Most independent schools that take new pupils into Year 12 teach A-levels, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, or both, whilst Cambridge International's own pages now describe the Cambridge Pre-U as withdrawn, with no further examinations available. Which route a student follows therefore depends first on what the chosen school offers, and some schools, such as Malvern College, say the choice is discussed during admissions. Gov.uk lists A levels and the International Baccalaureate diploma together as Level 3 qualifications.
Because UCAS states that universities set their own entry criteria for their courses, either route can lead to an undergraduate application, and the useful question for a family with a child aged 13 to 16 is which structure suits the student's subjects, working style and intended degree. Reading each school's sixth-form admissions page before registering shows which routes it runs and how its entry tests are arranged for each one.
Which post-16 routes do independent schools offer?
Independent schools usually offer A-levels, the IB Diploma, or both, and each school's own sixth-form page states which. Malvern College says its Sixth Formers can pick the IB Diploma Programme, A levels or BTECs, depending on their academic strengths and future university plans. NLCS describes separate entrance tests for its A level and IB pathways, which shows that both routes run side by side there. Other schools offer a single route, so the list differs from one school to the next and the school's page decides.
How is the IB Diploma structured?
Students on the IB Diploma Programme study six subjects drawn from six subject groups, alongside a three-part core. The IB names the groups as studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics and the arts, and a student may take a second subject from sciences, individuals and societies or languages in place of an arts subject. Each subject is taken at higher or standard level. Drawing a subject from most groups gives the programme its breadth.
Its core consists of an extended essay based on personal research, a theory of knowledge course that asks students to examine how they know what they know, and creativity, activity, service (CAS). According to the IB, a student must reach a minimum standard in the extended essay to be awarded the diploma, and the CAS portfolio is not formally assessed.
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A-levels are Level 3 qualifications taken in individually chosen subjects, so a student builds a combination around the courses they want to study at university. Entry tests at independent schools reflect this: NLCS, for instance, asks A level applicants to sit three to four one-hour papers in the subjects they wish to study, based on the common core of GCSE syllabuses. Each school's course information lists the subjects, exam boards and assessment formats it uses, which is where to confirm the detail for a particular school.
Is the Cambridge Pre-U still available?
Cambridge International's page states that Cambridge Pre-U is now withdrawn and that no further examinations are available. Cambridge says it developed the qualification with input from universities and higher education, which explains why older descriptions of it still circulate online. For recognition questions the page directs university staff to Cambridge's Guidance for Universities and its guide for admissions staff, and it does not itself say how universities treat the qualification today.
A school that still mentions Pre-U subjects can be asked directly what it teaches and what a new entrant would sit. Cambridge International continues to offer Cambridge International AS and A Levels, which a school may describe as its Cambridge route.
How do UK universities treat each route?
UCAS states that universities set their own entry criteria for their courses and can accept any qualification they consider relevant and at the appropriate level. Its advice for international advisers adds that the IB Diploma appears in the UCAS Tariff tables because it is regulated in the UK, and that universities can choose whether to accept Tariff points for it. Some universities list requirements in Tariff points, which UCAS says does not mean they refuse international qualifications.
For any qualification where a family is unsure, UCAS advises contacting the university directly. That applies to a Pre-U held by an older sibling or cousin as much as to the two current routes.
What changes when you enter a new sixth form?
Entering a new school at Year 12 means its route list, entry tests and subject requirements apply from the outset, so the admissions page is the first document to read. Malvern College says the choice between the IB Diploma, A levels and BTECs is discussed in the admissions process, and NLCS tests A level applicants on three to four chosen subjects whilst IB applicants sit three Higher Level papers and one Standard Level paper.
Neither page says the route is fixed at application, and neither states a deadline for deciding, so a family can ask each school whether a student may change route after joining. International families should check gov.uk for any immigration question, and the sixth-form scholarships guide covers funding.
How can a family decide between the routes?
Deciding starts with the degree courses a student has in mind and the subjects they want to keep studying, followed by a check of which routes the shortlisted schools offer. Course pages on university websites show whether they quote A level grades, IB points or both, since UCAS confirms that each university sets its own criteria.
Useful questions to put to a school:
- Which routes do you offer to new Year 12 entrants?
- Which entry tests apply to each route?
- Can a student change route after joining?
- How have leavers on each route applied to university?
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Frequently asked questions
- Is the Cambridge Pre-U still available?
- Cambridge International's page states that Cambridge Pre-U is now withdrawn and that no further examinations are available. Anyone told that a school teaches Pre-U subjects should ask the school what a new Year 12 entrant would sit. Questions about university recognition are best put to the university concerned, as UCAS advises contacting universities directly when in doubt.
- Do UK universities accept the IB Diploma as well as A-levels?
- UCAS says universities set their own entry criteria and can accept any qualification they consider relevant and at the appropriate level. It also says the IB Diploma appears in the UCAS Tariff tables because it is regulated in the UK. Because requirements differ by course, the university's own course page gives the exact expectation for each route.
- What are the extended essay and theory of knowledge in the IB?
- They form part of the IB Diploma core, alongside creativity, activity, service. The extended essay is based on personal research, and theory of knowledge is a course in which students examine how they know what they know. The IB says a minimum standard in the extended essay is needed for the diploma to be awarded.
- Can students choose between A-levels and the IB when applying to a new school?
- Where a school offers both, the choice is often part of admissions. Malvern College says it is discussed during the admissions process, and NLCS sets different entrance papers for each pathway. Schools that offer only one route leave no choice to make. Ask each school whether the route can change after entry, as the pages read do not say.
- Where can applicants find which routes a school offers?
- Each school's sixth-form admissions page states the routes it teaches, the subjects available and the entry tests used. The Independent Schools Council and the Boarding Schools' Association list member schools, though the school's own page decides what is offered. A tutor can help a student practise for the subject papers and prepare for the interview once the route is chosen.
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