Which education program to choose for a solid foundation for college?

The exclusive qualifications for each grade level of Cambridge programme

The Cambridge programme's "key qualifications" are highly valued in many countries with advanced education systems, such as the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Germany. Its outstanding advantages compared to US or Australian programmes are the qualifications provided at each level of education, including Primary Checkpoint certificate upon completing 5th grade, Secondary Checkpoint certificate upon completing 8th grade, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) upon completing 10th grade, AS level certificate upon completing 11th grade, and A Level certificate upon completing 12th grade.

These qualifications help students follow a flexible study plan at each stage of their learning journey, such as switching programmes or studying abroad early starting from 9th grade with the Secondary Checkpoint certificate. Especially, those certificates from grade 10 onwards are the "powerful boarding pass" that bring students to scholarship opportunities and prestigious universities.

International students with Cambridge qualifications have an advantage when applying to universities.

Most universities and colleges in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, and over 650 top universities in the US recognize IGCSE and AS/A Level certificates. Many schools offer scholarships for foundation programmes to students holding IGCSE certificates and waive the first-year credits for students with AS/A Level certificates. This helps students save time and costs when pursuing higher education.

Before entering grades 11-12, it can be said that the Cambridge IGCSE is the most popular and high-quality international education programme for students in grades 9-10 worldwide. In Ho Chi Minh City, many schools choose the IGCSE programme as a foundation, even if they do not teach the AS/A Level programme for grades 11-12. For example, the British International School (BIS) and the Australian International School (AIS) both teach the IGCSE programme before switching to the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. Several international schools also teach the IGCSE programme from grade 10, even though they do not offer the Cambridge programme for lower grades.

In addition to Maths, English and Science, the Cambridge high school programme has many practical subjects that provide a foundation for university such as Economics, Business, and Global Perspectives.

The only school in Vietnam to teach the Cambridge programme from kindergarten to grade 12 is the Vietnam Australia International School (VAS), which is also the leading school in Vietnam in terms of the number of students taking the IGCSE exam each year. In the most recent academic year, VAS students achieved outstanding results compared to the global average in all three of the highest-grade bands of the IGCSE exam: 85% achieved grades of A*-C, 66% achieved grades of A*-B, and 42% achieved grades of A*-A. Additionally, three students earned the distinction of "Top in the World" (in Mathematics) and "Top in Country" (in Business and English as a second language).

The award ceremony for VAS students who achieved outstanding results in international Cambridge exams.

Currently, universities recruit students for foundation programme based on the grades of 5 subjects in IGCSE exams, for example, the University of Melbourne (Australia) requires 19 points for 5 subjects, while RMIT University requires 15 points for 5 subjects (equivalent to 5 grade C's). Although many schools can teach the same IGCSE programme, the quality and quantity of subjects taught may differ. For example, some bilingual schools teach 3 IGCSE subjects, while VAS teaches 5-7 subjects.

A solid foundation from primary and secondary school

In order to achieve high results in the IGCSE programme and be prepared to pursue the AS/A Level programme, VAS students are equipped with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills throughout kindergarten to grade 8, with 4 optional learning pathways and two certificates which are the Primary Checkpoint and Secondary Checkpoint provided from the bilingual pathway (CAP) and the fully international pathway (CAPI).

For students who do not have sufficient English language skills or whose family financial situation is not suitable, they can begin with the new English standard programme (CEP Standard) with tuition fees starting at 13,000,000 VND/month, or the advanced English programme (CEP Advanced).

VAS is the first school in Ho Chi Minh City to introduce the Cambridge curriculum in its teaching from kindergarten to grade 12.

All foreign teachers who teach the Cambridge curriculum at VAS come from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia… have undergone a rigorous selection process and trained yearly by the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE).

Additionally, VAS has modern facilities and advanced equipment that meet the high standards of the Cambridge programme at its six campuses, providing students with easy access to the latest science and technology.

To learn more about VAS's learning pathways, please visit www.vas.edu.vn and receive early registration scholarships of up to 30,000,000 VND and many other attractive offers. To visit the campuses or need consultation, please contact the hotline at 0911 26 77 55.