School qualifications
IGCSE
International General Certificate of Secondary Education
The qualification almost nobody thinks about and everybody is judged on later. It decides which A-Levels or IB subjects you are allowed to pick, and universities still read it four years on.
- When
- Two years, usually Year 10–11 (Grade 9–10)
- Where it counts
- International — taken in about 150 countries, including most international schools in Saudi Arabia
How it works
You take somewhere between six and ten subjects over two years, sat as terminal exams at the end. English, mathematics and at least one science are effectively compulsory almost everywhere; the rest is a genuine choice, and it is the first real one you get.
Several subjects are tiered. Maths and the sciences are offered at Core and Extended (Cambridge) or Foundation and Higher (Edexcel), and the lower tier caps the grade you can be awarded — typically at a grade 5/C. Being entered for the wrong tier is the single most common way a student ends up ineligible for A-Level sciences without anyone having made a decision about it.
Sciences can be taken as three separate subjects, as Coordinated Sciences (two grades) or as Combined Science (one grade). Separate sciences are the safe option if there is any chance of medicine, engineering or a science degree — not because the others are rejected outright, but because they compress three subjects into less content and some A-Level departments will not take you on the back of them.
How it is graded
Cambridge and Edexcel both report on a 9–1 numeric scale, 9 highest, with the older A*–G scale still used in some centres. A grade 4 is a standard pass and a grade 5 a strong pass; 7 is equivalent to the old A. UK universities that set a minimum usually set it at English and maths, and medicine and dentistry commonly ask for 6s or 7s across the board.
When to sit it
Sat in the May/June session at the end of Year 11, with a smaller October/November session. The choice that matters happens a year and a half earlier, near the end of Year 9, when you pick options — by the time you are revising, every consequential decision has already been made.
What it is good for
- Every degree route in every country — this is the base layer, not a specialism.
- Keeping options open cheaply: it is the last point at which taking a broad spread costs you nothing.
- Meeting the English and maths minimums that UK universities check even when the offer is written in A-Level or IB grades.
When it happens
Months rather than dates — the exact dates are republished every year, and the official calendar is linked below.
- May–JuneThe main examination series, at the end of Year 11. This is the one almost everyone sits.Entries — including which tier you are entered for — are submitted by your school months earlier, usually in the winter. Ask which tier you are on before that happens.
- October–NovemberSecond series, used for resits and by schools on a different calendar.
- August (June series) and January (November series)Results released.
Sciences
Where doors close earliest and most quietly.
Biology
Extended tier if any science degree is possiblecloses doors without itOpensMedicine · Dentistry · Pharmacy · Veterinary medicine · Biomedical sciences · Nursing · Physiotherapy · Biology and life sciences
Required at A-Level or IB for medicine in most systems, and A-Level biology departments generally want separate-science biology rather than Combined Science.
On this siteGeneral PractitionerDentistPharmacistRegistered NursePhysiotherapistEpidemiologist
Chemistry
Extended tiercloses doors without itOpensMedicine · Dentistry · Pharmacy · Chemical engineering · Chemistry · Materials science · Veterinary medicine
The hardest gate in the whole system. Chemistry is required for medicine and dentistry at almost every university that asks for a specific subject, and there is no way to pick it up later.
On this siteDentistPharmacistChemical EngineerPharmaceutical ScientistAnesthesiologist
Physics
Extended tiercloses doors without itOpensAll engineering · Physics · Architecture · Aeronautics · Computer engineering · Geophysics
Engineering without physics is a closed door in practice, even where a prospectus is vague about it.
On this siteMechanical EngineerElectrical EngineerCivil EngineerAerospace EngineerPhysicistStructural Engineer
Combined or Coordinated Science
OpensBusiness · Humanities · Law · Social sciences · Design · Most non-science degrees
Perfectly respectable if you are certain you are not going into science, medicine or engineering. If you are not certain, take the separate sciences — reversing this decision costs a year.
On this siteCorporate LawyerManagement ConsultantJournalist
Environmental Management
OpensEnvironmental science · Geography · Sustainability and energy policy
Useful and interesting, but not a substitute for a separate science in any admissions requirement.
On this siteGeologistRenewable Energy Engineer
Mathematics
Two subjects, and the second one is invisible until you need it.
Mathematics
Extended / Higher tiercloses doors without itOpensEvery quantitative degree · Engineering · Economics · Computer science · Medicine · Business
The Core/Foundation tier caps you at a grade 5 and effectively rules out A-Level maths. If there is any chance of a quantitative degree, you must be entered for Extended.
On this siteSoftware EngineerEconomistActuaryData ScientistCivil Engineer
Additional Mathematics
OpensMathematics · Physics · Engineering · Economics · Computer science
Optional, and the best preparation there is for A-Level Maths or IB Maths AA HL. Take it if it is offered and you are considering anything quantitative.
On this sitePhysicistQuantitative AnalystActuary
International Mathematics (Extended)
OpensThe same as Mathematics — an alternative syllabus, not a lower one
Offered by some schools with more emphasis on modelling and graphic display calculators. Treated identically by universities.
English and languages
English — First Language
closes doors without itOpensEvery degree — it is the minimum entry requirement almost everywhere
A grade 4 or 5 in English is checked by UK universities regardless of what your A-Levels say. It can also exempt you from IELTS or TOEFL at some universities, which is worth money and an afternoon.
On this siteJournalistLitigatorSecondary School Teacher
English — Second Language
OpensMost degrees, with more universities asking for a separate English test alongside it
Accepted widely, but First Language English is the version that most reliably waives a language test. If your school offers both and you can cope, take First Language.
English Literature
OpensEnglish · Law · History · Journalism · Philosophy · Politics
Not required for law anywhere, but it is the subject that teaches you to build an argument out of evidence, which is what a law degree is.
On this siteLitigatorJournalistPolicy Analyst
Arabic — First Language
OpensSaudi universities · Law in Saudi Arabia · Sharia and Arabic studies · Translation
Necessary in practice for Saudi public universities and for law practised in Arabic, and useful evidence of bilingual competence everywhere else.
On this siteCorporate LawyerPolicy Analyst
French, German, Spanish, Mandarin
OpensModern languages · International relations · Diplomacy · Business
A third language is one of the few genuinely distinguishing things on an application, and it is far cheaper to acquire at fifteen than at twenty-five.
On this sitePolicy AnalystJournalist
Computing, design and the arts
Computer Science
OpensComputer science · Software engineering · Cybersecurity · Data science
Not required for a computer science degree anywhere — maths is what is required — but it tells you at fifteen whether you like programming, which is worth more than the grade.
On this siteSoftware EngineerSecurity Operations AnalystData Scientist
Information and Communication Technology
OpensBusiness information systems · Most non-technical degrees
A different subject from Computer Science and a weaker signal for a computing degree. If both are offered and you want to build software, take Computer Science.
Design and Technology
OpensProduct design · Mechanical engineering · Architecture · Industrial design
The subject where you find out whether you like making the thing or only reading about it.
On this siteMechanical EngineerArchitectUX Designer
Art and Design
OpensArchitecture · Product and industrial design · Fine art · Graphic and UX design · Fashion
Architecture applications are decided substantially on a portfolio, and the portfolio starts here.
On this siteArchitectUX Designer
Music, Drama, Physical Education
OpensMusic · Performing arts · Sports science · Physiotherapy
Never a penalty. Universities object to a timetable with no rigour in it, not to one subject taken because you love it.
On this sitePhysiotherapist
Choosing well
The parts a student can act on this month.
- Take the three separate sciences unless you are genuinely certain you will never want medicine, engineering or a science degree. It is the cheapest insurance policy available to you and the only one that expires at fifteen.
- Check which tier you have been entered for in maths and each science, by name, in writing. Foundation and Core tiers cap your grade and quietly disqualify you from the A-Level. Schools make this decision administratively and students routinely find out afterwards.
- Eight or nine subjects done well beats eleven done adequately. There is no university anywhere that rewards volume at IGCSE, and several that read the grade profile closely.
- If Additional Mathematics is offered and you are considering engineering, economics, physics or computing, take it. Students who have done it consistently describe the jump to A-Level Maths as manageable; students who have not consistently describe it as brutal.
- Keep one subject you are actually good at and enjoy. A profile of nine grudging subjects produces worse grades than eight grudging ones plus art.
What costs people a year
- Combined Science plus a change of mind about medicine is the most common way a student loses a year. Some A-Level departments will not accept Combined Science entrants for biology or chemistry at all.
- A weak grade in IGCSE English or maths follows you into university applications four years later, and several UK universities screen on it before they look at anything else. Medicine and dentistry commonly set the bar at grade 6 or 7.
- Dropping a subject in Year 10 because the first term was hard is close to irreversible. The syllabus is two years long and cannot be joined late.
- IGCSE grades are not what Saudi public universities admit on — they use your secondary GPA plus Qudurat and Tahsili. If you are in an international school and considering a Saudi public university, check what equivalence your school's certificate carries with the Ministry of Education before Year 11, not after.
In Saudi Arabia
Most international schools in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province run IGCSE, and it is accepted by KAUST, KFUPM, Alfaisal, Effat and the private universities as well as by universities abroad. The friction is with Saudi public universities, whose admission formula is built around the national secondary GPA, Qudurat and Tahsili — an IGCSE and A-Level student generally has to go through Ministry of Education equivalence and may still be required to sit the national tests. Decide which system you are actually applying into before Year 10, because the two paths reward different things.
The parts that go out of date
Everything on this page was read from the awarding body on the date below. These are the statements most likely to have moved since.
- Which A-Level and IB subjects a given school will let you take on the back of Combined Science varies by school and changes with staffing. Ask your own school, in writing, rather than trusting a general rule.
- University minimum grade requirements in English and maths move, and medicine has trended upward. Check the specific course page in the year you apply.
What sits alongside it
Almost nobody sits only one of these.
What to prepare with
Official material first, and free unless marked otherwise. Every link here was fetched and confirmed to resolve on the date shown.
Every syllabus as a PDF. The syllabus tells you exactly what is examined and how it is weighted, which no revision guide states as plainly.
Cambridge International · link checked 2026-09-06
Past papers and mark schemes, free. Every other Cambridge subject has the same page — change the subject in the address.
Cambridge International · link checked 2026-09-06
The same structure for the sciences. Working through mark schemes teaches you how marks are actually awarded, which is half the exam.
Cambridge International · link checked 2026-09-06
The other main board. Specifications, sample papers and grade boundaries.
Pearson Edexcel · link checked 2026-09-06
Past papers and mark schemes across Edexcel qualifications.
Pearson Edexcel · link checked 2026-09-06
Free university-level textbooks in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Above IGCSE level, and useful where a textbook explains something your school's does not.
OpenStax, Rice University · link checked 2026-09-06
Nothing here is sold or sponsored, and there is no affiliate link on this site. Where an awarding body publishes its own past papers, those are listed instead of a revision guide — the UCAT and LNAT consortia both state outright that paid coaching is unnecessary and unendorsed, and the same is broadly true of every exam on this page.
Where this came from
- Cambridge IGCSE subjects and gradingCambridge International · read 2026-09-05
- Pearson Edexcel International GCSE specificationsPearson Edexcel · read 2026-09-05
Last checked 2026-09-05. Entry requirements are set by individual universities, change every year, and are the one thing on this page you should always confirm on the course page for the year you apply.