Advanced International Certificate of Education
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The Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) is an advanced academic pre-university curriculum. More than half of the schools offering the Certificate of Education are state funded schools. The program, administered by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), a non-profit department of the University of Cambridge in England, is the most widely recognized pre-university educational program. However, it remains less popular than nationally affiliated preparatory programs in most countries, such as that of the Advanced Placement examination system in the United States and Canada. [1]
[edit] Curriculum
The Certificate of Education (CE) curriculum consists of three groups of study:
| Mathematics & Science | Languages | Arts & Humanities |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | English Language | Accounting |
| Chemistry | English Language & Literature | Art & Design |
| Computing | First Language Spanish | Business Studies |
| Environmental Science | First Language Portuguese | Economics |
| Higher Mathematics | Foreign Language Afrikaans | General Paper |
| Pure mathematics | Foreign Language Chinese | Geography |
| Mathematics Mechanics | Foreign Language Portuguese | History |
| Mathematics Statistics | Foreign Language Spanish | Literature in Arabic |
| Physics | Foreign Language French | Literature in Chinese |
| Psychology | Foreign Language German | Literature in English |
| Technology | Foreign Language Urdu | Literature in French |
| Thinking Skills | English half credit | Literature in German |
| Statistics half credit | Literature in Portuguese | |
| Literature in Spanish | ||
| Music | ||
| Psychology | ||
| Sociology | ||
| Thinking Skills |
[edit] Assessment
Examinations are held in June and/or November each year with results issued in August and February, respectively. Up to three sessions may be used to take the examinations leading to the AICE Diploma providing they are all taken within a 13 month period. Students may re-take examinations after a failure or to improve their AICE score.
| Grade | A level | AS level | Half Credit | Research Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 120 | 60 | 30 | 30 |
| B | 100 | 50 | 25 | 25 |
| C | 80 | 40 | 20 | 20 |
| D | 60 | 30 | 15 | 15 |
| E | 40 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
[edit] Awards
The diploma is awarded at three levels, comparable to the Latin honors program.
- Distinction is awarded for examination scores of 320 and above.
- Merit is awarded for examination scores between 220 and 315.
- Pass is awarded for examination scores between 120 and 215.
[edit] Diploma conditions
In order to qualify for the AICE Diploma, a student must pass at least six credits with study in at least three subjects drawn from three different curriculum groups: Mathematics & Sciences; Languages; Arts & Humanities. Advanced (A) subjects generally involve two years of study and count as two credits. Advanced Subsidiary (AS) subjects are a year in length and count as one credit. There are some subjects available as half credit. Another option permits the student to substitute two research projects – each around 3000 words in length – for a full credit course. The research projects are normally based on topics relating to two of the student’s examination subjects and encourage students to develop independent research skills, initiative, creativity and the ability to apply skills and knowledge in a topic of interest to the student.
[edit] Recognition
In Canada and the United States, some AICE courses are recognized as equivalent to university/college-level courses, and universities and colleges may award entering students with first-year credit depending on their points totals. In this regard it is similar to the Advanced Placement Program.
Many school systems in the United States have begun to use AICE programs in order to draw the county's best students to schools in less affluent neighborhoods. The goal of many school systems is to use AICE programs as a way to elevate the educational standards of schools that are struggling to meet the No Child Left Behind Act guidelines and local/state requirements. AICE also offers a path for less affluent students to gain the credentials required for today's competitive entrance requirements to selective national colleges and universities. Also, by drawing many of the county's best students to the program, the school may be able to elevate the school's grade assessment.
