A new and exciting development in the International School market is underway. The International School Villa Amalienhof, a wonderful old building set on beautiful grounds on the Heerstraße, offers the unique possibility in Berlin of studying the English National Curriculum and following IGCSEs with A-levels.

The I/GCSEs are taken at the age of 16. These are International/General Certificates of Secondary Education and the students usually take around eight different subjects. A-level, short for Advanced level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, usually taken by students during the final two years of Secondary School.

Many international schools around the world choose to use the British system of A-levels, as the examinations are widely recognised internationally and satisfy the entry requirements for universities around the world. A-levels consist of two parts, taken consecutively: the AS (Advanced Subsidiary) levels and then the A2 examinations, each of which are worth 50% of the final A-level grade.

Students apply to university with their AS grades already in hand and are (in the UK) made an offer conditional on their final A-level results.

What are the advantages of A-levels as compared with IB, Abitur or the French Baccalaureate? Compared with the curricula of secondary schools in many countries, the A-level system provides greater depth of the subjects being studied.

The students have the freedom to concentrate on the subjects they really enjoy and excel in whilst not being forced to study subjects in which they have little interest. If the students already know what they want to do, for example medicine, or engineering etc., then A-levels allow them to study their subjects in far greater depth.

Students are encouraged to take four or even five subjects at AS level, before specialising further to three or four A2 levels in their final school year. With this combination of a broad education and in-depth specialisation in the second year, A-levels are a passport to top universities all over the world.

Prestigious universities will welcome students with good A-level grades and may also allow them to skip the first year, as they are already so far advanced in their A-level subject areas. In Germany, for example, students can easily gain admittance to university with A-levels, so long as the chosen A-level subjects cover a broad enough spectrum. Selection of a science subject, a language and a couple of others of the student’s choice is a good combination for German universities.

Villa Amalienhof offers these possibilities in small classes with an emphasis on individual attention. Here, all teaching is in the English language and the majority of the teachers are from the UK. The infrastructure and technology are superb – for example all classrooms have interactive whiteboards and computers.

For more information or to make an appointment to see the school, please contact the school secretary.