General Certificate of Secondary Education

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the name of a set of British qualifications, taken by secondary school students, at age of 14-16 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (in Scotland, the equivalent is the Standard Grade). It is usually taken between these ages although some students may have the opportunity to take one or more GCSEs early. The education systems of other British territories, such as Gibraltar and ex-British (influenced) territory South Africa, also use the qualifications as supplied by the same examination boards. IGCSE is the International "version" of GCSE, which includes some more options so that it can be applied to the whole world, such as optional coursework, language options etc. When GCSEs are taken at high school they can often be combined with other certifications such as GNVQ.