Taking Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives helped Leipzig-based student Wilson Woltersdorf find out more about himself, and one of his favourite hobbies.
‘I chose Global Perspectives as one of my Cambridge IGCSEs because I believed it would help me in other subjects, help me develop transferable skills, collaborate with my peers, and do research more effectively.
‘I can see now that when I'm writing an extended essay I gather information a lot more effectively, thanks to the skills I gained by doing my Global Perspectives individual research project. I learnt how to find my sources, how to formulate my sentences, how to structure my essay. All these skills I can apply to my essays now.’
Global Perspectives also helped Wilson find out more about one of his hobbies: parkrun, a growing global movement of free weekly timed runs.
‘At first when choosing my research project I had problems deciding what I wanted to write about, and then my teacher suggested I write about parkrun. He said: “You run every weekend, and you seem to be having lots of fun. This is an international phenomenon that you can really write about”.
‘I went on the internet to see what I could find. There were so many interesting facts and things I could write - such as the recent rise in parkruns and how they impact on the local community, and that there are parkruns in prisons aimed at helping the inmates establish themselves in the community when they are released.’
Discovering yourself as well as the world
The Global Perspectives group project, where students team up to investigate an issue, also helped Wilson discover things about himself.
‘When I was working on my group project I learnt what kind of team member I am and what role I play best. I found that I wasn't a natural leader in the group, but that I could be given instructions and complete them efficiently, and I could be relied on.
‘Global Perspectives has also made me become a lot more accepting of new environments and new situations. We learn a lot about different cultures, and the challenges facing developing countries around the world.
‘We’re an international school, and it has helped me understand different students’ backgrounds and really welcome them into the community, knowing more about their culture. It has helped me empathise with people and to understand different experiences.
‘At first I wasn't too sure about doing Global Perspectives, but as I progressed through the course I recognised that I developed many new skills that I'm now applying everywhere. I'm very grateful I had the course at my school.’
Wilson is a student at Leipzig International School in Germany. The school was founded in 1992 and expanded to include a kindergarten in 2014, and now has around 950 students. At secondary level, students follow the Cambridge Pathway to Cambridge IGCSE.