Senior school (ages 11-18) pupils

The curriculum at Haileybury Astana is rich and dynamic, drawing on a wide range of academic, creative and performance areas.

Years 7 to 9 are an increasingly formal period of education for the pupils.

Pupils are taught all subjects by specialist teachers in the medium of English, with the exception of the language option subjects. The curriculum is rich and dynamic, drawing on a wide range of academic, creative and performance areas. In addition, the Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) programme in Years 7 to 9 is expanded to take into account the growing responsibility and maturity of this stage of education. This allows pupils to quickly gauge their interest and skills in new areas and subjects.

International GCSE is the international version of the GCSE examinations taken by pupils in the UK at the end of Year 11.

Pupils take International GCSEs in a range of subjects offered by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), who are part of the University of Cambridge.  They are also the world’s largest provider of international qualifications to school age pupils.  Details of the subjects that we offer can be found in this course guide.  At the end of the two-year course, after successfully passing the exams, pupils are awarded these world-recognised certificates in each  subject, ready for the next stage of their education.

International GCSEs are graded from  A*, which is the highest grade available, followed by grades from A to G. Although getting any of these grades means that a candidate has passed the exam, many universities and employers regard getting a C or better in a subject as important. We would expect our pupils to be capable of getting C grades or better in their exams. Many pupils gain much higher grades than this, with a number gaining A and A* grades across a wide range of subjects.

In Years 10 and 11 everyone takes English (as a First or Second Language; English Literature is also an option), Mathematics, Sciences and a Modern Foreign Language. Pupils are also expected to study Kazakh to help them appreciate the language and culture of the country and prepare them for their future as global citizens.