Cambridge Lower Secondary is for learners aged 11 to 14 years. The programme provides a natural progression for children from primary education and prepares them for post-14 years education programmes that lead to formal qualifications.
The programme is a transition phase for students, coming from PYP - from within the school or new students coming from other curricula. It links, probes and merges into Cambridge Lower Secondary program, which ultimately forms the right foundation for the IGCSE and A level.
The varied choice of the subjects, curriculum and co-curricular components has the basis of the Cambridge learner attributes. This maintains the spirit of PYP by emphasizing and implementing the trans-disciplinary approach, research-based activities, independent project work and provides impetus to take it to newer levels.
By offering Cambridge Lower Secondary, we provide a broad and balanced education by helping students to thrive throughout their schooling, work and life. With ten subjects to choose from, including English, Mathematics and Science, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to develop creativity, expression and wellbeing in a variety of ways. We can shape the curriculum around how we want our students to learn. The curriculum is flexible, so we can offer any combination of the subjects available and adapt the content to suit your context, culture and ethos. Many schools offer Cambridge Lower Secondary alongside the national curriculum, or as part of a bilingual programme.
Accurately measuring a student’s potential and progress can transform learning and help us make informed decisions about individual learners, their educational needs and the focus areas. We use the Cambridge Lower Secondary testing structure to assess learner performance and report progress to students and parents. These assessments are optional, so we can use them in any combination to suit our context, culture and ethos.
Cambridge CEM’s computer-based assessments for 11-14 year olds help you identify and diagnose learning needs, measuring and benchmarking learners’ potential. The baseline and diagnostic assessments adapt to each student’s level, accurately and quickly identifying their abilities in core academic skills..
The tests measure learners’ aptitude in core skills and because they are computer-based, results are provided automatically.
We encourage you to assess some subjects in the classroom through discussion, observation and lesson outputs.
We provide Assessment guidance to help you give formative feedback on the skills you want learners to develop so that they can reflect on, and improve their performance.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Tests are internal assessments that help you to check learners’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Available for our core subjects, English as a first or second language, Mathematics and Science, progression tests are marked by teachers in your school and available for stages 7, 8 and 9.
Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint monitors individual and group performance at the end of the primary programme. These external tests are marked by Cambridge International to give extra confidence in the feedback we receive and share with parents. It is available for English as a first or second language, Mathematics, Science and Cambridge Global Perspectives. Schools receive a diagnostic feedback report and learners receive a Statement of achievement. Bodhi registers its grade 8 students for checkpoint to assess their readiness for the IGCSE program.
We offer a range of support to help Cambridge Lower Secondary teachers plan and deliver the programme.
We work with a range of third party publishers to produce high-quality resources to support our frameworks. Each endorsed title has been reviewed by subject experts and evaluated against detailed criteria to ensure that it:
In order to provide choice for Cambridge schools, we encourage publishers to develop resources of varying styles and approaches so that teachers can find resources that offer the best support for their own particular classroom.
Please note that there is no requirement for endorsed textbooks to follow the teaching order suggested in the Cambridge scheme of work. If a resource is endorsed, you can be confident that all the learning objectives are covered.
Included in your programme fee, our Guide to Cambridge Lower Secondary is for teachers and school leaders who are new to the programme and provides a comprehensive overview.
We offer a number of different training and professional development opportunities for Cambridge Lower Secondary teachers according to their experience and needs.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is now part of the educational experience worldwide and regarded as a new ‘literacy’ alongside reading, writing and numeracy.
Cambridge ICT Starters is a series of modules which assess candidates on their ability to use a range of computer software to communicate, handle information, model and program solutions. It is suitable for candidates of any age and is typically used for learners aged 5 to 14 years.
It can be assessed in English or Spanish.
Cambridge ICT Starters gives schools a flexible framework to develop learners’ ICT competence. Modules can be delivered according to the needs of each learning situation and age of the learners – across the curriculum or as a separate course of study.
Learners will develop key ICT skills in a range of applications including computer programming, word processing, digital graphics, databases, spreadsheets, email, presentations, video/animation, the internet and web authoring. They will also consider wider issues such as eSafety and the adaption of their work to suit their audience.
