The IGCSE threshold refers to the minimum marks a student needs to earn in order to pass an IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) exam. If you get below the threshold, you fail that particular course but can attempt the same course again next year. The threshold varies by subject and can change every year; thus, students need to keep up with these changes so they know what to expect.
These thresholds are decided after each examination has been taken and marked. Marks are turned into grades by setting grade boundaries. The grade boundaries define the minimum score required to get a grade. The difficulty of the exam is also put into consideration while defining the grade thresholds. With the help of statistical data and experts, the grade boundaries are set.
The aim in each year (or examination series) is to set each threshold in just the right place to ensure that it is no more difficult and no less difficult to obtain that grade than it was in the previous year. You can obtain the table in the grade threshold for each paper or other component for the November 2021 exam at cambridgeinternational.org
The table above (example) also shows the thresholds used for the options available. An option is a permitted combination of papers or other components that make up the overall qualification. The aim in each year (or examination series) is to set each threshold in just the right place to ensure that it is no more difficult and no less difficult to obtain that grade than it was in the previous year.
To fulfil that aim the thresholds can be lowered from one examination to another if the questions in a paper have been more difficult than last time (or raise the thresholds if the questions have been easier). This is to be fair to candidates from one series to another.
Marking and Grading
A great deal of people interested in taking an IGCSE course will eventually run into the question of how the grades and marking system works. After the exam, all the papers are sorted out and sealed into packages which are then sent back to Cambridge Assessment International. Most of the answer sheets are scanned and then sent to examiners electronically. The examiners mark these papers on a computer. Some exams are marked on the paper by examiners, whereas the Multiple Choice Question exams are checked and marked automatically by a computer.
The marking scheme is a system used to judge student work and assign grades. In Cambridge Examinations, each question in an examination paper is given a mark out of 40 or 60 (depending on what grade you are aiming for). These marks are then added together to give your total grade. This means that, unlike some other countries, it doesn’t matter if you get all marks for one question wrong: as long as you still reach 40/60, your grade will be counted as ‘pass’.
This graphic illustrates the Marking Process:
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IGCSE stands for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, developed by the University of Cambridge International Examinations. IGCSE course is a two-year programme designed for candidates aged 14 to 16 years, starting at the Class 9 level. Students taking IGCSE examinations will be gaining a qualification that is recognized globally.
IGCSE provides a broad and flexible study program and covers subjects from a variety of areas: Languages, Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Creative, Technical and Vocational. One receives an “IGCSE” qualification for each subject one takes.