Subject Choice Guidelines

The below information is vital to choosing the correct subjects for your studies

Start with The end in mind

This is the most important point to remember when choosing your subjects. Always begin by trying to decide what your GOAL is. Once you know what you would like to do after high school you can better understand the two steps below.

There are two steps to deciding what subjects to take:

1. The level required for further studies.

This depends on what type of tertiary studies you want to go into once you have completed high school. There are 2 major choices, either the more academic Bachelor Degree studies or the more practical Diploma and National Certificate studies.

2. The subjects required for further studies.

Once you know what level you require you can decide on what subjects to choose from those on offer. You need to choose certain compulsory subjects, but over and above those you should choose subjects that will best prepare you for your future field of study.

As you scroll down this page we will take you through those steps and help you answer those quesitons.

Step 1 – What route would you like to take after Matric?

University Bachelors Degree

If you wish to study a Bachelors Degree at University then you will need to study a minimum of 6 Subjects at the International GCSE level and continue at least 5 of those subjects up to the AS-Level in order to get a Matric Certificate WITH Exemption.

More Details

Diplomas and Certificates

If you wish to study a more practical course like a Diploma or National Certificate you will need to study more subjects at the International GCSE level but you will not have to take as many up to AS-Level as you may only require a Matric Certificate WITHOUT Exemption.

More Details

Step 2 – What Subjects do you need to take to follow that route?

Once you know what level of study you wish to pursue (i.e. Bachelors Degree or Diploma/Certificate studies) you are now able to decide which subjects to choose. Remember that you require the minimum number of subjects for your desired tertiary course of study. If you are not sure of how many subjects you will need in total, please go back to Step 1 of the subject choice guidelines process.

If you are satisfied that you have put a peg in the ground for Step 1 then you can move on by following the steps below and choosing subjects from the table.

Please note that although there are more subjects listed on the USAF document than in the table below, we unfortunately do not offer support for all of them. Furthermore the subjects shaded in blue are only available through Imperial International College at an International GCSE (Gr 10/11) level and as such must either be the subject that is carried or must be chosen as an extra subject.

Steps to Choosing Subjects

Select English Language as your first subject. This can potentially be written at an IGCSE level, but we always recommend completing this subject up to AS-Level.
Select another language subject (either First Language or Second Language) from either Group I or II.
Select TWO subjects from two of Group III, IV, and V.
Depending on your answer to Step 1:

either choose 3 more subjects from any Group for the recommended total of 6 International GCSE subjects (if your goal is a Bachelors Degree)

OR

choose another 2 subjects for a total of 5 International GCSE subjects or choose another 4 subjects for a total of 7 International GCSE subjects (if your goal is a Diploma or Higher Certificate)

N.B.!

All Group V subjects at Cambridge International AS Level are only recognised if the candidate has passed IGCSE Mathematics with a minimum of a C symbol (60%).
Therefore students wanting to study Accounting, Business Studies or Computer Science will need to take Mathematics as a compulsory subject as well.
- Mathematics needs to be written either at IGCSE level and passed with minimum of a C symbol (60%), or written at AS-Level and passed with minimum of a D symbol (50%).
- For detailed requirements please go to http://mb.usaf.ac.za/exemption-requirements/

N.B.!!

Should they be interested in any of these subjects, students studying with I.I.C. may choose only ONE of either:
- French 2nd Language, OR
- Computer Science
The reason for this is that I.I.C.’s tutor support for these subjects is only offered at IGCSE level.
- Students can carry ONE IGCSE subject as a credit toward their AS-Level subjects/credits to meet the minimum requirements.
- Choosing more than one of the three subjects above means that a student would then have two IGCSE credits but neither of those two is supported again at AS-Level by I.I.C.
- This would result in one of these credits falling away, unless the student takes a 7th subject, which could result in a wasted effort on the student’s part.
- To avoid a wasted credit, students are advised to therefore choose only ONE of the IGCSE subjects that we at I.I.C. do not offer at AS-Level.

Once you know your course of study and you have chosen your subjects, you can apply to study through I.I.C.

Apply to Study Through I.I.C.

If you are unsure of any of the steps that you have gone through PLEASE contact us and we will gladly guide you through the subject choice process in more detail.

Contact Us For More Info

Matric Certificate With Exemption

Universities South Africa (a governing body that endorses international qualifications) has determined the minimum requirements to obtain a Matric Certificate WITH Exemption for students who have written the International GCSE and AS-Level examinations.

I.I.C. recommends a student choose 6 subjects as this makes them more competitive when applying to Universities; however, the minimum legal USAF requirements for a Matric Certificate with Exemption are:

5 Subjects in total, of which:
- 4 Subjects must be passed at AS-Level level (minimum mark D – 50%)
- 1 Subject passed at IGCSE Level (minimum mark C – 60%)
Students must take English First Language as a compulsory subject.
- This does not necessarily need to be completed at AS-Level, and can potentially be written at IGCSE level only, however we always advise that students take this subject up to AS-Level. Please contact us for further clarification.
Students must have a Second Language.

Summarised from Paragraph 14 of the South African Higher Education Act (Act 101) of 1997.

Please note that these are the minimum legal requirements. As mentioned above we in fact recommend that a student take 6 subjects in total – 5 up to the AS-Level (Gr 12) and 1 up to the International GCSE Level (Gr 10/11) . This extra subject will make no difference to a student’s qualification for a Matric Certificate, however it will influence their AP or M score when applying to university which in turn gives them a better chance of getting into their chosen course.

Before commencing with your Gr 10/11 studies, it is imperative that you first confirm that your chosen subjects will get you an adequate score when applying to the relevant faculties at your preferred Universities. To find this information out you need to contact the universities to which you will one day apply.

See below an extract from the USAF requirements document that describes the minimum required subjects mentioned above.

In the fifth column of the image above it mentions that a student MUST choose ONE subject from Group I or II and another TWO subjects from two of Groups III, IV, and V. The other two (or more) subjects can come from any Group.

For the full Universities South Africa Document visit – https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/523166-university-recognition-south-africa.pdf

If you would like to aim for a Matric Certificate WITH Exemption as described above you can now move on to the second step of “The subjects required for further studies”.

Move on to Step 2

Matric Certificate Without Exemption

In order to obtain a Matric Certificate WITHOUT Exemption i.e. a Matric Certificate in its basic form, a student must successfully complete one of the following two courses of study:

5 Subjects in total, of which:
- 2 Subjects must be passed at AS-Level (minimum mark D – 50%)
- 3 Subjects must be passed at International GCSE Level (minimum mark C – 60%)

Or

7 Subjects in total, of which:
- 2 Subjects must be passed at AS-Level (minimum mark D – 50%)
- 5 Subjects must be passed at International GCSE Level (minimum mark E – 40%)

Each of the above combinations must include English Language, or the mother tongue as a first language.

A Matric certificate WITHOUT exemption will not grant the student the ability to apply to South African Universities however they will be able to apply to other tertiary institutions such as Universities of Technology, FET Colleges and Academies who are registered as Higher Education Institutions with the Department of Higher Education in South Africa. At these institutions you can study many diploma, higher certificate and other recognised courses to further your education. Some of these courses, once successfully completed, will make you eligible to apply for University Bachelors Degree courses if you so wish.

Grade 11 Equivalent

A minimum of five subjects passed at International GCSE level (minimum mark D – 50%), including English Language and/or the mother tongue, is the equivalent of a South African Grade Eleven.

If you would like to aim for a Matric Certificate WITHOUT Exemption or a Grade 11 Qualification as described above you can now move on to the second step of “The subjects required for further studies”.

Move on to Step 2