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182 Replies to “What is Home Schooling?”
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Hello IGCSE team!
My name’s Ember and I’m 12 years old and just finished 7th grade. I want to skip into 9th grade and prepare for my IGCSE examinations while home educating. to skip into 9th grade my goal is to complete and learn the 8th grade books of Math, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology (I believe I can do this cuz in the past years I always learned my math syllabus ahead in the summers in a matter of 1 month)
I have been told from an early 10 year old age that I have the capability to study ahead and school is keeping me behind and kinda wasting my time. My father told me about this idea a few years back of skipping 8th grade and learning the things that I should’ve learned in 8th grade over the course of the summers.
And then told me that IGCSE is practically taken over the course of 2 *schooling* years, which when narrowed down of removing holidays,summers,rainy days,snow and a few hours from the school day because in a period you only do like (in a 45 minute period) 25-30 mins of “studying” and then there’s other students keeping you behind.
So practically at the end of the day there is maybe 10-11 months of studies and 2-3 months of revision.
I think that if I can complete 8th grade subjects (the major ones as told above) in the next 2 and a half months. Then I can skip into 9th grade.
But the problem is I don’t want to do my IGCSE’s with school. I want to start home educating my self IGCSE and maybe have a few tutors and finish my syllabus and have revised in the course one year and a few months and give some of my exams in the 2021 June session and the rest in the 2021 November session. I wanted to stick to this plan and speak to my parents about my plan but…. unfortunately COVID-19 came up.
Now my parents always wanted to enroll us into a Pakistani school (we are Pakistani but live in Saudi Arabia) and we were planning on moving to Pakistan and enroll us there for a better education and also because had to move because of family issues. But because of the COVID-19 crisis we are planning to move this winter or next summer. My parents are now looking for admissions in schools in Pakistan and they found a good school there and are thinking of enrolling us this year (obviously through online classes). But as I said I want to home educate.
Now the subjects I want to take are Math, Physics, Chemistry, Computer studies, Geography, (and maybe Business and Economics) The thing is that if I go to a Pakistani university they will ask for some extra subjects that you must have taken in IGCSE examinations, they are compulsory to take for all Pakistani citizens and if you don’t want to take them your fees will be converted into dollars and will be wayyyy more expensive. The compulsory subjects are:
Islamiyat, Pakistan Studies, and Urdu (which I SUCK at btw)
The reason I want to skip ahead is for the reason as stated above is because I am being kept behind, by my class. And because there are many other examinations I want to take when I grow older and in mainly everything there is an *AGE LIMIT*
My relatives and parents have wanted to take some jobs or give some examinations but they always struggle with it and can’t give them because they have passed the age limit allowed. They always say that if someone would have told them before that they skip classes and/or graduated early they wouldn’t have to face such problems. and if i do graduate early I will have time to myself to explore my options of jobs and have time to study for later examinations after graduating college. and if you say that a child has a growing stage and all and you shouldn’t bother graduating early. I agree. But I have always been wayyyyyyy mature than my age peers and have known things earlier than most people and learned thing at a young age that people learn in highschool. I have always been responsible and have been given tasks to do at a younger age of 8 or 9 that kids get to do at 10 or 11.
I don’t know what to do. How should I convince my parents and let them know that I CAN do this?
How should I study for the IGCSE examinations myself with help?
What books should I use?
What tutors are best?
How do I complete my studies in a matter of a year?
What tips would you have for me?
which subject should I shoot for and how long does each subject usually take to study and cover? (how can I do it faster)
Can you give me revision tips and how to do it in the shortest time possibe?
and can you please explain to me the IGCSE examination requirements and how to give them?
Thanks alot!
P.S. sorry for the long comment 🙁
Hello Ember,
No problem. We are here to help. Please read our suggestions below:
1. It is best to come up with a plan and present it to your parents. You can tell them that you study better on your own and that you have proven it throughout the years. Show them that you’ve done your research and that you are responsible and mature enough to make a decision.
2. You should start by downloading the subject syllabus here: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-subjects-syllabuses/ and learn what is expected of you. List down things you are confident and not so sure about. Then continue practicing with the latest past exam papers which you can download here: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-past-exam-papers/. We suggest that you continue with the older ones that date back from 5 years. When you are practising, pay attention to the most common mistakes that you always seem to make. Make notes and revise them, so you can avoid the same mistakes in your actual exams.
3. Amazon UK has a lot of IGCSE books available. You may also check out your local bookstores for appropriate reference books.
4. You can consider our A* subscription courses. The whole programme runs for 5 months but you can keep your course active beyond its duration so you can go through the course in detail and participate in the Q&A sessions longer. Please have a read at this page to learn how it works: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
5. The whole IGCSE syllabus takes approximately 1-2 years to finish. We suggest that you draw your own study timetable and plot your schedule accordingly. Start at the exam date and work backwards. Be realistic. This should be an actual timetable, which is possible, not some ideal that can never be achieved. When you subscribe to our A* courses, we provide a guided timetable for you to make your own study timetable. Check out more here: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
6. We always tell our candidates to register for the exams only when they are ready. Furthermore, if you will register as a private candidate, you are right to spread out the subjects in different examination series. In this way, you can have full concentration in less subjects in one go.
7. Have you thought about what you like to specialise in college/university? This will help you decide the subjects you need to take. We suggest that you get confirmation from your preferred college/university for their subject entry requirements in accordance with the course that you would like to study.
Following your study timetable, estimate how many hours you think you need for each subject. Plan in detail each of your study sessions. Write down which topic you will be reviewing. This way, you can ensure that you will cover all the required information in the times you have allocated.
8. Practising lots of past papers is the key to success. Work on the past papers as if you are in the exam hall. Set the timer by following the fixed number of hours on the exam papers.
9. Please kindly visit your local British Council and ask for their examination requirements.
We wish you well and we hope to see you in one of our courses.
Hello IGCSE team,
Thank you so much for your advice. You helped clear my mind and I now know what I should do. Your advice was extremely helpful. I will follow your advice and hopefully will try one of your courses.
Thanks a lot!
Hello Ember,
You are very much welcome.
Should you need further assistance with our our programmes, feel free to write to us again.
My son is 12 yr old. He will be completing Grade 6 from an IB school this month.
We are evaluating the home schooling option.
I have following questions:
1) Which exam can he write for Grade 7?
2) Does he need to write any exams next 2 years?
3) Can he skip exams next 2 years, write exam directly in Grade 9?
Hello Firdaus,
Thank you for writing in.
You may want to consider the IGCSE curriculum for your homeschooling journey. IB and IGCSE have similar syllabi. You may download the subjects syllabi for comparison: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-subjects-syllabuses/. Your son just needs to familiarise himself with the exam papers and the style of questions (https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-past-exam-papers/).
Please kindly read our suggestions below:
1. There are no available Lower Secondary Checkpoint exams for homeschooled students. You have to make your own assessments to assess your son’s progress. You may use Checkpoint books to help you with this.
2. There is no fixed exam time for private candidates. You will register for official exams whenever you are ready. There are several available official exams, such as: IGCSE, O Level, GCSE, etc; under several exam boards e.g: CAIE, Edexcel, AQA, etc. If you are looking for a syllabus more suitable for an international audience, we would suggest either CAIE or Edexcel.
3. When you deem that your son is ready for the exams, register him with your local British Council. If you have chosen the IGCSE curriculum, you may search for the nearest registered Cambridge school here: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/why-choose-us/find-a-cambridge-school/. You might want to consider enrolling him to our A* subscription courses. These courses had produced many A* candidates worldwide. Have a read at this page to learn how it works: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/.
If you need further clarifications, feel free to write to us again.
hi
I am 16 years old. I have just given my cambridge IGCSE exams in march from mumbai, India. My parents are planning for me to be homeschooled for the Cambridge A and AS level program. so, I wish to know the following,
1. Is it possible for me to give the A and AS level exams at any exam centre after being homeschooled?
2. If yes, what is the minimum number of subject exams I need to appear?
3. Is English language 9093 mandatory to appear for, as most of the schools in mumbai are making the subject mandatory.
thankyou!
Hello Piya,
Thank you for writing in. Please kindly read our answers to your questions below:
1. Yes, you may register as a private candidate. Your local British Council is the best place to sit for your exams or you may locate any other Cambridge registered schools in India that accept private candidates. You may search for the Cambridge registered schools here: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/i-want-to/find-a-cambridge-school/.
2. As for how many A-Level subjects you need, we suggest you check with the university you have in mind for their entry requirements. Students typically study four subjects at AS-level and three subjects at A-level. The standard admission requirement for UK universities is three A-level subjects.
3. English language is usually part of the required subjects for most of the English speaking universities. However, we suggest that you check with your local British Council if this applies to you.
If you need further clarifications, feel free to write to us again.
hello,
I’m a 14 year old. can i get home schooled and write o level igcse? is there any online teachers u can recommend? and what is the minimum no.of subjects i should take in o level?
Hi Iris,
First of all, we’d like to clarify that O-level and IGCSE are of equivalent qualifications. You choose either one of them. Furthermore, you should decide on the subjects based on what you want to study in the university. We strongly suggest you check with the university you wish to apply to as each university and its programs has their own set of entry requirements.
You may consider subscribing to our online Revision Course. These courses had produced many A* candidates worldwide. You can find out more here: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/.
Lastly, we advise the candidates to register only when then are ready. As a private candidate, your local British Council is the best place to sit for your exams. Alternatively, you can also locate any registered Cambridge schools that accepts private candidates. You may search Cambridge schools near your area here: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/i-want-to/find-a-cambridge-school/
If you have further questions, feel free to write to us again. Thank you.
Hi ,
we are from India. My son is 9 years old and gifted. He is preparing slowly at his own pace . He wants to appear IGCSE Mathematics subject only to test his knowledge and skills. Because he loves mathematics. His school is cambridge registered school and they do teach IGCSE at higher age group for 15 years students . But school does not know the process of how to allow 9 years old to write IGCSE only mathematics subject paper.
1) Could you please let know what is the process for him to write IGCSE mathematics that we can follow up with school ( because school department said they do not know the process )
2) What are the books available for primary, secondary and IGCSE preparation students in india.
Hello Kumar,
Thank you for writing in. Please kindly read our suggestions below:
1. The formal requirement is candidates must be at least aged 14 to sit for the exams. However, we have also experienced some countries do accept private candidates registration below age 14. We suggest that you check with your local British Council.
2. For reference books, you may want to search on Amazon UK site. For IGCSE preparations, you may want to register your son with online courses here: https://www.igcsecentre.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
If you need further clarifications, please do not hesitate to write to us again. Thank you.