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Recognition FAQs

• Where can I find out about going to university in the UK?
• Can you tell me which universities in Australia and the USA accept A Levels?
• Do UK universities accept AICE?
• What is a typical points offer?
• Where can I find out whether my local qualifications are recognised in the UK?
• How does IGCSE compare to GCSE?
• Does the Diploma in teachers and trainers give Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the UK or other countries?
• How do O Level and IGCSE English compare with ESOL qualifications such as IELTS and FCE?
• Does the General Paper meet university requirements for English proficiency?
• What is AICE?
• What is HIGCSE?

• Where can I find out about going to university in the UK?
• Everything you need to know can be found on the UCAS website at www.ucas.com
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• Can you tell me which universities in Australia and the USA accept A Levels?
• All information on acceptance of A Levels can be found in the Recognitions Database.
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• Do UK universities accept AICE?
• AICE is directly comparable to UK GCE A and AS Levels. It is a group award which combines Advanced Level and Advanced Subsidiary Levels. CIE AS and A Levels are accepted by UK universities as an entry qualifications in the same way as the corresponding British examinations.
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• What is a typical points offer?
• A typical points offer is one which would normally be made to a student wishing to be admitted to a particular university in the UK. The UCAS Tariff allows admissions tutors to understand the equivalence between a wide variety of qualifications at a variety of levels. In the UK all grades of all qualifications are allocated admission points, e.g. grade A at A Level = 120 points, grade C at AS Level = 40 points. The typical points offer may differ from year to year and course to course depending on demand and places available. Details of the UCAS tariff can be found on www.ucas.com.
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• Where can I find out whether my local qualifications are recognised in the UK?
• The best place to look is the website of UK NARIC, www.naric.org.uk. NARIC evaluates a large number of overseas qualifications and issues comparability statements against British qualifications.
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• How does IGCSE compare to GCSE?
• IGCSE was created as a GCSE examination for international use and the academic demands (‘standards’) of IGCSE are equivalent to those of GCSE. IGCSE examinations are tailored for a multi–cultural, multi–lingual audience in a way that UK GCSE examinations are not. They are aligned to the standards of the UK GCSE, and equivalent on a subject–for–subject, grade–for–grade basis.
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• Does the Diploma in teachers and trainers give Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the UK or other countries?
• Eligibility for working as a teacher in a country like the UK is based on a number of criteria. While working towards and gaining the Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers will improve a teacher’s professional practice (i.e. how he or she performs as a teacher) and provides an international performance benchmark it is not intended as a substitute for the appropriate nationally–based qualification and does not give you QTS.
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• How do O Level and IGCSE English compare with ESOL qualifications such as IELTS and FCE?
• The following table shows an informal mapping of CIE English qualifications and ESOL qualifications. Please note that this is an informal internal mapping based on an amalgamation of other mapping activities
  
  

  CIE Level	CIE Qual	ESOL Qual	IELTS Band*	CEF	UK NQF
  Advanced	GCE A Level GCE AS Level	CPE	7.0	C2	3
  Standard	IGCSE grades A* – C O Level grades A – C	CAE BEC H CELS H	6.0/6.5	C1	2
  Foundation	IGCSE Grades D – G O Level Grades D & E	FCE BEC V CELS V	5.0/5.5/6.0	B2	1

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• Does the General Paper meet university requirements for English proficiency?
• The GCE General Paper syllabus is intended to be a test of the extent to which a candidate has achieved a maturity of thought and expression using English rather than a test of English as a Foreign Language. Universities specify which qualifications they will accept. You should contact the university concerned to ask if they will accept the General paper as they should be quite willing to accept similar qualifications to the ones stated. Also, if you did other GCE examinations in the medium of English you should point this out to them as it will lend weight to your case.
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• What is AICE?
• AICE has been developed at the request of schools that wanted a broader–based alternative to A Levels whilst retaining the A Level depth of study. It allows students the option to broaden their studies from the traditional three subjects at A Level to as many as six subjects at AS Level when pursuing an AICE Diploma. For further information go to AICE Information.
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• What is HIGCSE?
• HIGCSE evolved out of CIE’s involvement with Namibia. The university entrance level in South Africa is age 17+. IGCSE is regarded as being one year’s study short of this level, so we were asked to expand IGCSE syllabuses in such a way that they would meet the South African entrance requirements, thus enabling Namibians with these qualifications to study in South Africa. The definition of HIGCSE standards is, then, what an IGCSE student would be able to achieve after an additional year’s study. The correlation of IGCSE grades against HIGCSE is as follows:
  
  

  HIGCSE grade 1	What a student with IGCSE grade A in that subject could be expected to achieve after a further year’s study
  HIGCSE grade 2	IGCSE grade B + one year
  HIGCSE grade 3	IGCSE grade C + one year
  HIGCSE grade 4	IGCSE grade E + one year

  
  
  This equivalence has been accepted by the relevant authorities in South Africa, and it is now possible for students with a combination of IGCSE/HIGCSE grades to satisfy South African university entrance requirements.
  
  HIGCSE does not really have a relationship with A Level because it is an extension of IGCSE – it is the conclusion of schooling for countries with what we would regard as a 17+ university entrance level. However, insofar as it represents a further year’s study after IGCSE, it can be seen as approximately half way between our 16+ and 18+ qualifications – roughly the same standard as AS.
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