iGCSE gains popularity among elite

The International GCSE (iGCSE) came under the media spotlight recently as a 'more rigorous exam and syllabus' to the new GCSEs, which were criticised by Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial College London, as being too 'unscientific'. The iGCSE was launched in 1985 by Cambridge International Exams (then known as UCLES) and first examined in 1988 with the first UK GCSEs. The iGCSEs were intended to carry forward the standards of the former O-levels alongside the wider grade set (A-G) (A* came later). The iGCSE specification is increasingly being adopted by independent schools, and the Government is now considering whether it should be an option for state schools.