IGCSE curriculum explained: what IGCSE is and who sets it (Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel), the 70-plus subjects and the five groups, how many subjects a school makes you take, Core and Extended, the A* to G and 9 to 1 grading, the June and November exam sessions, how British-curriculum schools in the UAE run it (Year 10 and 11, the Ministry's compulsory subjects, the equivalency rule), the ICE award, the two-year plan from Year 9 options to results, and a printable subject planner (free PDF)

"IGCSE curriculum" is what a parent types in the spring of Year 9, when the school's options evening has produced a sheet of subject codes and a deadline, or in the summer before a move to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, when a British-curriculum school has offered a place and the words Core, Extended, 0580 and 4MA1 need translating. This page is the translation: who sets IGCSE, what the subjects and groups are, how many you take, how the tiers and grades work, when the exams are, how the UAE's schools run it alongside the Ministry's subjects, and a two-year plan with a printable subject planner.

Download the IGCSE subject planner (PDF) (the five groups with the subjects in each, a planner for seven to ten subjects with board, code and tier, the grade scales side by side, and the two-year timeline with the dates; two pages, free)

Who sets it, and how big it is

IGCSE is the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, the international version of England's GCSE, for 14 to 16 year olds. Two boards set it:

• Cambridge International (part of Cambridge University Press and Assessment): Cambridge IGCSE, created over thirty years ago, now a choice of over 70 subjects, offered by about 7,000 schools in 147 countries, with almost 757,000 entries in the June 2026 session alone. Cambridge aligns its standards with the GCSE taken in England.
• Pearson Edexcel: the International GCSE, 37 subjects, graded 9 to 1, with a choice of linear or modular assessment in some subjects.

A school may use one board or mix them by subject: a Dubai school commonly sits Edexcel maths (4MA1) and Cambridge sciences, or the reverse. The what is IGCSE page covers the meaning and the comparison with GCSE; this page is about the curriculum itself.

The subjects and the five groups

Cambridge sorts its subjects into five groups, which also define its group award, the Cambridge ICE (International Certificate of Education):

The ICE is awarded to a student who passes seven Cambridge IGCSE subjects in one session: two from Group I, one each from Groups II to V, and one more from any group. Distinction needs A or above in five subjects and C or above in two; Merit, C or above in five and F or above in two; Pass, G or above in all seven. Few UAE schools enter for the ICE, but its structure is the balanced curriculum most schools copy.

Edexcel's 37 subjects cover the same ground: English Language A and B, English Literature, Mathematics A and B, Further Pure Maths, the three sciences and Double Award, Business, Economics, Accounting, Computer Science, ICT, History, Geography, languages, Art and Design.

How many subjects, and which are compulsory

Most schools set seven to ten. A typical UAE British school's sheet:

• Compulsory: English Language (and usually English Literature), Mathematics, Science as either three separate sciences or Double Award (two grades from one combined course), plus the Ministry's subjects: Arabic, Islamic Education for Muslim pupils, and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies.
• Options: three or four from a block system (one subject from each column): a humanity (History, Geography, Economics), a language (French, Spanish, Arabic as a first or foreign language, Hindi at some schools), Business or Computer Science, and a creative or practical subject (Art, Design and Technology, PE, Music, Drama).

The number matters less than the combination. Sixth forms and the IB Diploma ask for specific grades in the subjects to be continued (a 7 in maths for A-level maths, 7s in the sciences for Physics or Chemistry at A-level or Higher Level); UK universities later look at the best eight grades and at English and maths. Nine good grades beat eleven mixed ones.

Core and Extended, Foundation and Higher

Cambridge offers many syllabuses at two tiers. The Core curriculum is the common content, graded C to G (5 to 1 on the 9 to 1 scale); the Extended curriculum adds the supplement and is graded A* to E (9 to 1). Grades C, D and E overlap, so a student who does better or worse than expected is still graded; a Core student cannot score above a C, and a student who misses the lowest grade at either tier is ungraded. The school enters each student at one tier per subject, and the choice cannot be changed after the entries deadline in the spring of Year 11, which is why the Year 10 reports and the mocks matter: a student who could reach a B must be in Extended.

In maths (0580), Core is Papers 1 and 3 and Extended is Papers 2 and 4, with the non-calculator paper at both tiers from 2025; the formula sheet page lists what each paper gives you. Edexcel uses Foundation (grades 5 to 1) and Higher (9 to 4) in Mathematics A, and a single tier in most other subjects.

Grading: A* to G and 9 to 1

Cambridge grades A* to G, or 9 to 1 on the syllabuses with the alternative code (Mathematics 0980 instead of 0580, Biology 0970 instead of 0610); a school chooses one grading set for each subject at entry. Edexcel grades 9 to 1 throughout. On the 9 to 1 scale a 4 is the standard pass, a 5 the strong pass, and a 7 equals an A. Boundaries are set after each session to hold the standard constant, so the raw mark needed moves a few marks a year; the June 2025 Edexcel boundaries are on the grade boundaries page. Universities and UK sixth forms treat IGCSE and GCSE as equivalent.

Assessment and the exam sessions

IGCSE is linear: assessed at the end of the two years, by written papers mainly, with oral tests in languages, practical or alternative-to-practical papers in the sciences, and coursework options in a few subjects (Cambridge English, Art, some humanities) that most UAE schools do not take. Cambridge runs two sessions, May to June (results mid-August) and October to November (results January), and a March series in India only; Edexcel runs May to June and November, with a January series in some subjects. UAE schools sit the main exams in May and June of Year 11, and use November for resits in English and maths and for early entries.

How schools in the UAE run it

Dubai's private schools teach 17 curricula to 387,441 students in 227 schools (2024-25), and the British curriculum is the largest, at 37 percent, with Indian 26, American 14 and IB 7. The British schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah run the English National Curriculum from FS1, Key Stage 3 to Year 9, IGCSE in Year 10 and 11, then A-levels, BTEC or the IB Diploma in Year 12 and 13.

Three UAE particulars:

1. The Ministry's subjects run alongside. Arabic is compulsory for non-Arab pupils to Year 10 (Grade 9) and for Arab pupils to the end of school; Islamic Education for Muslim pupils; Moral, Social and Cultural Studies for all. They take timetable room that an English school would give to a tenth IGCSE.
2. The equivalency rule. For a UAE university or a government job later, the Ministry of Education's equivalency for the British track requires completion of Year 13, five IGCSE or GCSE subjects passed at A to E, and two AS-level or one A-level subject passed at A to D, with Arabic and Islamic Education not counted toward either; check the Ministry's current equivalency guide, which is updated each year.
3. Mixed boards. Most schools mix Cambridge and Edexcel by subject; the subject code on the options sheet (0580 or 4MA1 for maths, 0610 or 4BI1 for biology) tells you which, and the past papers and the formula sheet differ.

The two-year plan

Where to get help

For a child in IGCSE in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, a 1-on-1 online class in IGCSE maths and the sciences, Cambridge or Edexcel, taught in the syllabus order the school uses, with the mark scheme from the first term and full past papers from the Year 11 mocks; Gulf evenings, 1.5 hours behind the tutor, every class recorded, about AED 37 to 48 an hour. The free 30-minute first class is a real lesson on the topic the child is on.

Download the IGCSE subject planner (PDF)

Questions parents ask

See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →