CIE (Cambridge) and Edexcel (London)Advanced (A or A2) or Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level GCE Examinations (for Sixth Form Students)

Students have three exam sessions each academic year.
• In November and January some Year 13 students will enter for AS examinations. Most of them will be retaking some subjects in order to improve their results from June. The results of the AS examinations are usually required by universities to which students apply for degree courses.

• In March/April, all Year 12 and 13 students will have mock AS and A2 examinations for each subject. We use the results from these mock examinations as our main indicator of how students will perform in the final examinations. The results of the mock examinations may also be required by universities to which students apply for post-18 studies, and by other institutions requesting information on students’ suitability for various posts.

• In May/June students will sit for their AS and final A2 examinations.

A Level Exam Sessions are usually held between the following dates:
A2
June session -- 15 May – 20 June
AS
June session -- 10 May – 15 June
November session -- 10 October – 20 November (CIE only)
January session -- 10 – 25 January (Edexcel only)

 Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and Edexcel GCSE for Years 10 & 11 (equivalent to SPM and O levels)

Students have three examination sessions in Year 11.
• In November, some students sit for Mathematics and/or Information Technology, and a few year 12 students are retaking English or Science.

• In January, all Year 11 students have mock IGCSE examinations for each subject. We use the results from the mock IGCSE examinations as our main indicator of how students will perform in the final examinations. The results of the mock IGCSE examinations are often required by colleges to which students apply for post-16 studies, and they are also used to determine offers of places in the GIS Sixth Form. We will also use the results to determine whether students should be entered for the “core” or “extended” papers in certain subjects. It is school policy that having spent two years preparing for IGCSE examinations, students do not drop subjects after the mock exams. We believe that these students could achieve reasonable grades with a little extra effort and application.

• In May/June, students will sit the rest of their IGCSE and GCSE examinations.

Entry for core and extension papers is possible in some subjects and it allows students to make the most of their ability in a subject. The core papers provide students with an opportunity to score grades C, D, E, F & G. The extension papers are aimed at a higher level and provide students with an opportunity to score grades A*, A, B, C & D. It should be noted that all grades A – G are taken as pass grades. Final decisions on “core” or “extension” entry will not be made until after the mock-IGCSE examinations and following discussions between the pupils, their parents and their teachers. The recommended minimum entry level for A-level courses is 5 grade C’s at IGCSE, although, in practice, B grades are preferred.

(I)GCSE Exam sessions are usually held between the following dates:
June session -- 10 May – 20 June plus one week in April for orals and some practical exams.
November session -- 20 October – 10 November

Information about all Cambridge examinations can be found at www.cie.org.uk/profiles/parents and information about Edexcel examinations can be found at http://www.edexcel.com/i-am-a/student/Pages/home.aspx.

Mr Martyn Moore
Examinations Officer