Cambridge IGCSE, AS & A Level

Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level are international school qualifications from the University of Cambridge. IGCSE is taken first, and AS & A Level follow it.

A number of independent schools in South Africa offer Cambridge qualifications, and the syllabuses are also used by online schools and families who home-school. Amanda Ceglowski teaches IGCSE learners in South Africa, and international Cambridge learners abroad, whose lessons are held online.

Syllabuses Amanda teaches

Each Cambridge subject has its own syllabus, and it is worth knowing exactly which one a learner is entered for.

• Cambridge IGCSE First Language English. For learners whose first language is English. It assesses reading and writing, including directed writing and composition. It has no set texts. Literature is a separate subject.
• Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language. For learners whose first language is not English but who study in English. It covers reading, writing, listening and, in some versions, speaking.
• Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English. Poetry, prose and drama, studied in depth and written about in essays.
• Cambridge IGCSE Afrikaans – Second Language. For learners who already have a working knowledge of Afrikaans, with a focus on practical communication, reading and writing.
• Cambridge IGCSE History.
• Cambridge IGCSE Drama and Cambridge International AS Level Drama.
• Cambridge International AS & A Level English Language, Literature in English and History.

How Cambridge differs from the NSC

Learners who move between systems, for instance from a DBE or IEB school to an online Cambridge school, may find that the same subject is examined quite differently. Cambridge’s English papers separate language and literature that the NSC combines, and its examination series fall in June and November rather than following the South African school calendar.

Amanda has worked across all of these systems: the DBE and IEB National Senior Certificate, Cambridge IGCSE and AS & A Level, the American GED and the Australian (Queensland) syllabus. This is useful for learners moving between systems and for families considering a change of school.

Online and in person

Cambridge learners in KwaZulu-Natal can have lessons in Amanda’s classroom in Hillcrest. Learners elsewhere in South Africa and abroad have lessons online, in the same group or one-to-one format. Lesson times for international learners are arranged around time zones by agreement.