Core is Key | IGCSE: English

IGCSE English during Year 10 and Year 11 will split into different contingents. For some students in Hangzhou School, they will follow an English as a second language track, others will look at English as a first language, finally, some students will study English literature alongside their English language qualification. 

Our English second language qualification is an international qualification offered through the Cambridge examination board. This qualification is aimed at supporting students who already have mastered fundamental English and want to progress their English to support a potential professional career using English. This examination is designed to be a springboard into university standard English and will enable students to sit a university standard English examination after Year 11. This course will develop speaking, listening, reading and writing, and will result in students being comprehensively tested for each of these criterion. 

For students who are already highly fluent in English, they will undertake an English as a first language qualification. This qualification is aimed at developing students’ analytical skills and developing their ability as writers. This course is less concerned with teaching functional English, which is covered during our lower secondary lessons, and focused more on engaging students as professional writers. As such, they will undertake three coursework projects: writing news articles, stories and descriptions. Alongside this, students will have to develop a high level of reading skill for a comprehension examination. This examination is designed to challenge student’s reading ability to ensure they are ready for a career that sees English as its main language of communication.

Finally, students who undertake our first language English course will be eligible for an English literature course. This course is the most challenging English reading course we have to offer from Cambridge. This requires students to write full academic essays and extended coursework on various topics. They will have to read stories from around the world and across the ages: from Shakespearean texts to modern day poetry. Due to the challenging nature of this course, students who undertake it often accelerate their reading comprehension and, as a result, do very well across academic subjects that require high reading levels and analytical skills. 

Our three English subjects will undoubtably challenge any student. However, they will also support their English skills to ready them for a professional career using English as a key language for communication.