Same level, same age, same next steps. The real differences between a GCSE and an IGCSE (International GCSE) come down to who sets the exam, how it's graded, and whether a school in England can count it.
If you're at a UK state school, you're almost certainly doing GCSEs and most of this won't affect you. If you're at an international or independent school, or sitting exams privately, the details matter a lot more.
Who actually sets them
GCSEs are the main qualifications taken by 16 year olds in England. They're set by exam boards such as AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Eduqas, and regulated by Ofqual, the exams regulator for England.
International GCSEs are GCSE level qualifications designed for students around the world. The UK government says they were introduced for the international market for British qualifications, and some independent schools in the UK offer them too. Three boards run most of them:
- Cambridge International, who call theirs the Cambridge IGCSE and say it's the world's most popular international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds
- Pearson Edexcel, who use the name International GCSE rather than IGCSE (Mathematics A and the separate sciences are popular choices)
- OxfordAQA, a partnership between Oxford University Press and AQA built for international schools, available across Africa, Europe and Asia
Honestly, your board matters more than the label. A Cambridge IGCSE and an Edexcel International GCSE in the same subject can look quite different on the page, so find out which one you're doing before you buy anything. We've got free questions for Cambridge IGCSE Maths, Edexcel IGCSE Maths, Edexcel IGCSE Biology and OxfordAQA International GCSE Maths.
Numbers or letters?
GCSEs are graded 9 to 1, with 9 the highest. Ofqual lines them up with the old letters like this: the bottom of a grade 4 matches the bottom of an old C, and the bottom of a 7 matches the bottom of an old A. A 9 sits above the old A*, and fewer students get it.
Edexcel and OxfordAQA International GCSEs use the same 9 to 1 scale.
Cambridge is where people get confused. Its standard syllabuses (codes starting with 0, like Maths 0580 and Biology 0610) are graded A* to G. But Cambridge also runs separate 9 to 1 versions of many subjects, such as Maths 0980 and Biology 0970. Cambridge says the two versions differ in grading, not content or assessment, and your school chooses by entering you for one code or the other.
The 9 to 1 codes aren't offered everywhere. Cambridge's help centre says the 9 to 1 Economics syllabus is only available in administrative zone 3 (which includes the UK), Oman and the UAE. Outside those areas, Cambridge IGCSE results are A* to G.
So if you're doing Cambridge, check your syllabus code. It tells you which grading you'll get.
Coursework, practicals and tiers
Reformed GCSEs are mostly exams. Ofqual says non-exam assessment is only used where a skill can't be tested properly in an exam, which is why Maths and the sciences are exam only.
International GCSEs vary by board and subject. Edexcel International GCSE sciences are 100% written exams with no practical coursework, and practical skills are tested in the papers instead. Cambridge IGCSE sciences include a practical paper worth 20%, where your school picks either a lab based Practical Test or a written Alternative to Practical. And Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500) lets schools swap the writing exam for a coursework portfolio of three assignments, marked by teachers and moderated by Cambridge.
Tiers exist on both routes, but the names and grade ranges change from board to board:
- GCSE Maths, for example AQA GCSE Maths: Foundation covers grades 1 to 5, Higher covers 4 to 9
- Edexcel International GCSE Maths A: Foundation covers 5 to 1, Higher covers 9 to 4 with an allowed grade 3
- OxfordAQA International GCSE Maths: Core for 1 to 5, Extension for 4 to 9 with an allowed grade 3
- Cambridge IGCSE: Core and Extended (on A* to G syllabuses, Core can get C to G and Extended can get A* to G)
- Edexcel International GCSE Biology: no tiers, everyone sits the same papers
If your subject is tiered, ask which tier you're entered for early on. It changes which questions are worth your time.
Side by side
| GCSE | IGCSE / International GCSE | |
|---|---|---|
| Main boards | AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC Eduqas | Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel, OxfordAQA |
| Regulated by Ofqual | Yes | No |
| Grades | 9 to 1 | 9 to 1 (Edexcel, OxfordAQA). Cambridge: A* to G, or 9 to 1 in some regions |
| Coursework | Only where an exam can't test the skill | Depends on board and subject |
| Funded and counted in English state school league tables | Yes | No |
| Accepted by sixth forms and universities | Yes | Yes, widely |
Is IGCSE harder than GCSE?
People argue about this a lot, and we'd be wary of anyone who says one is clearly harder. The best evidence is a Department for Education analysis of independent school pupils in England who took both types in 2018. It found that:
- pupils got similar grades in Cambridge IGCSEs and their GCSEs, with higher grades in English but lower grades in the sciences, French and geography
- pupils got around a quarter of a grade higher in Pearson International GCSEs than in their GCSEs
- at A Level, students who'd taken international GCSEs did slightly worse than expected compared with GCSE students
The report itself says these are associations, not causes, and that precise judgements about how standards compare are difficult.
Our view? How hard an exam feels depends far more on the subject, the syllabus and how well you know the question style than on the name on the certificate.
Will sixth forms and universities accept it?
Yes. Cambridge says UK ENIC (formerly UK NARIC) independently benchmarked Cambridge IGCSE as comparable to the UK GCSE. OxfordAQA says UK ENIC rated its qualifications at the same standard as British GCSEs and A Levels, and that they're recognised by every Russell Group university.
What you do need to watch is the grade. Cambridge notes that some universities treat a 4 as equal to a C, while others ask for a 5. Check what your sixth form or course actually wants, especially in English and Maths.
Why UK state schools stick to GCSEs
This is the biggest practical difference in the UK. In 2014 the government announced that IGCSEs would stop counting in school performance tables as reformed GCSEs arrived, starting with English and Maths in 2017. In April 2025 a minister confirmed that International GCSEs aren't regulated by Ofqual, aren't funded for state schools and haven't counted in performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.
That's a decision about how schools are held to account. It says nothing about what your grades are worth. It's simply why IGCSEs in the UK are mostly found in independent schools, while international schools around the world use them as their main 14 to 16 qualification.
So which one should you do?
Most of the time, your school decides. At a UK state school you'll almost certainly take GCSEs, so our GCSE revision hub is the place to start. At an international or independent school you'll probably take IGCSEs from Cambridge, Edexcel or OxfordAQA, so learn your board's exact syllabus code and grading scale.
Private candidates often go for International GCSEs because many have no coursework. Just make sure an exam centre near you offers the syllabus you want.
Whichever you're sitting, learn the content, then practise past paper questions in your board's exact style. StemUp has free topic questions and past papers for every board.
Quick questions
Is an IGCSE the same as a GCSE?
They're at the same level and both taken at around 16, but they're different qualifications. GCSEs in England are regulated by Ofqual. International GCSEs are set by Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel or OxfordAQA and aren't regulated by Ofqual. Sixth forms and universities widely accept both.
Do universities accept IGCSEs?
Yes. Cambridge says UK ENIC (formerly UK NARIC) has benchmarked Cambridge IGCSE as comparable to GCSE, and OxfordAQA says every Russell Group university recognises its International GCSEs. Just check the grade your course wants, such as a 4, 5 or C in English and Maths.
What's a grade 4 or 7 in old letter grades?
The bottom of a grade 4 lines up with the bottom of an old C, and the bottom of a 7 lines up with the bottom of an old A. A 9 sits above the old A*, and fewer students get it.
Can I take IGCSEs at a UK state school?
Usually not. International GCSEs aren't funded for state schools and haven't counted in performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed, so most UK candidates are at independent schools or sit them as private candidates.
