You often ask us, what the differences are between the Polish education program and Cambridge’s international one. In this article, we present in a practical way how many subjects students take in each grade of high school. We do not refer to the substantive assessment of the content of individual subjects. The substantive assessment will certainly be the content of the next article. We wish you a pleasant reading.
POLISH CURRICULUM
GRADES 1-2
Students in the Polish program take 15 subjects:
- Polish
- Modern foreign language
- Second modern foreign language
- Philosophy
- History
- History and Present
- Business and management
- Geography
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Information Technology (IT)
- Physical Education (PE)
- Education for safety
Grades 3-4
In the Polish curriculum, students in the third grade take 10 subjects, however, the ones who are in the fourth grade take 6 subjects, depending on extensions.
THE INTERNATIONAL CURRICULUM
Grades 1-2
Students participating in the international curriculum are required to take 10 subjects during the first two years. High school students learn:
- English as a Second Language,
- Mathematics,
- Physics,
- Biology,
- Chemistry,
- Spanish
- also, as an additional option: Geography and/or History.
All subjects are taught exclusively in English, based on programs developed by the University of Cambridge and using English-language books.
Additionally, students of Polish origin participate, in accordance with the requirements of the Polish education system, in Polish language, Polish history, and Polish geography classes which are conducted in Polish. However, foreign students take part in Polish as a foreign language classes.
All students take PE and additional English classes with an emphasis on grammar and communication. This completes the list of international subjects in the first two years.
From the first grade, students in the international curriculum can focus their attention on the subjects they want to take at the high school leaving exam.
Grades 3-4
In further education, students participating in the international curriculum choose 3-4 subjects that they want to continue and from which they will prepare for the IB (International Baccalaureate). The selection of subjects depends on the field of study for which the student wants to apply. Students study these 3-4 chosen subjects in English, following the Cambridge curriculum and passing AS – Level International Baccalaureate exams (equivalent to the Polish Basic Matura exam) at the end of the third grade, and A-Level exams (equivalent to the Polish Extended Matura exam) in the fourth grade. The only additional subject in the third and fourth grades is Polish.