The IGCSE option form arrives in Year 8 or Year 9, usually with a two week deadline and a grid of boxes that is harder to read than it looks. Which IGCSE subjects a student takes, and how many, shapes the A Level choices available two years later and the degree routes after that. This guide explains how the subject list is structured, what is fixed and what is open, and how to use the option blocks well. For what the qualification is and how it differs from GCSE, see our guide to IGCSE in Dubai.
What IGCSE Subject Groups Exist?
Both exam boards used in Dubai, Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel, organise their roughly seventy subjects into groups. Cambridge uses five; schools often add a sixth by separating Mathematics from the sciences. The groups matter because schools build option blocks around them and because Cambridge’s ICE award requires subjects from each.
| Group | What it covers | Common subjects in Dubai schools |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | First and second languages | English Language, English Literature, Arabic, French, Hindi, Spanish |
| Humanities and social sciences | How societies work | History, Geography, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Global Perspectives |
| Sciences | Separate or combined | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined or Coordinated Science |
| Mathematics | Core and extended | Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Further Pure Mathematics |
| Creative, technical and vocational | Applied and practical subjects | Business Studies, Accounting, Computer Science, ICT, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Physical Education, Music, Drama |
A student does not need every group, but a timetable that touches four of the five is the shape most sixth forms and universities expect to see.
IGCSE Compulsory Subjects
The compulsory core at a British school in Dubai is wider than in the UK, because UAE regulations add subjects to the school’s own requirements.
Set by the school and exam boards: English Language (often with English Literature), Mathematics, and at least one science. Most schools also require a second language and Physical Education, with PE taught but not always examined.
Set by UAE regulation: Arabic for all students through Year 10, Islamic Studies for Muslim students, and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies. These are compulsory curriculum subjects, but sitting them as IGCSE board exams is usually optional, so they occupy timetable time without necessarily adding to the certificate count.
The result is that six to seven periods a week are already committed before any optional choice is made, which is why the number of free options is smaller than parents expect.
How Many IGCSE Subjects Do Students Take?
Most students in Dubai sit between eight and ten: the compulsory core accounts for four to five, and option blocks add three to five more. Sixth forms typically ask for five or six passes at grade 6 (B) or above for entry, with higher grades in the subjects to be continued at A Level. Universities look at IGCSE results as a screen, and competitive courses such as medicine, dentistry and law count the number of top grades, as our guide to university pathways explains.
Beyond nine or ten subjects the return falls quickly. Admissions tutors prefer eight strong grades to twelve mixed ones, and each extra subject takes revision time from the core. A student aiming at a specific A Level route gains more from an A* in Chemistry than from a tenth subject at grade 6.
How Timetable Option Blocks Work
Schools do not let students pick freely from the whole list, because every subject has to fit a timetable in which one teacher teaches one class at one time. Instead, optional subjects are arranged in blocks, usually four to six, and a student chooses one subject from each block. Two subjects in the same block cannot be taken together.
A typical structure at a British school in Dubai looks like this:
- Block A: Biology or Economics
- Block B: Physics or Business Studies
- Block C: Chemistry or Accounting
- Block D: History or Psychology
- Block E: Computer Science or ICT or PE Theory
- Block F: a modern foreign language
Reading the grid this way makes the trade offs visible, and it is the single most useful thing to check when comparing secondary schools in Dubai. In the example above, separate sciences use three blocks and leave two free choices; a student who takes Economics instead of Biology keeps Business and Accounting available but closes the medical route. Schools build blocks from the previous year’s demand, so a combination that is impossible one year may be offered the next, and a form tutor can usually say which pairings are negotiable.
Can Students Choose All Their IGCSE Subjects?
No. Roughly half the programme is fixed by the compulsory core and UAE requirements, and the other half is constrained by the blocks. What students do control is the three to five optional choices, and those are the ones that matter.
Three principles help:
- Work backwards from A Level. A student who may want Chemistry at A Level needs Chemistry, not Combined Science, at IGCSE. The same applies to Computer Science, Economics and languages, which are difficult to start cold in Year 12.
- Keep one subject from each side. A science heavy student should keep one humanities or creative subject; a humanities student should keep separate sciences where possible. Breadth is what keeps the sixth form options open.
- Choose on strength, not friendship or teacher. Teachers change; a subject taken for the wrong reason runs for two years and appears on every university application. Schools that use personalised learning data from Years 7 and 8 can show parents where a student’s real strengths lie.
The Secondary Stage page explains how Years 7 and 8 are used to sample the optional subjects before the form is completed.
Best IGCSE Subjects for Common A Level Routes
| Intended A Level route | Subjects to secure at IGCSE | Useful additions |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine, dentistry, veterinary | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics | Psychology, a language |
| Engineering, computing | Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science | Additional Mathematics, Chemistry |
| Business, economics, finance | Mathematics, Economics or Business Studies | Accounting, History, a language |
| Law, humanities, international relations | English Literature, History | Economics, a language, Global Perspectives |
| Creative and design | Art and Design or Design and Technology | Computer Science, English Literature |
The table shows why the medical and engineering routes are the least forgiving: they consume most of the block choices. For a student who is undecided, the safest combination is separate sciences plus one humanities subject, which leaves every A Level pathway available at 16.
The IGCSE Programme at Dubai Scholars
Dubai Scholars runs a three year IGCSE programme from Year 9 to Year 11 using Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge International, with option choices made in Year 8. The compulsory core is First Language English, Mathematics, a second language from French or Hindi, Arabic and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies through Year 10, Islamic Studies for Muslim students, and Physical Education. Students then choose four optional subjects from blocks that pair Biology with Economics, Physics with Business, Chemistry with Accounting, History with Psychology, and Computer Science with ICT and PE Theory.
Because the three sciences sit in separate blocks, a student can take all three alongside Mathematics, which is the combination the Sixth Form science route expects. Students who find a subject is the wrong fit in the first term of Year 9 can discuss a change with the student support service while the content gap is still small.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Combined Science or separate sciences better at IGCSE?
Separate sciences if the student may continue any science to A Level. Combined Science counts as two IGCSEs and suits students heading towards humanities or business routes who want timetable space for other subjects, including extracurricular commitments.
Do Arabic and Islamic Studies count towards IGCSE results?
They are compulsory curriculum subjects under UAE regulation, and Arabic can be sat as an IGCSE for students who choose to. Whether or not they are examined, they do not reduce the number of optional subjects a student can take.
Can a student take a subject that is not in the option blocks?
Sometimes, through self study or a twilight class, if the exam board and the school’s exam centre allow it. It is uncommon and adds workload, so most schools advise choosing within the blocks.
What IGCSE grades are needed for A Levels?
Most sixth forms in Dubai require at least five or six passes at grade 6 (B) or above, with a 6 or 7 in each subject to be taken at A Level. The admission procedure sets out the entry criteria for students joining Dubai Scholars in Year 12.
When are the option choices made?
Usually in the spring term of Year 8 for a three year programme, or Year 9 for a two year programme. The school holds an options evening, students sample subjects in taster lessons, and the form is submitted before the summer break.
