Curricula and assessments
Many Bali parents first meet the Core and Extended decision in a school email. This guide explains what the tiers are, how grading differs, and how the choice affects later study.
In many Cambridge IGCSE subjects, your child is entered for one of two tiers. Core covers the essential content of the subject and is graded up to a maximum of C. Extended covers the same core content plus more demanding material and is graded up to A*. The school chooses the tier, usually with your input, and the choice sets both the grade ceiling and, often, the route into sixth-form study.
This guide is for parents of students in Years 9 to 11 at Cambridge schools, in Bali and beyond, who have received a tier-entry decision, or expect one soon.
| Core | Extended | |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Foundational syllabus content | All Core content plus additional, harder material |
| Grades available | C to G | A* to E (A* to G in some subjects) |
| Grade ceiling | C is the maximum | A* is the maximum |
| Typically suits | Students building secure foundations, or finding the Extended pace difficult | Students aiming for the top grades, or planning to continue the subject post-16 |
| Post-16 consequence | A C may not satisfy entry requirements for A-Level or IB Higher Level in that subject | Keeps A-Level and IB Higher Level routes open |
IGCSE stands for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, a set of subject qualifications typically taken between the ages of 14 and 16. Many IGCSE syllabuses, including mathematics and the sciences, are offered at two levels of difficulty, known as tiers.
The Core tier teaches the foundational content of the syllabus: the ideas every student of the subject should command. The Extended tier includes everything in the Core syllabus plus additional, more challenging material. Both tiers are examined in the same exam series, and both lead to an IGCSE certificate in the subject. The difference is the depth of the paper and the grades available.
Grading is where the choice bites. On the Core paper, the available grades run from C down to G. A student sitting Core cannot be awarded above a C, however strong their paper, because the questions are targeted at that range. On the Extended paper, grades run from A* down to E; in some subjects the Extended range runs A* to G. Your school can confirm which scale applies to each subject your child takes.
Some schools and exam zones use a 9 to 1 grading scale instead of A* to G, where 9 is the highest grade. The principle is identical: the Core tier caps the top grade available, and the Extended tier opens the full range.
The school makes the entry, not the exam board and not the parent. Teachers recommend a tier from evidence: classwork, tests and mock examinations. The school’s exams officer then submits entries to Cambridge before the entry deadline for the relevant exam series. Cambridge runs two series each year, in June and November; June-series exams are held in May and June with results in August, and the November series runs in October and November with results in mid-January.
Parents are normally consulted, and you are entitled to ask for the evidence behind a recommendation. A tier entry is a prediction about which paper serves your child better, made by people who have seen their work. Treat it as a professional judgement to discuss, not a verdict to accept silently or reject angrily.
The right tier depends on the subject, the student’s current level and, above all, what comes next. Work through these questions for each tiered subject:
Two worked cases make the pattern clearer. A hypothetical example: a student secure at grade B level in mathematics who wants IB Maths at Higher Level needs Extended, full stop. A second hypothetical example: a student working at grade D level in a science they will drop at sixteen may be better served by Core, trading an unreachable high grade for a solid one.
One further consideration is the Cambridge ICE award, the group certificate awarded to students who pass at least seven IGCSE subjects drawn across five subject groups. ICE is awarded at Pass, Merit or Distinction, and a Distinction requires grade A or better in five subjects. Because Core entries cannot award an A, a student aiming for ICE Distinction needs enough Extended entries to supply those grades. If ICE matters to your family, raise it when tiers are discussed.
Tier decisions are not always final, but they get harder to change as the course progresses. Moving up from Core to Extended means learning the additional material, so the earlier it happens the better; a change early in Year 10 is usually straightforward, while a change late in Year 11 may not be realistic. Moving down to Core is simpler academically but still bound by the school’s entry deadlines.
If you believe the current tier is wrong, act in this order: speak to the subject teacher, then the head of department, and ask what evidence would justify a change and by when. Schools want the entry that produces the right outcome for the student, because the right entry serves the school too.
Tutoring helps most in three situations: a student working below the level their plans require, a student with gaps from a curriculum change or a school move, and a student aiming to move from Core to Extended who needs the additional material taught properly and quickly.
A tutor can close specific gaps, build exam technique and give you an honest second view of where your child stands. A tutor cannot sit the exam, change the school’s entry, or promise a grade, and you should be wary of anyone who offers to. The tier decision belongs to you and the school; our job is to make sure that whichever tier your child sits, they sit it ready.
Checked 14 September 2026. Next review due August 2027, and sooner if Cambridge changes tier or grading arrangements.
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