Maths pathways at 12 Singapore international schools
The same Grade 10 maths can mean Cambridge IGCSE, Edexcel, MYP or a school’s own course, depending on the school. I compared the secondary maths pathway at 12 international schools from each school’s own curriculum documents, with no scores or rankings.
Four things to know
Grade 9–10 maths is not one course
Cambridge IGCSE 0607 (ACS(I), Dulwich), Edexcel International GCSE (Tanglin, Nexus), OxfordAQA (SJI), MYP (CIS, ISS, SAIS, OFS), the school’s own course (UWCSEA, HCIS) and US courses (SAS).
Almost every school has a route towards HL
Additional Mathematics, Further Pure Mathematics, the AQA Further Maths certificate, Mathematics Plus or MYP Extended: the names differ, but most schools offer a harder Grade 9–10 option.
AI HL is not on every list
ISS, Nexus, ACS(I) and SJI list AA HL, AA SL and AI SL but not AI HL. SAS does not offer the IB at all; its students take AP and the school’s AT courses.
Three schools run on a January calendar
ACS(I), SJI and HCIS start the school year in January, and their IB students sit the November exams instead of May.
The programme at each stage
Grades are shown in the US/IB numbering. Schools that use UK Years or their own Year names are shown with those names in brackets.
- IB programmes
- UK qualifications (IGCSE, A Level)
- US courses and AP
- School’s own programme
| School | Grades 6–8 | Grades 9–10 | Grades 11–12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACS(I)ACS (International) | Year 1–2 (G7–8) | Cambridge IGCSE (Year 3–4) | IB DP (Year 5–6) |
| CISCanadian International School | PYP (G6) · MYP (G7–8) | MYP | IB DPExtended Pathway (IB + AP) |
| DulwichDulwich College (Singapore) | Year 7–8 school curriculum (English-based) | IGCSE / GCSE (3 years, Year 9–11) | IB DPInternational A Level (STEM)Dulwich High School Diploma |
| HCISHwa Chong International School | Foundation (Year 1–2, G7–8) | Pre-IB (Year 3–4), IGCSE optional | IB DP (Year 5–6) |
| ISSISS International School | MYP | MYP (Grade 10 eAssessment) | IB DPISS High School Diploma |
| NexusNexus International School | MYP (Year 7–9) | IGCSE (Year 10–11) | IB DP |
| OFSOverseas Family School | MYP | MYPCambridge IGCSE | IB DPOFS High School Diploma |
| SJI IntlSJI International | Foundation IGCSE (G7–8) | IGCSEGrade 10 Foundation Course (to DP) | IB DP |
| SASSingapore American School | US middle school | US high school | AP and AT courses (no IB) |
| SAISStamford American International School | MYP-based | MYP (all students) | IB DPAPBTEC · Stamford courses |
| TanglinTanglin Trust School | Middle School (Year 7–9, British-based) | (I)GCSE (Year 10–11) | A LevelIB DP |
| UWCSEAUWCSEA (Dover and East) | UWCSEA curriculum | UWCSEA Grade 9–10 programme (no IGCSE) | IB DP or IB courses |
ACS(I), SJI and HCIS start secondary school at Grade 7 (Year 1), so Grade 6 is not part of their secondary programme.
Grade 9–10 maths, school by school
The exact course names and codes each school publishes, and the harder option that usually leads towards HL maths.
| School | Maths course | Harder option |
|---|---|---|
| ACS(I) | Cambridge IGCSE International Mathematics (0607), all students | Additional Mathematics (0606), optional: grade B in Year 2 or 75% in the entry test |
| CIS | MYP Mathematics | Not published |
| Dulwich | Cambridge IGCSE International Mathematics (0607), Extended or Core | OCR Additional Mathematics (6993) for the top band, which covers Extended at a faster pace |
| HCIS | Integrated Mathematics (Pre-IB); Cambridge IGCSE optional at the end of Year 4 | Not published |
| ISS | MYP Mathematics, Standard or Extended | MYP Mathematics Extended |
| Nexus | Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A, Higher or Foundation | Further Pure Mathematics (4PM1), by approval |
| OFS | MYP Mathematics with Cambridge IGCSE (Core or Extended) | Accelerated class that prepares for HL |
| SJI Intl | Cambridge IGCSE Extended Mathematics, or OxfordAQA International GCSE Mathematics | Cambridge Additional Mathematics (about half of students) |
| SAS | Integrated Math I–III and Precalculus; AP Calculus BC is open from Grade 9 | Accelerated courses, e.g. Integrated Math III with Precalculus |
| SAIS | MYP Integrated Mathematics 9 and 10, Standard or Extended | Extended: MAP score 250+ (or 85th percentile), 24+ in Grade 8 MYP maths, teacher recommendation |
| Tanglin | Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics (4MA1), Higher or Foundation | AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Mathematics (8365) in extension sets |
| UWCSEA | UWCSEA Mathematics (school-designed, compulsory) | Mathematics Plus (optional extension course) |
IGCSE syllabuses overlap but differ in emphasis; Cambridge 0607 (International) is designed for use with a graphic calculator. Additional Mathematics and Further Pure Mathematics add the algebra and calculus that AA HL builds on.
IB maths options and other routes
Which of the four IB maths courses each school offers, and the other maths routes in Grades 11–12.
| School | AA HL | AA SL | AI HL | AI SL | Other maths routes | IB exams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACS(I) | – | – | November | |||
| CIS | AP courses in the Extended Pathway (subjects not listed) | May | ||||
| Dulwich | International A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics | May | ||||
| HCIS | AA and AI listed; levels not published | – | November | |||
| ISS | – | ISS Mathematics (High School Diploma) | May | |||
| Nexus | – | – | May | |||
| OFS | – | May | ||||
| SJI Intl | – | – | November | |||
| SAS | No IB: AP and AT courses | AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB and BC, AT Linear Algebra, AT Multivariable Calculus and more | – | |||
| SAIS | AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Statistics | May | ||||
| Tanglin | International A Level Mathematics (YMA01) and Further Mathematics | May | ||||
| UWCSEA | – | May | ||||
● offered · – not on the school’s published subject list
“Not on the list” means the course is missing from the subject list the school publishes; schools can change their offer from year to year. A Level Mathematics is offered at Dulwich (STEM pathway) and Tanglin; AP maths at SAS, SAIS and CIS (Extended Pathway).
Published criteria for the higher maths level
Four schools publish how students reach the higher maths level. I did not find published thresholds for the other eight, where placement is by teacher recommendation or school assessment.
ACS (International)
AA HL requires Additional Mathematics (or the Pre-IB / Foundation IB equivalent) at grade B or above. AA SL and AI SL require International Mathematics at grade C or above.
Dulwich College (Singapore)
The mathematics department decides each student’s band. Band 1 covers Extended at a faster pace in Years 9 and 10 to make time for Additional Mathematics.
Stamford American International School
For Grade 11 AA HL, an overall 6 in MYP Mathematics Standard, or 5 in Mathematics Extended.
Tanglin Trust School
IB Higher Level maths requires the AQA Further Mathematics certificate at grade 8 or above (9 preferred). Students without the school’s maths endorsement can take AI SL.
Criteria are summarised from each school’s current handbook or presentation and can change each year.
August or January: two school years
Nine of the twelve schools start in August and take IB exams in May. ACS(I), SJI and HCIS follow a January to November year and take the November session.
August start (9 schools)CIS · Dulwich · ISS · Nexus · OFS · SAS · SAIS · Tanglin · UWCSEA
January start (3 schools)ACS(I) · SJI Intl · HCIS
Results in January
November-session results come out the following January, and students finish school in November or December.
University start dates
Universities that start in February or March (Korea, Australia) follow on directly. For those that start in August or September (UK, US, Singapore), there are about eight to nine months in between.
Changing schools
Moving between an August school and a January school can shift a student by half a year. Check the grade placement with the new school before moving.
Where each fact comes from
Show the sources for each school
- ACS (International)
- School Profile (Jan 2026) · IBDP presentation, 2027–28 cohort · IGCSE presentation
- Canadian International School
- Secondary school · Grades 11–12 brochure 2025–26 · The IB programmes
- Dulwich College (Singapore)
- Senior School · IGCSE/GCSE programme 2025–26 · IB Diploma brochure
- Hwa Chong International School
- Integrated curriculum · IBO school directory
- ISS International School
- Admissions FAQ · MYP subject offering 2025–26 · DP subject offering 2025–26
- Nexus International School
- IGCSE curriculum booklet 2026–27 · IB curriculum booklet 2026–27
- Overseas Family School
- Grades 9–10 courses · IB Diploma · Course descriptionsIB maths levels confirmed by Math with Alex; the school website lists the courses without levels.
- SJI International
- Mathematics curriculum · School year and examinations
- Singapore American School
- High School Program Planning Guide 2026–27 · Advanced studies FAQ
- Stamford American International School
- HS Course Description Handbook 2026–27 · High School Profile 2025
- Tanglin Trust School
- Senior School FAQs · (I)GCSE Options Booklet 2026–28 · A Level / IB Options Booklet 2026–28
- UWCSEA (Dover and East)
- Academics · Grade 9–10 programme 2025–26 · IB Diploma overview (Dover)
All pages checked on 12 October 2026. Exam sessions from the IBO school directory where the school does not state them.
Maths lessons that follow the student’s school course
I teach IB Maths AA, MYP, IGCSE, the UWCSEA maths programme and AP Calculus, following each school’s course and tests. New students from May 2027.
This is an independent summary of each school’s published information by Math with Alex. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any school, and it is not a ranking or evaluation. Course offers change from year to year, so please confirm with the school.
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