Overview
GCSEs are a crucial step in the educational system and are equally important for entry into Higher Education and most vocational training in the UK. Although students may join the Cardiff Centre of Excellence having already taken GCSE examinations, they may want to add additional subjects to their GCSE portfolio or improve on their grades.

Course Duration
GCSE is an intensive one year programme and is suitable for both first time students and resit students who have taken GCSE’s elsewhere but need to raise their grades. On average our students take nine subjects. We can also provide retake courses for students who want to improve their GCSE results. A typical GCSE programme comprises 20-25 hours of tuition per week, conducted in small classes where students can benefit from exceptional amounts of personal attention and feedback.

The Curriculum
At CCoE classes do not normally exceed 6 and are often much smaller. The generous staff/pupil ratio of 1:1 and CCoE's focus on the individual offers support to pupils who need it and stimulates the more able.
Parents meet teachers at the annual parents' evening arranged for each year group as well as on less formal occasions such as the Termly Parents' Day.  Each pupil has a tutor who monitors academic progress and who can be contacted by parents over any issues or problems.
Grades are awarded every Termly so that pupils are rewarded for the efforts they make on a short term basis, as well as having any problem identified quickly.
Pupils are given merits for particular pieces of work which are of exceptional quality and on the annual Speech Day in July prizes are awarded for both academic excellence as well as for effort and progress.  Achievements in the extra-curricular aspects of School life are also rewarded. For talented and gifted youth, we encourage our students to take up GCSE's one year earlier. Our results last year were one of the Best results achieved by any Independent School in UK .

GCSE Years
The pupils are entered for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations at the end of Year 11.

All pupils take English & English Literature; Mathematics, GCSE Science, GCSE Additional Science, or Separate Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) and Religious Studies. 

In addition two subjects are chosen from a list of options which includes:

French, History, ICT , and Physical Education .

All students have one Games morning. GCSE mock examinations are in the December of Year 11 and then repeated before February Half Term . All students then will undertake mock examinations after Easter Half Term until their GCSE exams. This ensures that our students are given every opportunity to produce the Best results they could achieve in concordance with results obtained by Independent Schools in UK .

Tutor System

• All pupils are guided by their Tutor who sees them at least once a week to monitor their work.
• Every Term pupils are awarded grades by their subject teachers for effort and attainment and Tutors assess the implications of these, especially the former!
• As pupils move through the School their Tutor will check that they are receiving appropriate careers advice and will encourage them to fulfill their academic potential.
• Parents are always welcome at the School to discuss overall progress or to see a subject teacher. Reports are issued each term and in addition to Parents' Day there is an annual conference for each year group when parents can consult subject staff.
• The Tutor System allows us to provide quality pastoral care, thereby maximising each child's potential. Consequently, we have been able to produce one of the Best Results by an independent school.

Key Facts

• Students can start their courses in September, depending on the number of subjects they wish to take.
• The Cardiff Centre of Excellence students have individually tailored timetables to match their course length and chosen subjects. A typical GCSE week will comprise 20-25 hours of tuition and 5 hours of supervised private study.
• All GCSEs have a significant coursework component. It is very important that students complete their coursework by the given deadline to a high standard; students are given all the help, support and encouragement they require in order to ensure that this happens. We also monitor our students very closely and guide them through the duration of the course, so that they take a mature and responsible approach to the production of coursework.