British schools in the UAE are combining IGCSE and GCSE models to create unique curricula tailored for their pupils - amid fierce debate over the merits of the two qualifications.
Discussions over the benefits and difficulty levels of IGCSE and GCSE curriculum are taking place in schools across the UK, where many educators believe the new model of GCSE is tougher and leaving weaker pupils behind.
British schools in UAE remain unaffected by the changes as they offer a combination of both. The new GCSE model has reconfigured the GCSE examinations to become more rigorous and now uses a numerical scoring system, from 1 to 9, whereby 1 is equivalent to a G grade and 9 an A*.
The IGCSE system relies more heavily upon coursework and provide a broader ange of topics for teachers to choose from.
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification, generally taken in a number of subjects by pupils in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language curriculum offered to students to prepare them for International Baccalaureate and A levels.
Brendan Law, vice president, British Cluster Lead at Gems Education, said the debate between the two curricula has swung like a pendulum, with the IGCSE previously viewed as the tougher of the two.
“According to The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation in the UK, IGCSEs and GCSEs should be treated as one and the same in terms of standard and level of qualification. I have never seen universities favouring one over the other," said Mr Law.
The educator believes it is not simply a case of picking one system but to understand which specific course and exam board is best for the children at a particular school, on a subject by subject basis.
Back in the UK, Craig Fleming, Assistant Head Master at The Skinner's School Grammar in southern England, told The National the new GCSE's will disproportionately favour high achievers and that "there remains a strong element of doubt how they will serve the less able and those with special needs".
The 2017 GCSE results saw schools in the UAE celebrating record high scores, with 86 per cent of students achieving A*-C grades.
GCSE results in the UK last year showed a stark contrast between the new linear exams and the IGCSE's. Less than 20 per cent of students managed to receive a grade 4, considered the equivalent of a low C, in English and just over 20 per cent in Maths. In contrast, English Literature IGCSE students in the UK enjoyed an almost 90 per cent A* - C result.
Former Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening has emphasised that in the new GCSE exams "a 'standard pass' is a credible achievement and one that should be valued as a passport to future study and employment".
Fiona McKenzie, director of Gabbitas Middle East, an educational consultant based in Dubai, explained that international schools traditionally opt for the IGCSE exams as they are designed for the international market and are less UK centric in their subject matter.
“The academic rigour added to their credibility. With the reformed GCSEs there is some debate as to whether this is still the case. But it is really early to tell,” said Ms McKenzie.
“The focus on terminal exam-based assessment does mean that they are far from ideal for special needs pupils as these are long exams and value skills of writing and recall rather than measure understanding and ability,” she said.
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“Talking to heads of schools in the UAE they are cautioning about making judgements too early about relative performance and trends when the new GCSEs are still new and patterns can't yet emerge,” she said.
Clive Pierrepont, director of communications at education provider Taaleem, said IGCSE has a coursework element and people thought was perhaps easier and less intensive than an end of course exam.
"Some universities lean towards GCSE rather than IGCSE. They won’t give a reason, but there has been some bias reported,” he said.
“I think there should be many pathways within schools and exams such as GCSE or IGCSE are not necessarily the be-all and end-all. I believe in vocational education alternatives.
"We need to rethink our examination system. This is considered by many to be an outdated system that doesn’t necessarily teach the skills crucial for future success. Many children do not fit easily into narrow academic lanes," he said.
The educator believes Dubai's education sector's ability to innovate helps pupils.
"The children in international private schools here mainly come from motivated, middle-class families. The education here is as good if not better than most schools in the UK. There is a tremendous amount of innovation in schools happening here" he said.
*Additional reporting by Chris Greaves
SPEC%20SHEET
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AL%20BOOM
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
SPECS
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
Based: Dubai Investment Park 1
Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Company%20Profile
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
