Published
January 20, 2021
As an Admissions Counsellor at Campus K School, I often find parents love our curriculum and what it offers their child. At Campus K, we are affiliated to the Cambridge board and incorporate personalised learning and project-based learning to develop 21st century skills in all our learners while covering Cambridge learning outcomes. But the question that always comes back is, “Can my child do a professional course in India? “, “Can my child get into IIT or an Indian Medical College?”, “Is it true that children who study an international curriculum at school can only go abroad for their undergraduate program?” This article will answer those questions, and you will get clarity on two things:
How does the Cambridge curriculum help for Higher Grades?
How can your child apply to Indian colleges for an undergraduate program?
Cambridge Learning inspire children to reflect on their learnings so that they can build on their own experiences and plan ahead. It allows children to think creatively, innovate and analyse in depth on each topic. Certain skills that are outdated such as handwriting or memorizing days and dates are much less focussed on. Thus, the curriculum is relevant, challenging and productive. It breaks free from rote learning, which was conceptualized for the Industrial Era.
At Campus K, our learning spaces, instructional methodologies, and constant innovation enable our learners to acquire and develop these key skills. It also helps learners understand their strengths, work on their interests and develop a clear career plan that brings out the best in each of them. The Cambridge curriculum is split into pathways such as:
Cambridge Primary (5-11 years)
Cambridge Lower Secondary (11-14 years) and
Cambridge Upper Secondary (14-16 years).
Cambridge Upper Secondary is the world’s most popular international qualification for 14- to 16-year-olds. It gives exposure to nearly 70 subjects, and children can choose amongst those, based on their interests and what they want to major in. The syllabus is international in outlook but retains local relevance. From Cambridge Upper, children receive a Percentage of Uniform Marks (PUM) through the Cambridge Assessment which is similar in comparison to the Indian 12th grade Board marks. This PUM should be used in India for college admission processes.
Because Cambridge has a highly application-based approach, students grasp concepts and this enables them to score not only in the Cambridge Assessments but also in competitive entrance tests like IIT-JEE, NEET, CEED, NID DAT, etc. Of course, all of the above should reflect in grades for admittance into good colleges and universities, which brings us to answer, “Do Indian colleges/universities accept children passing out of the Cambridge syllabus”?
The answer is a big YES, they do.
As a Cambridge student, to get into a renowned university one must take a minimum of five Cambridge IGCSE level/ O level courses which is equivalent to our 10th grade, and a minimum of three A level courses in core subjects along with AS Level in Cambridge English which is equivalent to the Indian 12th grade.
For example, to get into IIT in India to do an undergraduate Engineering degree, since it is a competitive and a renowned institution, the learner should have three A level Cambridge International subjects with high grades which is equivalent to an aggregate of 90 and above in Maths, Physics and Chemistry and one A level in any technical vocational subject to meet eligibility requirements, along with English AS level.
To add another example, for a child to do Medicine or Dental, the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is the single common entrance exam for medicine and dental undergraduate admissions in India. Learners need Cambridge International A Levels in Physics, Chemistry and Biology as well as Cambridge International AS Level in English Language to be eligible. A passing grade in Cambridge International AS Level English Language is mandatory even though the scores are not considered in the preparation of the merit list (that is, the list of students who succeed in the NEET exam).
For courses in Liberal arts, Humanities and Commerce, learners would need three Cambridge A level courses and AS level in English, however for some courses only two Cambridge A level courses are enough along with AS level in English.
The Cambridge syllabus is followed by nearly 160 countries across the globe, including India. Its curriculum is relevant and equipped for the fast-changing world. Nearly all Indian universities with undergraduate programs recognize Cambridge qualifications. This includes state- and centre-run universities, as well as renowned private and deemed universities across the country. Cambridge Pathway helps students develop deep subject knowledge, conceptual and higher order thinking skills they need at school, at universities and in employment.