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AICE FAQs

• What is AICE?
• What are the benefits of AICE?
• What do I have to do to earn an AICE Diploma?
• What is the difference between an AS and an A Level exam?
• What syllabuses are included in the three AICE subject group areas?
• How do AICE examination grades compare with the US grading scale?
• What are IGCSE/O Levels equivalent to in terms of US qualifications?
• Is it possible to receive advanced college credit for IGCSEs or O Levels?
• Is it possible to receive advanced college credit for my A and AS Levels?
• Do students have to earn the full AICE Diploma in order to earn college credits?
• Do many universities give college credits for AICE exams passed?
• What kind of support is available to schools wishing to offer the AICE program?
• What should a school do if interested in exploring the possibility of applying to become a CIE center?
• Is there a US contact for CIE and the AICE program?

• What is AICE?
• The Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) is an international Diploma that students can earn via an advanced academic curriculum and assessment program written and administered by a non–profit department (CIE) of the University of Cambridge in England. AICE program courses and examinations may be offered during grades 11 and 12 in schools worldwide registered as CIE Centres. There is an optional pre–AICE, or International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), curriculum and assessment program available for grades 9 & 10 with most subjects available at two levels (extended and core) suitable for honours or regular high school students.
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• What are the benefits of AICE?
• AICE not only prepares students to get into a university with up to 30 hours of college credit, but it also provides them with the skills required to be successful once there. A study done by the Director of Admissions found that AICE program graduates attending the University of Florida had an average end–of–freshman year GPA of 3.46 whereas students coming from other acceleration mechanisms such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) had an average GPA of 3.12 and 3.10 respectively.
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• What do I have to do to earn an AICE Diploma?
• Students must pass six credits worth of examinations within a thirteen month period. At least one examination must come from each of the three subject groups: Mathematics & Sciences, Languages, and Arts & Humanities. Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level exams count for one credit and Advanced (A) Level exams count for two credits.
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• What is the difference between an AS and an A Level exam?
• Advanced (A) Level syllabuses and exams cover approximately two years of college–level curriculum in a subject. The Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level syllabus and exam covers the first year of the two–year Advanced (A) Level curriculum. An AS level exam counts for one credit towards the AICE Diploma. The A–Level exam counts for two credits.
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• What syllabuses are included in the three AICE subject group areas?
• Over 40 different subject syllabuses are available. Most subjects are offered at both the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level and Advanced (A) Level. A complete list is available at the University of Cambridge International Examinations website: www.cie.org.uk.
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• How do AICE examination grades compare with the US grading scale?
• Passing grades available on AICE exams range from A to E with A being the highest. Performance of students below the threshold of a CIE grade of E receives a grade of U, ungraded, which is not considered as passing. A DOE AICE program study found that a CIE grade of E most closely correlated with an Advanced Placement exam grade of 3 and a US grade of C.
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• What are IGCSE/O Levels equivalent to in terms of US qualifications?
• O Level, GCSE and IGCSE subjects are roughly equivalent to a US honours high school curriculum. The courses are divided between five groups:
  • Languages
  • Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Creative, Technical and Vocational.
  Passing grades for IGCSE exams range from A* to G, with A* being the highest. A rough equivalence of CIE examination grades and the US grades are shown on the table below.
  
  

  CIE Grade	Suggested US Equivalent Grade
  A	A+
  B	A– or B+
  C	B
  D	C+
  E	C
  F	D+
  G	D
  U	F

  Five passes at grade C or higher would indicate a student’s readiness to begin freshman level courses in American universities. If a student passes seven IGCSE examinations with two being from the language group, one from each of the other four groups and one more from any of the five groups, then they will qualify for an International Certificate of Education (ICE) Diploma. This diploma equates to a US advanced academic or honours high school diploma. It is awarded at one of three levels – Distinction, Merit or Pass – depending upon the grades earned on the seven examinations.
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• Is it possible to receive advanced college credit for IGCSEs or O Levels?
• The O Level and IGCSE are recognised by US Universities for matriculation purposes. Five passes at grade C or higher would indicate a student’s readiness to begin freshman level courses in American universities. They are taken after 11 years of education as opposed to 12 years for the US High School Diploma and therefore do not qualify for college credit.
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• Is it possible to receive advanced college credit for my A and AS Levels?
• In the US undergraduate degree courses run for four years with the first year as an introductory year. Most state universities accept five IGCSEs at grades A to C as sufficient for entry into the first year. In most cases students with A or AS Levels are given advanced standing credit; this can exempt them from taking part of or the whole of the first year. This is because A Levels are taken following 13 years of education whereas the US High School Diploma is completed after 12 years. Universities are autonomous, however, and many decide how much credit to offer on a case by case basis. For more detailed information on what credit is offered at each university please refer to our A/AS Level Recognition Handbook at: www.cie.org.uk by clicking on the ‘Recognition’ tab and then scrolling down to the ‘Useful Documents’ section.
  
  Please note that we only include those universities that we have written statements from regarding the recognition of these qualifications and other universities not listed may also offer credit.
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• Do students have to earn the full AICE Diploma in order to earn college credits?
• No. Students receive General Certificate of Education (GCE) subject certificates for AS and A Level examinations passed. Colleges award credit on a subject–by–subject basis according to grades earned on individual examinations passed.
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• Do many universities give college credits for AICE exams passed?
• Yes. CIE publishes a list on their website (go to www.cie.org.uk click on the ‘Recognition’ tab and then scroll down to the ‘Useful documents’ section) of US universities that have provided written statements of their AICE (which includes AS and A Levels) recognition policy. If a university admissions counselor is unfamiliar with AICE, suggest you ask to speak to the international applications counselor. All public universities and community colleges in Florida award up to 30 hours of college credit for AICE exams passed.
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• What kind of support is available to schools wishing to offer the AICE program?
• Support includes:
  • Regional face–to–face teacher–training conferences and online training courses conducted by CIE examiners, and Cambridge best practices workshops
  • CIE endorsed textbooks for students and professional development books for teachers
  • A free CIE teacher support website with sample lesson plans for many courses, downloadable past examination papers and mark schemes (rubrics) and examiner’s reports
  • A global teacher workroom via an international discussion group by subject
  • For Florida schools, additional weighted FTE’s from FL DOE for AICE examinations passed (.24 FTE each) and AICE Diplomas earned (.30 FTE each)
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• What should a school do if interested in exploring the possibility of applying to become a CIE center?
• Please visit the CIE website at cie.org.uk, complete and submit the ‘Initial Enquiry Form’ which can be found under the link ‘How to Become a CIE Center’ located on the homepage. When faxing from the USA to CIE, schools should dial 011 44 1223 553 558.
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• Is there a US contact for CIE and the AICE program?
• Yes. Please contact Sherry Reach, the US CIE Representative by emailing cieusrep@comcast.net or you may call the US CIE office at (850) 230–4770 Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm CST. You can also find more information specific to US schools on the CIE USA page.
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