Choosing a curriculum
Start with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
A school’s name does not tell you which qualification your child will receive. A British school may teach the IB Diploma. An international school may award its own high-school diploma. A bilingual national school may prepare pupils for the ordinary national examination, with additional language study.
Ask for the exact qualification, the awarding organisation, and the conditions for entering and completing the programme. If a school offers more than one route, find out which route it would recommend for your child and why.
This guide explains the main distinctions. It does not replace the current admissions requirements of the university, college, or school your child may attend next.
First ask whether the qualification is recognised for the type of course the child may want to take. Then check the actual admission requirements: grades, subject combination, course level, language evidence, tests, portfolios, or other conditions.
A qualification can be recognised without guaranteeing admission. A school’s accreditation also does not prove that every diploma it awards satisfies every university’s requirements.
If the family may move again before graduation, investigate transfer as well as eventual university entry. Two schools offering the same programme may not offer the same subjects, examination boards, or timetable. Continuity matters most when assessed work has already begun.
A-Levels are subject-based qualifications. They allow a pupil to concentrate on a smaller set of subjects than a programme requiring study across several subject groups. Cambridge International describes its full A-Level course as typically lasting two years; its AS Level is a different qualification, typically lasting one year. See the official qualification structure.
Our view: this can suit a pupil who has clear subject interests and wants depth. The trade-off is that dropping a subject can remove options later. Check likely degree requirements before settling the subject combination.
Ask the school which awarding body and syllabus it uses, which combinations fit the timetable, and what grades are required to enter each course. Do not assume that every school using “British” in its name offers A-Levels.
The Diploma Programme combines six subjects with a core of Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and creativity, activity, service (CAS). Pupils take three or four subjects at Higher Level and the remaining subjects at Standard Level. The IB sets rules for the subject groups and permitted combinations; see its curriculum and example choices.
Our view: the Diploma can suit a pupil who wants to continue a broad range of subjects and is ready to manage several kinds of work at once. It is worth checking the workload and available support, not only the school’s average score.
Subject choice still matters. A university may require a particular Higher Level subject, mathematics course, language, or score. Use the institution’s current requirements before the pupil chooses courses.
Ask whether the child would enter the full Diploma, individual Diploma Programme courses, or a separate school diploma. These are not interchangeable outcomes. Likewise, the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) describe earlier stages of IB education; they are not the IB Diploma.
France has general, technological, and vocational baccalauréat routes. Establish which route the school offers before comparing subject choices or university preparation.
The Baccalauréat français international (BFI) is an international option within the French general baccalauréat. It includes the general programme and additional international teaching. It is not the International Baccalaureate Diploma. The French education ministry’s BFI guide explains the structure and language pathways.
Ask which subjects are taught in French and which in the section language, what level is needed on entry, and what support is available. A bilingual label is not enough to establish that a child arriving with limited academic French can join the requested year.
For a family likely to stay in France, the national route deserves serious consideration. For a family likely to move before the final examinations, ask how the work already completed would transfer.
These are distinct qualifications, not different names for one German-language programme.
The Abitur is the German general higher-education entrance qualification. Rules for upper-secondary study and examinations operate within the German federal system; the KMK overview is a starting point.
The Austrian Matura involves the relevant Austrian leaving-examination route. The Austrian ministry’s overview distinguishes the academic-school and higher-vocational-school examinations.
The Swiss gymnasial Matura follows Swiss recognition arrangements. See the Swiss education authority’s explanation.
For each, ask which exact certificate the school awards and which authority recognises it. A school offering the IB instead is not automatically awarding the national Matura too.
If a school advertises Matura equivalence, ask what the recognition covers, which additional conditions apply, and which organisation confirms it. Do not assume that recognition for admission in one country amounts to being awarded that country’s diploma, or that the same recognition automatically applies abroad.
An American-style high-school diploma records completion of the school’s graduation requirements. Ask for those requirements and the school’s current accreditation details, including the awarding institution if another organisation issues the diploma.
Advanced Placement (AP) courses and examinations are separate from the high-school diploma. College Board explains that AP can support college credit or placement, subject to the receiving institution’s policy. See the official AP overview.
For a European university application, check the full combination the institution requires: the diploma, course record, AP subjects and scores, or another qualification. Do not assume that “accredited American diploma” answers the question by itself.
If a school offers both its own diploma and the IB, ask about entry to each route, subject availability, and the outcomes for pupils who do not complete the full IB Diploma.
Vwo prepares pupils for research-oriented university education. Havo prepares pupils for higher professional education at a university of applied sciences. These are different routes, with their own subject profiles and progression options. Nuffic explains them in its guide to Dutch primary and secondary education.
Tweetalig onderwijs (TTO) means bilingual education within the Dutch system. It is not a separate international leaving qualification. TTO pupils take the regular Dutch-language final examinations; additional language examinations or certificates do not replace the underlying Dutch diploma. See Nuffic’s explanation of TTO examinations and certificates.
Ask how much Dutch is needed for admission and later examinations, which subjects are taught in English, and what the school does for a pupil whose Dutch is still developing. For a move abroad, check the destination’s recognition of the actual havo or vwo diploma.
The European Baccalaureate belongs to the European Schools system. It can also be awarded through schools expressly accredited for the relevant final years. The official studies and certificates page explains the conditions and recognition.
Do not confuse it with the IB Diploma or with a national bilingual programme. Also check the school’s admissions rules separately: the intergovernmental European Schools and Accredited European Schools within national systems do not all use the same eligibility or fee arrangements.
Spain’s Bachillerato, Italy’s Maturità, Portugal’s secondary-school qualifications, the Irish Leaving Certificate, and the various Belgian, Luxembourgish, and Nordic routes should be assessed on their own terms. A national qualification is not an inferior substitute for an international one.
Use the country guide to identify the route and local terminology. Then check its subject choices, teaching language, admissions conditions, and progression requirements with the relevant authority and receiving institution.
For each realistic route, write down:
Our recommendation is to choose a route that the child can study well and that supports plausible next steps. A familiar acronym is useful only after those conditions are clear.
Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.
Start with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.
7 minA useful visit should help you picture your child’s school day and resolve the questions that matter to your family. Ask for concrete examples, then separate what you observed from what you were told.
7 minAsk how your child will learn in class and how they will join in outside it. The school’s teaching language is only part of the answer.