What is the difference between IGCSE and A Level?

IGCSE is the Upper Secondary qualification, usually taken around ages 14 to 16, in many subjects at once; Cambridge offers it in 70 subjects. AS and A Level are the Advanced stage, usually ages 16 to 19, in fewer subjects studied in more depth; Cambridge offers more than 50.

What are Cambridge Checkpoint tests?

They are Cambridge's tests at the end of the Primary and Lower Secondary stages. They show where a child stands before the IGCSE years.

Is Cambridge the same as the IB?

No. Both are international programs from ages of about 3 or 5 to 19, but Cambridge is organized subject by subject with exams at the top, and schools can take one stage on its own. The IB builds its younger programs around inquiry units and ends in a two-year Diploma with a required core. Our IB page explains the IB.

Is Cambridge the same as England's national curriculum?

No. England's National Curriculum is the government's program for state schools in England, ending in GCSEs. Cambridge International's programs are separate and are used by schools in many countries. See national curricula abroad for England's system.

Cambridge International (IGCSE and A Level)

Also called Cambridge Pathway, Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, IGCSE, Cambridge IGCSE, O Level, AS and A Level, AICE Diploma, Checkpoint.

Ages Ages 5 to 19, in four stagesGrades K–12Planning A plan you adaptScreens Some screen timeShelf Standards and national curriculaUpdated November 2026

Cambridge International runs a set of programs and exams for ages 5 to 19, known as the Cambridge Pathway: Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary (where students take the Cambridge IGCSE) and Advanced (AS and A Level). It is organized by subject, with clear content for each stage and external exams at the top. Schools can use the whole pathway, or one stage beside their own national system. It suits families who want a structured, exam-backed program that travels between countries, and teenagers aiming at IGCSE or A Level qualifications.

1 Where it came from

Cambridge International describes its programs as one pathway from age 5 to 19, which a school can offer in full or by stage, alongside a national system or on its own. By its own figures, nearly 1 million learners in about 10,000 schools in 160 countries take part. The research behind this page read Cambridge's own overview of the pathway and one secondary guide, so this page sticks to the structure they describe.

2 The big ideas

One subject at a time, clearly laid out. Each stage sets out what to learn in each subject, such as English, mathematics and science.
Use all of it or part of it. A school can follow the whole pathway, take just one stage, or run it alongside a national curriculum.
Checkpoints along the way. Tests at the end of Primary and Lower Secondary show where a child stands before the big exams.
Wide choice later on. IGCSE comes in 70 subjects and AS and A Level in more than 50, so older students can follow their strengths.
More than the basics early on. Cambridge Primary has 10 subjects, with Global Perspectives beside English, mathematics and science.

3 What a lesson looks like

Here is the kind of thing you might see in a Cambridge Primary class at about age 8. The math lesson is on fractions of a shape. The teacher folds a paper strip into halves, then quarters, and the class names each part; children then shade fractions on their own strips and explain to a partner which is bigger, one half or one quarter, and how they know. A short written task follows, then a quick check of three questions. In the afternoon the Global Perspectives lesson asks a question, say, how can we waste less food at school? Small groups count what is left on lunch trays for a week, talk about why, and present one idea to the class. At 15, an IGCSE biology lesson looks more like a traditional exam course: notes on how enzymes work, a practical on how temperature changes their speed, and a past-paper question for homework, marked against the exam's scheme. (These scenes are illustrations; each school writes its own lessons from Cambridge's subject content.)

4 Reading and math

English and mathematics are among the Primary subjects, with science, and they continue through Lower Secondary toward the IGCSE. Cambridge sets what is to be learned and the tests; the school chooses how to teach reading and math day to day, and which books and programs to use.

5 The adult's job

Teachers plan lessons from each subject's content for the stage, so the adult's job is closer to a traditional teacher's: explain, practice, check and prepare students for the stage's tests. A parent's job is to know which stage their child is in, keep an eye on the subjects they are choosing for IGCSE and A Level, and help with steady review before exams.

6 How progress is checked

Primary Checkpoint and Lower Secondary Checkpoint tests come at the end of those stages. Upper Secondary students sit Cambridge IGCSE (or O Level) exams, often in several subjects, and Advanced students sit AS and A Level exams; Cambridge also offers the AICE Diploma at the Advanced stage. Teachers also set their own classwork and tests through the year.

7 Strengths and criticisms

Strengths

Clear content for each stage. Parents and teachers can see what a child is meant to learn in each subject.
Flexible. A school can add one stage to a national program, which helps families who move between systems.
Exams known in many places. Cambridge reports schools in 160 countries, so an IGCSE or A Level goes with a family that moves.
Wide subject choice at 14 to 19. Seventy IGCSE subjects and more than 50 at AS and A Level.

Criticisms and watch-outs

Exam-heavy in the later years. IGCSE and A Level are exam courses, and some students find the pressure hard.
It depends on the school. Cambridge sets the content and the exams, not the lessons; quality comes from the teachers.
Choices at 14 matter. IGCSE subjects shape later options, so plan them with the school rather than picking at the last minute.
Thin independent evidence. The research for this page found no independent studies of Cambridge students' outcomes, and Cambridge's own figures are self-reported.

8 What the research says

The research behind this page did not find independent studies comparing how students in Cambridge programs do against others, so we make no claims about results. The scale figures (nearly 1 million learners, about 10,000 schools, 160 countries) are Cambridge's own. The ages for each stage (Primary roughly 5 to 11, Lower Secondary 11 to 14, Upper Secondary 14 to 16, Advanced 16 to 19) come from a secondary guide rather than Cambridge itself, so treat them as typical rather than fixed. If outcome research matters to your choice, ask a school what results its own students got and how it measures them.

9 How to try it

Find your child's stage. Ask the school which stage and year they are in, and which subjects they take this year.
Read the subject outline. Ask for the content for this year in English, math and science, and pick two or three things to practice at home.
Do a little steady review. Ten minutes of mixed review a few times a week, spaced out, prepares for Checkpoint and later exams better than a cram the week before.
Plan IGCSE choices early. A year before, talk with your teen and the school about which subjects keep the most doors open for what they want to do.
Use past papers late, not early. Past exam questions are useful practice near exam time, once the content has been taught.

10 Using Peabody with it

Math worksheets by gradeTopic practice with answer keys; match by age rather than by Cambridge stage, since Peabody is labeled by US grade.
Reading passagesGraded passages with comprehension questions for English practice at the Primary and Lower Secondary ages.
Math on PeabodyFree math practice for children up to about age 14; Peabody has nothing aimed at IGCSE or A Level exams.
Graphic organizer makerCharts for planning a Global Perspectives-style research question or presentation.

Peabody is free and has no ads. Pages on peabody.kids are for children; pages here are for the adults teaching them.

11 Programs that follow it

Programs and materials often named with this approach: Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge O Level, Cambridge AS and A Level, Cambridge AICE Diploma.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between IGCSE and A Level?: IGCSE is the Upper Secondary qualification, usually taken around ages 14 to 16, in many subjects at once; Cambridge offers it in 70 subjects. AS and A Level are the Advanced stage, usually ages 16 to 19, in fewer subjects studied in more depth; Cambridge offers more than 50.
What are Cambridge Checkpoint tests?: They are Cambridge's tests at the end of the Primary and Lower Secondary stages. They show where a child stands before the IGCSE years.
Is Cambridge the same as the IB?: No. Both are international programs from ages of about 3 or 5 to 19, but Cambridge is organized subject by subject with exams at the top, and schools can take one stage on its own. The IB builds its younger programs around inquiry units and ends in a two-year Diploma with a required core. Our IB page explains the IB.
Is Cambridge the same as England's national curriculum?: No. England's National Curriculum is the government's program for state schools in England, ending in GCSEs. Cambridge International's programs are separate and are used by schools in many countries. See national curricula abroad for England's system.

Sources

The Cambridge Pathway: ready for the world, Cambridge International Education.
Everything you need to know about the Cambridge curriculum, Education Destination Asia.

International Baccalaureate (IB): Four linked programs from age 3 to 19, built around inquiry, big ideas and reflection, ending in the IB Diploma or the Career-related Programme.
National curricula abroad: How six other countries set what children learn: England's key stages, Australia's F–10, Canada's provinces, Singapore, Finland and Japan, side by side.
Common Core and state standards: A list of what a child should know and be able to do in each grade: the goal posts, not the lessons. Most US public schools follow a set like it.
Singapore math: Fewer topics in more depth, each one learned with objects, then pictures, then numbers, with the bar model for word problems.
Every approach in the curriculum guide

Written by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links, and no program pays to appear. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us.