International Foundation programme

The International Foundation Programme is a one-year intensive course that leads to entry into a wide range of universities in the United Kingdom. It is designed as an alternative to the conventional A-level route, which takes two years to complete.

In 1989 David Game College (one of our partnered schools) established the first university foundation programme (UFP) in London. It is the UK's first independent Foundation Course to have gained recognition by British universities.

Although the structure of A-levels has been changed in recent years to adopt a more holistic, coursework-based approach, the University Foundation Programme offers still less emphasis on end-of-year exam performance and as such is considered more manageable for students whose first language is not English.

IB

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is an educational programme examined in one of three languages (English, French or Spanish) and is a leading university entrance course. It is mainly taught in international schools, in 125 countries all around the world. More than half of the schools offering the Diploma Programme are state funded schools. The programme, administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization, is recognized as a pre-university educational programme by most universities worldwide, especially in Canada and the United States. Some IBDP courses is recognised as a equivalent to university/college-level courses, and universities and colleges may award entering students with first-year credits depending on their points totals. Students take six subjects, and must also pass 3 extra requirements. Students who pursue the diploma take six subjects; one each from Groups 1 to 5 (below) with an additional subject from 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6.

A minimum of three subjects must be taken at higher level (HL) and the rest at standard level (SL). There must be no more than 5 subjects taken at a Higher Level, unless approved by the IB co-ordinator at the school. Higher level subjects require approximately 240 hours of teaching time, and standard level subjects about 150.

Group 1: Language A1: Generally the student's strongest language, with over 80 different languages available.
Group 2: Second Language: An additional language can be taken at different level.
Group 3: Individuals and Societies: Humanities and social sciences, such as philosophy, economics, business and management, psychology, etc.
Group 4: Experimental Sciences: Subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and Design Technology.
Group 5: Mathematics
Group 6: Arts and Electives: Subjects such as visual arts, film, music, dance, and theatre arts etc.

Extended Essay

Each student will be paired with a supervisor to write an essay of up to 4,000 words on any chosen subject, but not across subjects. All subjects have specific guidelines that must be followed in order for the Extended Essay to be considered. The Extended Essay must be submitted in order to receive the IB Diploma.