ACADEMY

EDEXCEL
Accredited IGCSE
ACCREDITED
and A-Level courses
IGCSE
and examinations
A LEVELS

Program Overview
GRADE PERCENTAGE
The Academy provides three distinct
programs that closely map to the UK A* 90% - 100%
curriculum. The programs were designed to be
A 80% - 89%
sequential with each providing a foundation
for the next and culminating in the admission B 70% - 79%
to premier Western Universities. While we are C 60 - 69%
currently focusing on UK and Commonwealth
university entry requirements, it’s important D 50 - 59%
to note that these requirements are accepted at E 40 - 49%
American and European universities.

The only substantive requirements for
admission into the most elite English
universities are A-Level exams results. This
may be surprising to some parents, but it
really is that simple. Students must complete a
minimum of 3 - 4 A level exams although it is
not uncommon for students to take 5 A-Level
exams when their goal is to gain admission to
elite universities like Oxford and Cambridge.
In Vietnam the Cambridge Curriculum has
become so popular that it is often equated
with English education. Because exams are
often referred to as Cambridge
Exams some parents assume that Cambridge is
the entity providing the credentials upon
completion of exams. This is not true.
As it pertains to IGCSE and A-Level
qualifications it is in fact the government of the
UK that provides certified results through a
government entity called Ofqual which allows
four official examinations boards to officially
administer exams on their behalf. Taking
examinations through one of these boards is the
only way to receive the requirements needed for
admission to English universitas. The Academy
is one of only three schools in all of Northern
Vietnam that is certified by
Program Overview
Pearson Edexcel to both teach and administer
all IGCSE and A-Level examinations. Edexcel
is the largest examination board overall and
the second largest in the UK and offers key
advantages for students when compared to the
Cambridge examination board known as
OCR. The most important advantage is
modular examinations which allow students
to take their exams incrementally instead of
all at once.
Primary - iPrimary
Beginning at five years old children can begin
our primary program. Students are taught a
core curriculum of English, Science, and
Mathematics with an integrated mini
curriculum of technology and global
citizenship. In addition, the Academy
augments the core curriculum at every level in
creative and interactive ways to provide a
holistic educational experience such as with
our junior reading club and our daily
interactive micro geography lesson. Our
primary is designed to be a superior alternative
to in-school English programs. Offering 10
teaching hours every week in a classroom of
only 8 students each lesson is covered over the
course of 2 hours. Each lesson is divided into
”Learn” and “Do” periods. The first hour is
spent with their teacher learning and
practicing new knowledge and concepts. The
second hour is spent with both the teacher and
a Native English Speaker doing enrichment
activities and manipulatives to ensure
retention of the newly taught knowledge in a
less structured environment. These periods
allow the teacher to utilize the Native
Speakers in the most efficient way to the
benefit of all of our students. The primary
Phone Number
program also provides formal assessments each
year through Edexcel’s iPrimary curriculum to
provide parents with assurance that their child
is developing to their expectations.
Secondary - IGCSE
The Academy focuses on the “big four” courses:
Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry.
Secondary students will begin to be able to take
IGCSE courses in all four of these subjects in
preparation of their A-levels. IGCSE was
formally referred to as O-levels and they are the
formal requirements for finishing upper
secondary and beginning A-level courses in the
UK. These courses are two years long and at the
end students will sit their exams at the Academy
and receive their formal credentials from the UK
government upon completion.
High School - A-Levels
Students wishing to attend University in the
West can both take their A-level courses at the
Academy and sit for their exams. We continue to
focus on only the “big four” STEM courses at
the A-level but offer five course as there are two
levels of A-level mathematics. The reason for
this approach is to give each of our student the
best chances for university admission but more
importantly the most opportunities. Students do
not always know what they want to study and
even when they do they can change their minds.
Not only will every program accept these 5
courses but it will be a significant advantage for
students applying to programs that do not
require them. On the other hand, science based
programs do require these and students taking
less challenging courses will not be granted
admission.