Year 1
Individual Project
Students choose their own topic and develop it as a written report of around 2,500 words, or as a practical project with a shorter supporting report.
60%
of the final grade
INTERNATIONAL GCSE GLOBAL SKILLS PROJECTS
The most important
new GCSE in a generation
One million students. One powerful new qualification. A real edge in university admissions. GEC Academy brings the OxfordAQA International GCSE Global Skills Projects, delivered by 8billionideas, to students across China and Asia.
Ask about the qualification
1M
students targeted across China and Asia over the next decade
0
written exams. Assessment is entirely project work
2
projects, each formally graded by OxfordAQA
1,000+
students have already taken part in GEC Academy’s IEPQ
A short introduction to the
most exciting new GCSE in a generation
Grades open the door. A portfolio a student can defend in person is what gets them noticed by an admissions panel.
Why grades alone aren’t
enough any more
Admissions boards see thousands of similar applications every year, many built around exam grades alone. GPAs have been climbing across many school systems for years, which makes a strong set of grades harder to use as a point of difference.
The Global Skills Projects give students that something else: an Individual Project and a Group Sustainability Action Project they can point to directly.
The applicant file
As the admissions panel sees it
Exam gradesStrong
Predicted GPASimilar to thousands of others
Hard to tell apart. The panel has grades, and little else to separate this applicant from the pile.
Assessed by doing,
not by sitting an exam
Two pieces of real project work over two years. Both are formally graded and certified by OxfordAQA, the international arm of AQA, one of the UK’s major exam boards.
Year 2
Group Sustainability Action Project
Students work in teams on a real sustainability challenge, then present their findings formally.
40%
of the final grade
Supported by 8billionideas’
The Critical Curriculum
Students choose their own Individual Project topic. The Critical Curriculum supports every topic with eight areas of future-ready skills, giving students the thinking they need to make the most of their project.
Pick an area to light its dot
A pathway that
grows with the student
Rather than two separate qualifications to choose between, GEC Academy and 8billionideas are building one continuous pathway, from IGCSE through to A-level.
Level 2
Global Skills Projects
A first, formally assessed step into independent research and project work.
Level 3
IEPQ
GEC Academy’s International Extended Project Qualification deepens the same skills into a university-facing piece of work.
Envisaged next
Advanced research
More advanced, research-based learning, as the partnership develops.
Continuous progression
One route
Global Skills Projects → IEPQ → advanced research
Tangible outcomes
Work to show
Project outputs, a documented research process and formal OxfordAQA results
Two-way markets
Shared growth
Coordinated development across China, Asia and the Middle East
Questions,
answered
No. Assessment is two pieces of real project work, each formally graded by OxfordAQA.
The Individual Project in Year 1 is worth 60%. The Group Sustainability Action Project in Year 2 is worth the remaining 40%.
In Year 1, a written report of around 2,500 words, or a practical project with a shorter supporting report. In Year 2, a team project presented formally.
OxfordAQA, the international arm of AQA, one of the UK’s major exam boards.
For students progressing toward A-level, GEC Academy’s International Extended Project Qualification (IEPQ) is the natural Level 3 continuation.
No. GEC Academy and 8billionideas are building one continuous pathway from IGCSE through to A-level.
Typically around 120 hours, including at least 30 hours of guided teaching, before formal OxfordAQA certification.
Not yet, because it is new. Comparable independent, project-based qualifications, such as the UK’s Extended Project Qualification, already show what this kind of learning can do.
GEC Academy brings it to students across China and Asia. 8billionideas is bringing GEC Academy’s IEPQ to schools in the Middle East.
Email 8billionideas at press@8billionideas.com.
Ready to give your students the opportunity of a lifetime?
If you have any questions or enquiries, please email us at press@8billionideas.com