Middle Years /IGCSE

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ABOUT THE MIDDLE YEARS 

Designed for students from 11 to 16 years old, the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme* (MYP) emphasizes intellectual challenge. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP).

The aim of the IB Middle Years 

ICS Paris supports the aim of the Middle Years Programme which fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement- essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders.

The MYP’s programmes are different from other curricula because they:

  • address holistically students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being
  • provide students opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need in order to manage complexity and take responsible action for the future
  • ensure breadth and depth of understanding through study in eight subject groups
  • require the study of at least two languages to support students in understanding their own cultures and those of others
  • empower students to participate in service within the community
  • help to prepare students for further education, the workplace and a lifetime of learning.

ABOUT THE IGCSE EXAM

The IGCSE exam is an excellent grounding for students' later study towards the IB Diploma Programme and is a rigorous two-year curriculum that provides a recognised qualification for university admissions.  It is the international version of the GCSE exam taken by students in the UK at the end of Year 11 and offers an excellent foundation for future study in a global society.  Two examination boards currently offer IGCSE subjects, and both are highly regarded in the UK and internationally: Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), part of the University of Cambridge and also the world´s largest provider of international qualifications to school-age students; and Edexcel, the UK´s largest examination body founded more than 150 years ago as part of the University of London.   

At the end of the two-year course, after successfully passing the examinations, students will be awarded these globally-recognised IGCSE certificates in each subject, ready for the next stage of education. IGCSEs are graded in two ways, depending on the exam board – from A* to G with Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), or 9 (high) to 1 (low) with Edexcel.  Many universities and employers regard getting a grade C or 5 as a minimum “good” passing grade. All students take English, Mathematics and either a Double- or Triple-Award Science as compulsory subjects.