It is no surprise that the International A-level Exams are quickly becoming more and more popular in Poland. Although they are offered only by a handful of accredited non-public high schools, these exams are commonly regarded as excellent passports to further education at university level both in Poland and around the world. The Cambridge International Education Programme prepares for the efficient use of English during studies and thus for building the foundations of one’s professional career.
Since September 2021, Regent College International Schools – an accredited school of the University of Cambridge (Cambridge International School) – has been the only school in the region to offer the unique opportunity to take the International A-level exams.
General information on the International A-level Exams – Q&A.
The term „International A-level Exams” is understood as subject examinations that are conducted at the secondary school level in English in schools around the world that educate students in the British programme.
The International A-level certificate is a prestigious certificate, which is valued by universities worldwide as a criterion for admission to studies. In addition, as proof of general secondary education in a given field, the International A-level is also highly valued by employers around the world.
Preparation for the A-level exams involves participation in an extended international programme with English as the language of instruction, and is designed to give you a solid foundation for further education. You will be able to freely use specialized English in the area of your future studies.
Students in various countries may take different international end of high school exams that entitle them to applying for admission to universities. These international exams are:
- International A-Levels – modelled after the national British qualifications, issued, inter alia, by Cambridge International Education (part of the University of Cambridge),
- International Baccalaureate Diploma – issued by the IB organization (educational foundation established in Geneva in 1968),
- European Bacallaureate Diploma (EB) – issued by the European Schools (a European intergovernmental organization founded in 1957).
Each of the above-mentioned institutions prepares its own exam papers based on their curricula. At Regent College International Schools, we offer the International A-level exams.
The IB program requires the student to prepare in as many as 6 different obligatory subjects – all students must take the exam in mathematics, as well as 5 other subjects, participate in additional subjects and an extracurricular volunteering program. The International A-level exam in contrast requires preparation in only 3-4 subjects and gives much more freedom in choosing subjects that suit the interests and further plans of a given student. Usually, students decide to take only those exams that are required for admission to their preferred area of study.
The table below compares the IB Matura, Cambridge A Level and the Polish Matura.
Polish Matura | IB | Cambridge-A Level | |
Language of instruction | Polish | English | English |
Number of subjects | 4-8 | 6 | 3-4 |
Compulsory subjects | Polish, Mathematics, Foreign Language | Mathematics and 5 other EE, CAS, TOK* | 3-4 |
Extended subjects | 1 compulsory – up to 5 maximum | to choose from 5 groups of optional subjects | to choose from |
Requirements/educational load: | medium to high | high | varied – depending on the selected option and the number of subjects |
Acceptability in Poland | yes | yes | yes |
Acceptability abroad | limited | yes | yes |
*Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Course, Extended Essay (EE), Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) – volunteer programme
The table is prepared on the basis of the comparison of Akademeia High School from Warsaw.
We also encourage you to read an excerpt from one of the seminars organized as part of the Our Kids Expo Non-Public Schools education fair, during which Ms. Dominika Fiołna – Head of Sixth Grade from Warsaw’s Akademeia High School presented the main advantages of Cambridge A-level compared to IB.
Absolutely! International A-level exams, like IB and EB, are recognized by Polish universities, including the most prestigious ones such as the University of Warsaw, the Jagiellonian University, the Warsaw University of Technology, the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
When planning your further education at the university level (in Poland or abroad), it is worth checking what the admission criteria are (what exam subjects are required for a given course) and whether the selected university also specifies any additional requirements. If in doubt, you can directly contact the admissions department of the university.
The International A-level exams are so popular and respected worldwide that it is difficult to find a university today that would not recognize them.
The exams are recognized by over 650 American universities, including all of the so-called Ivy League and Ivy League Plus (associations of elite American universities, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Pennsylvania, MIT and Princeton universities) and the most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and many other countries. Moreover, representatives of these universities speak highly of the International A-Levels and Cambridge A-level programme, emphasizing how well it prepares students for higher education.
When planning your further education at the university level, especially if you are thinking of studying abroad, it is worth getting proactive early enough to find out what the admission criteria are for a given field of study and whether the university also specifies any additional requirements. If in doubt, you can directly contact the admissions department of the university.
You can read more about the recognition of Cambridge International A-levels and the admission requirements in different countries here: „University recognition worldwide Guide to the recognition and acceptance of Cambridge qualifications”.
International A-Level at Regent College High School - Q&A.
As an accredited Cambridge International School, we prepare students for the Cambridge International AS & A-Level exams. The AS level can be compared to the Polish Basic Matura, while the A-Level – to the Extended Matura.
Students prepare for the International Cambridge Exams from the first year of our high school and take the optional IGCSE exams (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) at the end of the second year, and then move on to prepare for the AS and A-Level exams in the third and fourth year of high school. They can also start preparing for the International A-level from the third year of high school, although then they ought to take into account they are expected to put extra effort regarding both the English language and the specific subject curriculum.
You decide how many and what subjects you choose as part of your course of study at high school. When choosing, you should be guided by the requirements of the university you would like to apply to. Many German universities, for example, require only grades in specific subjects at A-Level (which means that when going to these universities, you do not have to take IGCSE exams and you can opt for only AS and A-level exams), while universities in the UK or the Netherlands often require not only AS and A-level grades but take into account also IGCSE exams.
It is also worth noting that passing the IGCSE exam in English at a sufficiently high level is regarded by many foreign universities as the equivalent of an English language proficiency certificate (such as CAE/CPE). Such certificates are required by all universities with English as the language of instruction.
We offer IGCSE, AS and A-level level preparation in the following subjects: English (an extensive program with an academic profile), History, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Spanish. Third grade students choose 3 or 4 subjects from this list which they study for the International A-Level exams. Other subjects from the list of over 50 offered as part of the Cambridge International AS/A-Level can be chosen individually depending on students interests.
It is best to make a choice based on the requirements of the university you are going to. It is worth starting to research your options in the first year of high school (and at Regent College IS we do help with that as well!).
Cambridge International Education publishes summaries and examples of past exam papers for all subjects on their website. Once you have found the subject you are looking for on the list, click on it and select Syllabus Overview from the menu on the left to view the Programme Summary or Past Papers to look at exam papers from previous years.
A database of materials for subjects at the IGCSE level (first and second year of high school).
A database of materials for subjects at the AS and A levels Level (third and fourth year of high school).
Both the IGCSE, and the AS and A Level exams take place in the summer session between the end of April and mid-June. The exams are carefully arranged to avoid clashes. High school graduates are informed about the results in mid-August, and in case of submitting applications to universities that require results earlier, the so-called “predicted grades” are used.
The International A-level Exams are carried out at our school. The sealed exam papers are shipped directly from Cambridge and then sent back to the UK immediately after the exams. Some subjects also offer the option of taking exams partly as the so-called “coursework” – papers written by students themselves are assessed in such cases by our teachers and then sent back to Cambridge for assessment.
Certificates of passing the International A-level Exams are issued by Cambridge International Education, which is part of Cambridge University.
For a certificate specimen – check here.
We offer information sessions for our students who are thinking of studying abroad and access to an online state-of-the-art platform with information on hundreds of university courses worldwide (including Poland).
Information packages for students and parents interested in the Cambridge International Education can be found here:
– IGCSE
