Frequently Asked Questions

College/university entry requirements are usually based on required subjects taken, not the amount of subjects taken. We strongly suggest you check with the university you wish to apply to as each university and its programs has their own set of entry requirements.

There are no compulsory subjects in O-level or IGCSE, however there are core subjects that you must fulfil to qualify for college/university. Please choose your subjects depending on what you want to study in college/university. We suggest that you get confirmation from your preferred college/university for their subject entry requirements in accordance with the course that you would like to study.

Please only register for the exam when you are ready for that. The whole syllabus takes roughly 1-2 years to finish. So you must make good plans to follow through and cover all the subjects. You are also free to spread out your examinations. A general guideline is to take your exams within 13 months, if you were to sit for your exams in 2 different examination series.

In order for you to obtain a formal qualification for your future study or as a proof that you have completed your secondary education. Furthermore, after IGCSE, you may proceed to A level or any equivalent courses in order to gain entrance into university.

IGCSE and O-level are of equivalent qualification. If your plan is flexible, we would suggest you to take IGCSE instead of O Level. If your future work requires an international environment, we feel IGCSE would be better for you. O Level is good as well, just the syllabus is more localised.

Yes, you may take both O Level and IGCSE subjects. But please be guided that IGCSE and O-level are different examination boards and it will all depend on what you want to study in the future. We suggest you find out the acceptance of different examination boards for different subjects from the university that you’re planning to apply to.

Also beware when you want to take both IGCSE and O Level exams in the same examination series, as you might face date clashes incidents. This happened to many of our candidates before.

Please check the exam dates before you register your subjects.

As a private candidate, your local British Council is the best place to sit for your exam. Alternatively, your can try to locate any registered Cambridge schools which accept private candidates here. For Edexcel iGCSE, you may find the list of exam centres here.

You may check the key registration dates here:
Cambridge exams: https://skolatis.com/exam-registration-dates/
Edexcel exams: https://skolatis.com/edexcel-international-gcse-and-advanced-level-key-dates/

Some syllabuses or options are not available to private candidates. Please kindly download the subject syllabus here: https://skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-subjects-syllabuses/  to check its availability for private candidates. It is detailed under “Availability and timetables” heading.

We strongly suggest that you also inquire directly to your local British Council for the final confirmation.

Your paper will be marked accordingly. The signature is to confirm the details in the pre-printed answer sheet if they are correct. Furthermore, your invigilator has already verified your identity when you entered the examination hall.

Next time please make sure that you sign with the same signature in all your exams.

There are different assessment options to gain Cambridge International AS & A Level qualifications:

1. Take the Cambridge International AS Level only. The syllabus content is half a Cambridge International A Level.
2. Take a ‘staged’ assessment route (A2) – take the Cambridge International AS Level in one examination series and complete the final Cambridge International A Level at a subsequent series. AS Level marks can be carried forward to a full A Level twice within a 13 month period.
3. Take all papers of the Cambridge International A Level course in the same examination session, usually at the end of the course.

AS and A Level normally takes 2 years to complete.

AS Level syllabuses are designed on the assumption that students have about 180 guided learning hours per subject over the duration of the course (normally one year) while the whole A Level syllabuses are designed on the assumption that students have approximately 360 guided learning hours per subject over the duration of the course (normally two years). 

It depends on the university you wish to apply to. Some universities offer foundation programs which do not require A level. However, it’s best to check the entry requirements either from the university’s website or contact the university directly.

In the staged assessment route, you have to successfully complete both AS level and A2 exams. Take note that AS Level marks can be carried forward to a full A Level twice within a 13 month period.

Choosing the exam subjects might be a little early at this age. We would suggest going for the compulsory subjects. You may follow the school’s primary level teaching materials. In this way, your children have ample of time to decide at a later stage.

You may consider getting Checkpoint books. Checkpoint books are a series of structured and comprehensive course books in English, Mathematics and Science.  You can also use this to help you assess your children’s progress. You may search on Amazon UK site or from your local bookstores for appropriate reference books. We recommend that you look for publishers who published the IGCSE books.

For homeschooled students, they are free to move to another level whenever they are deemed to be ready. But since there are no Checkpoint tests available for private students, you have to make your own assessments to assess your child’s progress.

You do not need to formally enrol your children in a school in order to start the IGCSE programme. You only have to register them when they are going to sit for their IGCSE exams. Exam registrations can be done either via your local British Council or any Cambridge schools which accept private candidates. For Edexcel iGCSE, you may find the list of exam centres here.

It is recommended that learners have the required basic knowledge prior to the IGCSE content. Ideally, the learners should have studied the Cambridge Lower Secondary programme or equivalent national educational framework.

Some syllabuses or options are not available to private candidates. Please kindly download the subject syllabus here: https://skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-subjects-syllabuses/  to check its availability for private candidates. It is detailed under “Availability and timetables” heading.

We suggest that you confirm with your local British Council on the available subject code in your country.