British curriculum vs. Cambridge curriculum

Kingsgate International School in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor | Malaysia

Kingsgate International School is one of the best international school in Kuala Lumpur & Selangor.

We appreciate it can be hard to get head around the differences between the British curriculum and the Cambridge curriculum. Our education experts have made several boards, balanced and complete curriculum that meet the educational requirements of each child and the world standards they need to. To help you feel confident in your final choice, we’ve produced a simple comparison to each curriculum.

British curriculum

The UK curriculum show the ways to GCSE (at age 16) as well as A-level exams (at age 18), requirements that is recognized and extremely valued by universities all around the world. BSF schools complement basic subjects and needs of the British curriculum with programs in Music, Sports, Drama, and outdoor study that go way beyond the standard needs. The teaching of a 2^nd language is also emphasized.

The main focus of the UK curriculum shifts as students progress through the years. In the early stages (ages 2 – 5), learning is place-based. Children get primarily notions of numeracy and literacy via active, playful fun activities. By the last of the years, most kids have got basic reading and numbering abilities and grounding a 2^nd language.

In the primary school (age 5 – 11) the main focus on learning fine fundamental math and English language skills. Technology, art, science, and humanities are covered as multi disciplinary subjects and throughout projects, The National curriculum of England in lower secondary (ages 11 – 14) is more subjects based and aims at developing student ability to work independently and think seriously.

Upper secondary students follow GCSE (ages 14 – 16) and A-level or IB diploma courses. At GCSE students study Math, English, Science, and 2^nd language and 4 or 5 further subjects. At A-level, students specialize further and select 3 or 4 subjects from range options. For IB Diploma, subjects choices are more structured, and students study 6 in the 1^st year and specialize in 3 of those in the final year.

Cambridge Curriculum

CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) is an arm of Cambridge University in the UK. The Cambridge curriculum offers programs at every level and offered 10k schools worldwide. It’s divided into 4 stages: Cambridge primary for kids of ages of 5 – 11, Lower Secondary for ages 11 – 14, Upper Secondary for ages 14 – 16 which will need the IGCSE qualification, and Advance for ages 16 – 19 which will need the A-level and Advanced Subsidiary qualifications.

The Primary and Lowe Secondary teaches students English and as a 2^nd language, math, and science as a core curriculum, that provides a clear teaching framework. As the students reach the Upper Secondary Level, they’re needed to take the IGCSE at last of the 10^th grade. Students have to take tests for a first language, a 2^nd language, Math, and 1 o more science. They’ve 70 subjects to pick from.

After passing the IGCSE students can then go to the Advanced, where they study a 1-year course in chosen subject for the AS level and a 2-year course for the A-level. Here students have an option of 55 subjects and can pick to specialize in a particular subject or study a huge range of subjects.

Which is the best?

Choosing the right curriculum is definitely a hard job to make and takes careful consideration and it’s of course, your personal choice. Selecting the curriculum for some parents is slightly stressful but the British and Cambridge curriculum has its key strengths that have been built over the years.