Case studies

A number of countries are working with Cambridge to deliver bilingual programmes. Below are just a few examples of countries using Cambridge qualifications alongside their own national curricula.

Working together on the French Baccalaureate

France was the first country to integrate syllabuses devised with foreign partners into its national system of university entrance level examinations. The Baccalaureate with International Option, known as the OIB, was developed as a special version of the French Baccalaureate, based on partnerships between the French Ministry of Education and a number of foreign authorities. The result is a well-balanced academic qualification upon which a challenging curriculum for bilingual students is based.

The British version of the Baccalaureate with International Option is an integrated Franco-British school-leaving certificate which is jointly certified by Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge) and the French Ministry of Education. It is the fruit of many years of Franco-British educational co-operation.

To obtain the British version of the OIB, students must supplement the traditional French Baccalaureate with a History-Geography course (taught bilingually) and English Language and Literature. The result is an integrated Franco-British school-leaving certificate which combines the breadth and rigour of the French Baccalaureate with A Level standard studies in History-Geography and English Language & Literature. These two subjects are taught and examined in English using syllabi and assessment practices overseen and validated by Cambridge Assessment International Education. Cambridge’s role is to provide quality assurance for the OIB.

The British OIB makes academic and linguistic demands to an equal level in English and French with the intention of making students 'bicultural' as well as bilingual. Those who succeedin this dual curriculum develop a capacity for hard work, and an intellectual and cultural flexibility that gives them the potential to become excellent undergraduates in Britain, France and elsewhere.

Cambridge works in close collaboration with the Association des Sections Internationales Britanniques et Anglophones (ASIBA). ASIBA is an association which supports the British version of the International Option of the French Baccalauréat (OIB). Together Cambridge and ASIBA produced a brochure for UK university admissions offices to enable UK universities to understand the value of this unique qualification and how it compares with its UK counterparts.

The OIB brochure is available online both in English and in French:

Baccalaureate with International Option brochure (2MB)

Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB), France, Version britannique (5MB)

Please note: Enquiries regarding the OIB and its acceptance in the UK should be directed to ASIBA:

ASIBA Association des Sections Internationales Britanniques et Anglophones
21, allée de Bourrienne
92500 RUEIL-MALMAISON
info@asiba.info
www.asiba.info

Ministerio de Educación and British Council, Spain

The British Council has been working on a bilingual schools project with the Ministry of Education in Spain since 1996. More than 80,000 young people in Spanish state schools are now receiving a bilingual education.

Schools follow the national curriculum for subjects taught in Spanish, and an integrated curriculum for subjects taught in English. At secondary level, students can take Cambridge IGCSE examinations in subjects including English, Geography, History and Biology.

Speaking about her experience of Cambridge IGCSE, Carmen García, Head of English at Manuel de Falla School in Madrid, said: "These exams test pupils' understanding of the effects of words. For the first time, I felt I was really teaching English, not just the grammar."

Visit the British Council Spain website.

TTO schools in the Netherlands

TTO schools are a network of bilingual state schools in the Netherlands. Several TTO schools are following the Cambridge Secondary 1 programme and using Cambridge Checkpoint, a diagnostic testing service which provides feedback on English, maths and science. Teachers say that the tests support learning:

"The Cambridge Checkpoint exams, together with the progress checks, give schools, teachers, parents and pupils an educational diagnostic tool to monitor the educational progress of our Dutch bilingual pupils in multiple subjects. The statements of achievement are also a formal way to end the first three years of bilingual education." Mr A Piketh, Bilingual Coordinator, Stedelijk College, Eindhoven

Visit the European Platform website.