IGCSE: Curriculum strengths, subject choices and IGCSE Grading System
As you may be familiar with, the Cambridge Board offers Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge O Level to students all over the world. They both differ slightly from each other, hence Tutopiya is here today to explain IGCSE grade boundaries and guide you through their respective grading system.
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IGCSE Grade Boundaries Explained
The Cambridge IGCSE is graded from A* to G. This grading scale has been used for almost 30 years and offers a good level of differentiation between student’s performance. This grading scale is also understood and accepted by universities and employers around the world.
Grading for IGCSE
| Grade | Percentage uniform mark range |
| A* | 90-100 |
| A | 80-89 |
| B | 70-79 |
| C | 60-69 |
| D | 50-59 |
| E | 40-49 |
| F | 30-39 |
| G | 20-29 |
Cambridge focuses more on the grade that is given to the students and their key focuses are as follows:
The percentage uniform mark shows you whether you are in the middle of a grade, or near either the top or bottom.
It does not affect the grade you receive but gives you more information about it.
It will appear on your statement of results but not on your certificate.
Sample statement of results
The percentage of uniform rank can be seen on the most right column and it only appears in student’s statement of results.
The percentage uniform mark will appear on the statement of results only, not on certificates.
Must Read – What is an IGCSE Certificate and The Benefits It Offers
Cambridge O Level – IGCSE grade boundaries: The Grading
| Grade | Percentage |
| A* | 90-100 |
| A | 80-89 |
| B | 70-79 |
| C | 60-69 |
| D | 50-59 |
| E | 40-49 |
There is also an ‘Ungraded’, which shows that the candidate failed to reach the standard required grade for E.
GCE Cambridge O Level in Singapore
Next, we also have the GCE O Level examination that is held in Singapore. The grading for the GCE O Level in Singapore differs from the two that have been mentioned in the article. The grading is specific to the students in Singapore and what comes after their O Level years.
Must Read: Singapore School System: The Stages of Education
IGCSE Grades
| Grade | Range |
| A1 | 75 and above |
| A2` | 70 to 74 |
| B3 | 65 to 69 |
| B4 | 60 to 64 |
| C5 | 55 to 59 |
| C6 | 50 to 54 |
| D7 | 45 to 49 |
| E8 | 40 to 44 |
| F9 | Below 40 |
The grading system in Singapore for the GCE O Level is more differentiated as there are 3 different paths offered to a student when they complete their GCE O Levels.
Must Read – GCE A-Level Singapore – H1, H2 and H3 Explained
A closer look into the marking and IGCSE grade boundaries of these papers
The IGCSE Cambridge Board receives over 8 million answer scripts a year from students all over the world. Hence, the Cambridge Board goes through a series of thorough grading to ensure every candidate gets the correct grade.
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For papers that are Multiple Choice, they are marked automatically by a computer. Whereas for any other exam, every student’s work is marked in the same way.
Cambridge ensures that examiners are teachers or experts in the subject, and also carefully selected and trained. It is vital that these examiners mark to the same standard so every student is awarded the right marks.
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After the marking for scripts is done, the board sets the grades. They use a mixture of statistical evidence and expert judgment to agree on grade boundaries for the year of examination. This is due to the fact that exam papers may vary in difficulty from year to year, hence they set grade boundaries in the right place so candidates are not given a lower grade because the paper they sat for is more difficult than last year’s.
Find out how the Cambridge International mark and grade your papers here.
