The real difference between the other boards and IGCSE.

( A Cambridge experience by our student Diya Pai – Cambridge IGCSE )

The Cambridge Assessment International Education, widely known as the Cambridge board is a flexible school curriculum that allows a student to think for themselves and find real-life use in whatever they learn. The sole purpose of this board is to create an environment where a learner is allowed to explore and understand the world from their point of view through research, study, projects and experiments. 

As children are still young and their minds haven’t developed yet, they need to be handled with care and made sure they see purpose in whatever they learn. We sometimes hear people say that they didn’t enjoy a particular subject because they didn’t know WHY it was important and HOW it could be used in their daily lives. 

The Cambridge schools intent to break these norms, giving every individual a wholesome school experience where they are happy to wake up and learn. 

What do you achieve by going to a Cambridge Affiliated School? 

I was in a CBSE school earlier and I recently started my journey in a Cambridge School (TBA) and I can positively say that the way this board is designed is truly marvellous. Otherwise, studying seemed pointless as memorising the entire textbook and forgetting the content right after the exam did not help me or what I wanted to do in the future. 

Anything I learnt was explained with practical examples, and the question papers contained practical questions. Hence, it was relatively easier for me to score better marks when it was presented in this form, rather than blatantly asking us to define certain terms. Here, I was asked to use theoretical, practical and factual information to derive at a conclusion, only then does it show if I have fully understood the subject. 

Cambridge aims to produce students who are the best in their fields by giving them exposure to the vast majority of sectors and real world problems. 

By making sure every child is on par with the concept, every child is allowed to shine in their own way, whether it be medicine and engineering or sports and arts, we were taught to be creative and unique, and make sure we stand out in our own ways. 

How different is the study process from CBSE?

The Cambridge Board facilitates a broad range of subjects and they ensure that each subject is taught by experts who are passionate about the subject and who will resonate with the students. 

When I first started my courses at a Cambridge School, I was sceptical of studying History, a subject I despised. But then when I attended my first class, I was amazed at the way this subject could be learnt. History is a subject to understand our past and learn from our mistakes. Memorising the date of when random rulers died wasn’t going to benefit anyone. But learning about why those wars took place, what triggered the people to cause destruction, how they learned to cope up with the trauma and start making a living after the war, will help the students empathise with people and prevent wars in the future. 

When I was writing my first assignment in History, the question asked was to explain whether the British rule brought good impact to India or not. And I was allowed to answer this question however I wanted. These questions don’t have a fixed answer, and allowed me to think. It went on to become one of my favourite subjects. 

And this is just one example. 

All the subjects are taught in the most extraordinary way ever, and made sure that whatever they do has real life impact. Math was taught with examples and data, Physics was taught by familiarising  the concept first and then learning about new terms, English was learnt by writing demo emails or articles, Literature required us to find meanings behind Shakespeare’s work, and so on. I believe there are over 20 subjects to choose from, and I have truly enjoyed the ones I have taken. 

The Conclusion 

The Cambridge group of schools believe that each person has the capability to do wonders; if given the exposure. This board is taught and accepted worldwide, and by enjoying the process of learning, you learn how to reason at a young age, helping you in the future. The world is in need of students like these, as big challenges like global warming, the pandemic and inter-country wars, need to come to an end and it will be these students who will be the future that believes in a world without poverty, war and crime.