General information and requirements
Cambridge ICE is the group award of the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (Cambridge IGCSE) and requires the study of subjects drawn from the following five subject groups:
- Languages (Group 1) – 0500 First Language English, 0511 English as a Second Language, 0520 French, 0525 German, 0530 Spanish;
- Humanities & Social Sciences (Group 2) – 0457 Global Perspectives, 0460 Geography, 0470 History;
- Sciences (Group 3) – 0610 Biology, 0620 Chemistry, 0625 Physics;
- Mathematics (Group 4) – 0580 Mathematics;
- Professional & Creative (Group 5) – 0450 Business Studies, 0478 Computer Science.
Centres benefit from offering their candidates a broad and balanced curriculum. To obtain the Cambridge ICE certificate, candidates must:
- gain a passing grade in at least seven ICE qualifying subjects;
- gain at least six Cambridge IGCSE subjects from the list of qualifying subjects;
- gain at least two passing grades in the Languages subject group (Group 1);
- gain at least one passing grade in each of the other four subject groups (Groups 2–5).
Can the results of the IGCSE exams accumulated over more examination periods be counted towards the ICE Diploma?
We encourage all candidates to enter for the qualifying subjects in a single exam series. However, candidates can accumulate the results to be used over two exam series, provided both series are within a 13-month period. It is not possible to use results from more than two exam series (e.g. a candidate entering for Cambridge ICE in June 2022 may use results gained in the June 2021 or November 2021 series but not both).
If any subjects from the first exam series are taken again in the second series, any grade awarded for the resit will not count for Cambridge ICE qualification purposes. Additionally, candidates wishing 71 to enter for Cambridge ICE again must meet the eligibility criteria without using the subject entries previously used towards their first Cambridge ICE.
Obtaining the results
To qualify for Cambridge ICE, candidates must obtain at least Grade G(g) in each of the seven subjects from the subject groups listed above. In addition, only candidates who have taken at least six Cambridge IGCSE subjects will be awarded a Cambridge ICE certificate. Candidates who meet the requirements of the Cambridge ICE award will be awarded a Pass, Merit or Distinction, which will be determined as follows:
| Results | Award |
|---|---|
| Grade A(a) or above in five subjects and Grade C(c) or above in two subjects. | Distinction |
| Grade C(c) or above in five subjects and Grade F(f) or above in two subjects. | Merit |
| Grade G(g) or above in seven subjects. | Pass |
Candidates who fail to gain Cambridge ICE will be awarded Cambridge IGCSE certificates showing the results in the individual subjects taken. The Cambridge ICE certificate will only show the level of award obtained and will not list the individual subjects contributing to the award.
