between 14 and 15.99 – bien (high honours);

marks between 16 and 20 – très bien (highest honours).

In addition, those students obtaining marks above 18 may also receive the félicitations du jury (jury’s congratulations), which is an unofficial award given entirely at the panel’s discretion.

For those students who score less than ten, but eight or more, they can opt for the épreuve de rattrapage, which is an oral exam given in two subjects of the student’s choice. In this way, providing the student does well enough to raise his/her overall grade to ten, those students just missing the required pass mark are able to obtain their baccalaureate without having to repeat their final year at school.

The International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) provides an enriching, engaging and rigorous learning experience for 11-14 year olds. It is practical for the school to deliver, and inspiring and relevant for students, preparing them well for the next stage in their learning.

The IMYC is a curriculum that makes meaning, connects learning and develops minds. It delivers rigorous and transformational knowledge, skills and understanding of all subjects, linking all learning to a conceptual theme. The IMYC creates a challenging, student-led learning environment preparing students well for iGCSE, A levels and IB Diploma.

Each IMYC unit guides students to make meaning of the conceptual theme through a personal and global perspective which they represent at the end of their unit learning through a media project. Within each IMYC unit there is a learning process designed to engage and inspire teenagers, helping them to become confident, independent learners.

IMYC member schools and students are part of a worldwide IMYC community through which they share learning experiences, ideas and resources.

The IMYC is part of Fieldwork Education which, since 1984, has been helping schools around the world to develop children’s learning. For more information about the IMYC visit fieldworkeducation.com/curriculums/middle-years

The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is one of the only comprehensive curricula in the world equally committed to improving learning and developing international mindedness. It focuses on developing knowledge, skills and understanding of subjects set within child-friendly, relevant, cross-curricular thematic units of work that are creative and challenging for children of all abilities.

The IPC has over 140 different thematic units of learning; all modern-day topics appealing to all ages of primary children. This enables young children to remain motivated through the learning of science, geography, history and so on.

Within each theme, the IPC suggests many ideas for collaborative learning, for active learning, for learning outside the classroom, for role play, and for children learning from each other. The IPC’s engaging approach also encourages parental involvement through a range of initiatives.

Each IPC unit incorporates most of the core subjects including science, history, geography, ICT, art and PE and provides opportunities to incorporate language arts and mathematics. Each subject then has a number of learning tasks to help teachers to help their children meet a range of learning goals set out in the curriculum. These learning goals are deliberately explicit, designed to make sure that teachers distinguish clearly between children’s learning of knowledge, skills and understanding.

Each IPC unit has embedded within it learning-focused activities that help young children to start developing a global awareness and gain an increasing sense of the ‘other’. Every unit creates opportunities to look at learning of the theme through a local perspective, a national perspective and an international perspective.

With schools in over 90 countries learning with the IPC, there are opportunities for children to share their local experiences related to an IPC unit with children in dramatically different environments.

Each IPC unit has a very structured yet flexible teaching framework providing teachers with a series of learning tasks. These are designed to achieve the learning goals through creative, meaningful and memorable learning activities that appeal to all learning styles and are relevant for all children of all abilities. However, the learning tasks are purely a guide and provide plenty of scope for creative teaching, personalisation to the class and locality, and development on the theme as well as linking with other schools learning with the IPC. With IPC member schools in countries as diverse as Swaziland, Malaysia, Qatar, Japan and Russia, this sharing of learning opportunities ensures that no school, however remote, feels isolated.

The IPC is part of Fieldwork Education. For more information about the IPC visit For more information about the IPC visit fieldworkeducation.com/curriculums/primary-years