IGCSE Guide

Useful Resource Hubs for Students

Second of all, resource hubs on the internet can be very helpful if utilised correctly. These resource hubs consist of already written notes, flashcards, revision books and a lot more for your syllabus. These resources help condense everything students have learnt, allowing for more efficient and effective studying for students. Below are 2 resource hubs I used during my IGCSEs.

• The Ultimate Hub for IGCSE resources (pre-made notes, revision books and revision guides): https://www.reddit.com/r/igcse

• The Ultimate Hub for IGCSE resources (past papers, flashcards, revision notes, etc) https://sites.google.com/view/igcseresources

Find your own way of studying that works

Everyone has their own way of studying. Some study best writing notes while others are better with mind maps etc. I didn't study in the 'traditional' sense. I hated writing notes and barely wrote any throughout the 2 years, but that doesn't mean I just gave up and failed. I found other ways of study that personally worked for me. I did find that I study best with written lists. Not sure how it's different from normal notes but it did make me study better. The lesson of this story is that every student is different and may learn better with different studying habits so experiment, while you still have time before your final exams. 

(Disclaimer: you should probably still write notes. I'm just lazy and you shouldn't follow me)

Understanding the IGCSE Grading System (Grade Threshold)

Another thing I should explain is the IGCSE final exam grading system. Grades are allocated to students (the grading threshold) depending on how well all students taking that paper did overall that year. If students did better than usual, the Cambridge exam board raises the grading threshold so proportionately fewer people get higher grades. However, it also works the other way around. If students collectively did worse than in previous years, the grade threshold will be lower. This way, you don't have to worry if your year's exam was more challenging than usual. The grades will be balanced out so that typically students who worked harder deserve the grade that they get.

In addition, the grade threshold is quite different from how grades are usually handed out. In KIS, to get an A*, you need to get at least a 90%. However, in the final IGCSE exam, it's drastically different. One example I will give is the IGCSE March 2022 economics final exam threshold in which you only needed 101 marks out of 150 marks on your final exam to get an A*. That's 68%. Of course, the exams are a lot harder which is the reason why the grade threshold is so low however I personally found it a lot easier to achieve a high grade compared to mid-term exams. Each subject has a different threshold so if you want to see your subject-specific grade threshold, just click the link below. 

• Cambridge IGCSE & GCSE Grade Threshold: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org

Read IGCSE past papers and mark schemes

Understanding how questions expect you to structure answers and how each mark is awarded is vital to getting a good mark on your final exams. 

• Past paper for Cambridge IGCSE & GCSE: https://bestexamhelp.com/exam/cambridge-igcse/pp-igcse.php

• Ultimate Past Paper Hub: https://pastpapers.co/cie/?dir=IGCSE%2FEnterprise-0454%2FMay%20June%202020

Always ask for help

Whenever you don't understand something, ask for help. Asking for help doesn't mean you are any less intelligent than others. In most cases, half the class also doesn't understand but is just scared of asking. So next time you don't understand something, don't hesitate to raise your hand or ask for after-school help. That's what they are there to do. 

[Below are online IGCSE student communities that may help answer questions and provide revision resources when needed. Try them out]

• Biggest IGCSE Student Reddit Community (Answers questions and provides revision resources): https://www.reddit.com/r/igcse/

• Biggest IGCSE Student Discord community (answers questions, provides resources and holds open discussions): https://discord.com/invite/IGCSE

Enjoy Life

In IGCSE, studying is important however, the most crucial deciding factor can easily be one's mental health. Let me say this once. Never study yourself to death. A happier person will almost always get higher scores than a mentally unstable person. In addition, you only get one high school life so enjoy it. Go do what you want to. Life always needs a balance of both studying and having fun.

Conclusion

I'm not going to sugarcoat this, the next few years may be very difficult for many people. Personally, it was a very difficult period for me as I battled my low confidence and feeling of hopelessness to the point of being mentally unstable at times. I wrote this in hopes of making students more likely to reach the grades they desire and for students to believe in themselves. That's my last tip. Believe. Have confidence.

And remember, only you can change where your future goes!

Good luck everyone,

Oscar Lee