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Previously, i shared about the significance of IGCSE for students, and the best combination or number of subjects to study in the IGCSE.

This week, I will continue to share my experience in the selection of the examination board for self-studying of IGCSE courses, as well as some examples of success and abandonment of self-study IGCSE course students in the past.

Which examination board is better?

When students apply for IGCSE courses, they should also consider the choice of the examination board.

There are two for the IGCSE public exam in Hong Kong: the Cambridge Assessment International Education and Edexcel. Both require different syllabus and skills.

So before taking the IGCSE course, students should take a look at the respective syllabus and past test papers of the two exam boards, and build more confidence in answering the IGCSE public exam questions provided by the board before deciding which board they will choose.

Let me take IGCSE economics as an example to further illustrate the point. Some questions in CIE will have quite a high score; while Edexcel will have more short questions or questions with lower points, which means that the structure of the exam is quite different.

It is possible that some students are better at answering longer questions with high scores while other students are better at answering short questions with lower scores.

Therefore, students should decide which test paper to choose according to their own ability.

If you are not sure, it is best to seek advice from the teacher of the relevant subject before making a decision.

Is it possible to study both school courses and self-study IGCSE?

Every year, I meet students who say that they want to self-study IGCSE courses while also taking DSE or IBMYP courses in school. However, is it really possible to take both coursess at the same time?

Frankly speaking, I think self-studying IGCSE courses would be quite challenging. Most students have to squeeze in time to self-study IGCSE courses after school or over the weekends.

If you have decided to self-study IGCSE courses, it's crucial to map out overlapping content in DSE or IBMYP and IGCSE to find out what new content needs to be covered.

Take DSE as an example. It has about a 20 to 30 percent difference in content for each subject as compared to the IGCSE (depending on the actual content of each subject).

If a student is doing six IGCSE subjects, there is indeed a lot of new material to cover so self-studying for the IGCSE will be very challenging.

However, there are some very encouraging examples. This year, we had a self-motivated student who self-studied eight subjects and achieved excellent grades. He initially found a teacher who was familiar with both the DSE and the IGCSE courses and could explain the differences between them. Based on these identified differences, he studied on his own, so he didn't waste time going in the wrong direction.

This student's situation illustrates that some students can handle self-studying with the right methodology.

But I have also encountered some less-ideal examples. Some parents want their children to take the IGCSE public exam to pave the way for studying abroad, but the students don't want to self-study.

Their children have to juggle their school curriculum and self-study, and may sacrifice extracurricular activities to coordinate with IGCSE study. This can cause a lot of pressure and tension, leading many students to give up after a short period of time.

So, in the end, is it worth it to self-study IGCSE? This is a personal question with each student having their own answer.

But no matter what, it's important to ask yourself why you want to take this path.

If you choose to self-study, remember to choose your subjects carefully, research the exam board, and plan your time wisely.