To take account of differing abilities, there is a choice between Core and Extended papers in some IGCSE subjects. This allows teachers to decide on the most appropriate level of papers for their students.

 

The Core curriculum in each subject is within the ability range of a large majority of students. It provides a full overview of the subject and is targeted at students expected to achieve grades C to G.

 

The Extended curriculum, made up of the Core curriculum and the Supplement, has been designed for the more academically able and leads naturally into higher education or professional training. It is targeted at those expected to achieve grades A* to E. The Supplement describes the extra topics or depth which must be added to the Core curriculum to produce the Extended curriculum.

 

Students do not need to enter for the same level of curriculum in all subjects.

 

Target Grades	Grades Available
Core Curriculum	C  D  E  F  G
Extended Curriculum	A*  A  B  C  D  E

 

The overlap of three grades (C, D and E) is designed to accommodate students who perform either better or worse than their teachers expect. Students who fail to meet the minimum satisfactory standard for either the Core curriculum (Grade G) or the Extended curriculum (Grade E) will be ungraded.

 

In some subjects, the exam covers the complete ability range and there is no choice of Core and Extended papers. For these subjects, the full range of grades is available.

 

It is important to remember that Core covers grades C to G and Extended covers grades A* to E. If a student is securely in the ‘middle’ of the range, only the Extended tier will offer the grades the student may be capable of achieving. Students are not able to achieve above a C for their syllabus grade if they are entered for the Core curriculum.

 

From https://help.cambridgeinternational.org/