Which one to choose IB or IGCSE?

This article will help parents get a quick understanding of which board of education in India to select. IB or IGCSE which is better board? This question is constantly asked by parents when they start to explore various schools for admission in Pune or any city in India. Comparison of IB with Cambridge is important as both boards may seem International yet they both have different pedagogy and methodologies. 

IGCSE

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International General Certificate of Education (IGCE) examinations are the world’s most popular international qualifications conducted after Class 10 level.  The IGCSE prepares students for further academic study, including progression to A/AS Level, Cambridge Pre-U, BTEC Level 3, IB Diploma Programme and other equivalents.

Cambridge IGCSEs are studied in more than 70 subjects by students in over 120 countries worldwide with more than 200 Indian schools also affiliated to the program.

IGCSE Examination Pattern is typically divided into Cambridge Primary (for 5 to 11 years), Cambridge Secondary 1 (for 12-13 years), Cambridge Secondary 2, (for 14 to 16 years).

IGCSE assessment is conducted by two UK assessment bodies: Edexcel (also known as London Examinations) and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)

IB

International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB is a non-profit educational foundation offering four highly respected programs of international education. IB has a total of 4375 schools affiliated all over the world with 122 Indian schools as its affiliate. Its present in a total of 147 countries. 

It offers 3 educational programs, namely Primary year program for KG to Class-5(PYP), Middle year program (MYP) for Class-6 to Class-10 and Diploma program for Class-11 and Class-12

IGCSE vs IB

Both IGCSE and IB are popular programs. However they are not competing certifications.

IGCSE is granted at class 10 level while IB is granted at Class 12 level. Therefore students with IGCSE have the option of going for IB certification after Class 10 level. Apart from IB, students Post IGCSE can also opt for other equivalent certification like CIE A/AS Level, Cambridge Pre-U, BTEC Level 3 etc.

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IGCSE therefore is comparable to the MYP of IB. The key difference between the two is that the IB MYP is a framework while IGCSE is a set of curriculum statements.

• So under IB MYP, schools are free to develop their curriculum. For example, IB MYP Science uses six criterions for assessment. (Criterion A: One World, Criterion B: Communication, Criterion C: Scientific Knowledge and Understanding, Criterion D: Scientific Inquiry, Criterion E: Data Analysis, and Criterion F : Scientific Attitudes).
• IGCSE prescribes a series of curriculum statements a school must cover. For example, IGCSE Sciences are a series of curriculum statements a school must cover. IGCSE Sciences is assessed using a paper based exam for ~75% of the grade and a practical exam for the rest.