Editorial spotlights on international schools
How international schools work, country by country
Each spotlight explains a country's international school system: how schools are licensed, where they are, how admissions work and what families should ask. Our curriculum guides explain the IB, British and American programmes in plain terms.
Curricula
The programmes at a glance
International Baccalaureate
Four programmes from age 3 to 19, set by a non-profit foundation in Geneva that authorises each school.
Read the International Baccalaureate guideAt a glance
- Ages
- 3 to 19, in the PYP, MYP and Diploma or Career-related Programme
- Exams
- Diploma exams in May, or November at some southern hemisphere schools
- Typical subjects
- Six subjects from five groups, plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS
- Where it fits
- Students happy to keep a language and a science going until 18
British curriculum
The English National Curriculum adapted for schools abroad, among the most common in Asia and the Middle East.
Read the British curriculum guideAt a glance
- Ages
- Early Years (Nursery and Reception), then Years 1 to 13
- Exams
- IGCSE at the end of Year 11, A levels at the end of Year 13
- Typical subjects
- Eight to ten at IGCSE, then three or four at A level
- Where it fits
- Students who want to specialise early, for example in medicine or engineering
American curriculum
US standards from kindergarten to Grade 12, with a diploma earned through credits rather than national exams.
Read the American curriculum guideAt a glance
- Ages
- Kindergarten to Grade 12
- Exams
- No national exams. Advanced Placement exams each May, scored 1 to 5
- Typical subjects
- Common Core English and mathematics, Next Generation Science Standards
- Where it fits
- Students heading for US universities through the Common App
Mixed programmes
Many international schools combine systems, teaching one programme in the younger years and another at the end.
Read the curriculum guidesAt a glance
- Common pattern
- British or American teaching lower down, with the IB Diploma in the last two years
- Also seen
- American schools offering the IB Diploma instead of, or alongside, AP
- Languages
- In Thailand, a smaller group of schools adds Mandarin or Thai as a core language
- Choice at 16
- Some British schools teach both A levels and the IB Diploma and let students choose in Year 12
Side by side
How the three compare
Figures and rules from our curriculum guides. Schools adapt every programme, so check the details with the school.
| Feature | IB | British | American |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages | 3 to 19 | Nursery and Reception, then Years 1 to 13 | Kindergarten to Grade 12 |
| Stages | PYP (3 to 12), MYP (11 to 16), Diploma or Career-related Programme (16 to 19) | Early Years, Key Stages 1 and 2, then Years 7 to 13 | Elementary (K to 5), middle (6 to 8), high school (9 to 12) |
| Last two years | Six subjects plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS | Three or four A level subjects, studied in depth | Required credits for the diploma, often with AP courses |
| External exams | Diploma exams in May, or November at some southern hemisphere schools | IGCSE at the end of Year 11, A levels at the end of Year 13 | No national exams. AP exams each May |
| Scores | 1 to 7 per subject, up to 45 points, pass mark 24 | Graded per subject. UK universities offer on predicted grades | GPA from course grades. AP exams scored 1 to 5 |
| Quality check | Schools are authorised by the IB | British Schools Overseas inspection. COBIS and FOBISIA membership | Accreditation, most often by WASC in Asia |
| Suits | Students who want to keep a broad range of subjects until 18 | Students ready to specialise early | Students aiming for US universities through the Common App |
Moving country
Switching between systems
When a change of school is easy, and when it is hard.
Primary years
The easy years
Primary programmes cover similar ground in reading, writing and mathematics. Most children adjust within a term.
Year 7 is usually Grade 6
Years and grades are offset
British Years run one ahead of American Grades, and cut-off dates differ. Ask the new school where it would place your child, and why.
Grade 9 onwards
The transcript starts
American high school builds a cumulative record of credits and grades. A late joiner needs earlier results converted.
Years 10 and 11
Mid-way through IGCSE
Exam boards and set texts differ, so a move can mean repeating or skipping material.
The last two years
A levels or the IB Diploma
The two are built very differently. Moving between them part way through is rarely possible without starting again.
Country spotlights
The atlas
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United Kingdom
In the UK, "international school" usually means an independent school teaching the IB or an American curriculum.
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Thailand
Thailand has one of the larger international school sectors in Asia, concentrated in Bangkok with smaller groups in Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hua Hin.
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Singapore
Singapore's government schools take only a limited number of foreign students, through a centralised admissions exercise, so most expatriate families use international schools.
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Malaysia
Malaysia has a large international school sector, most of it in and around Kuala Lumpur, with groups in Penang and Johor.
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Japan
Most of Japan's international schools are in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Osaka.
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Hong Kong
Hong Kong's international schools are known for long waiting lists and for debentures and capital levies, which add a large one-off cost to tuition.
Why we write about this
Choosing an international school usually happens in a hurry, from another country, with a relocation date already set. School websites are written to attract applicants, and they rarely explain how the local system works. Our spotlights fill that gap. They explain the rules that apply to every school in a country, so you can read individual school websites with the right questions in mind.
We do not rank schools or publish reviews. For lists of schools by city, our pages link to an international school directory.
Curricula explained
Admissions
Applying to an international school: timelines, documents, assessments and waiting lists.
After school
From international school to university abroad: counselling, applications in several countries and what grades mean.