Curricula · IGCSE
IGCSE tutoring — the bridge year, done properly.
IGCSE is where international study habits are made: the world's most-sat qualification for ages 14–16 and China's usual bridge into A-Level and IB. Hanlin covers the full subject slate — concept teaching, one-to-one Q&A and pre-exam sprints — with tutors who advise on the long game, not just the next paper.
Why Hanlin for IGCSE
Four advantages for the bridge year.
As presented on Hanlin's Chinese IGCSE page.
Top-30 university tutors
Full-time tutors are graduates of US top-30 universities, the UK G5 and China's C9 elite.
Teaching that measures results
Progress is tracked before, during and after each stage, with gaps closed as they appear.
A professional service team
A dedicated team supports each family through to university-application guidance.
Genuinely flexible courses
Teaching plans and service scope adjust to the student's actual situation, not a fixed template.
Course routes
Three ways to study.
Ahead of the syllabus, beside it, or fully bespoke.
Premium one-to-one
An individual syllabus and schedule for students who need the course built around them.
Synchronous tutoring
Runs beside the school timetable, reinforcing each unit while it is taught.
Pre-placement course
For students about to start IGCSE: the core of each subject taught in advance, so year one opens from the front.
The timetable
Ten subjects, rolling enrolment.
For students preparing to start IGCSE and those already studying it at international schools. Every course runs 30 hours and opens year-round.
| Subject | Hours | Enrolment | Subject | Hours | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 30 h | Rolling, year-round | Biology | 30 h | Rolling, year-round |
| Physics | 30 h | Rolling, year-round | Chemistry | 30 h | Rolling, year-round |
| Computer Science | 30 h | Rolling, year-round | Economics | 30 h | Rolling, year-round |
| English | 30 h | Rolling, year-round | Geography | 30 h | Rolling, year-round |
| History | 30 h | Rolling, year-round |
How it runs
Six steps, one support team.
The 4-to-1 team — tutor, planner, supervisor and study manager — behind every course.
Step 1Assessment
The starting level is measured before scheduling.
Step 2Tutor matching
A subject tutor is matched, with background notes.
Step 3Plan and group
The study group opens and the plan is agreed.
Step 4Scheduled teaching
Lessons run on the agreed timetable.
Step 5Teaching reports
Feedback after every lesson keeps parents current.
Step 6Homework follow-up
Assistant and form teacher keep the practice honest.
Free resource pack
The IGCSE resource pack
The same material our own IGCSE students work from, Scan the code, say what you need, and an advisor sends it.
Tell an advisor which competition and year group, and the material comes back the same day. Free, and you do not have to enrol in anything. If we do not already hold what you need, we will go and find it.
- PDFSubject collections and tutor notes
- PDFPast-paper sets, separated by exam board
- PDFWhich board sets what - the differences that matter when choosing
- PDFThe exam calendar for the current cycle
Faculty
The IGCSE tutor team.
Nine tutors presented on the Chinese IGCSE page.
Dr Zhang
PhD in pure mathematics at Rochester; post-doctoral researcher at Fudan's Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences.
Seven years of research and university teaching behind the maths classroom.
Yin
Master's in finance from UCL; College Board-certified with a maths teaching licence.
IELTS 8.0 and deep English-medium teaching experience.
Luo
CS bachelor's and master's at UC Riverside; founder of Hanlin's USAAIO programme.
Author of the in-house USACO and CCC coursebooks.
Mechanical-engineering master's at Melbourne (QS #14); Dalian University of Technology degree.
College Board-certified with strong English-medium teaching.
Guan
Biomedical engineering at Cornell with a computer-engineering minor; electrical-engineering master's at Columbia.
Physics taught with an engineer's instinct for where the marks live.
Li (Chemistry)
Manchester master's in environmental monitoring and modelling; SCAU environmental engineering.
Industry research experience across organic chemistry.
Zhang
UCSD cognitive-science master's on a full scholarship; UC Davis double honours.
Ten years of overseas study and teaching.
Wang
Utah accounting; King's College London finance-and-accounting master's.
Official NEC and IEO coach.
The centres
Where the bridge year is taught.
Learning centres in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu — online classes run nationwide.
Talk to an advisor
Everything Hanlin does for IGCSE, in one conversation.
The bridge year, the board differences, and how to set up the two years that follow.
Competition entry and planning
Which competitions suit this student, in what order, and by when - then we handle the registration, including the ones that can only be entered through a school or a centre.
Competition coaching
Taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
International curriculum tutoring
IB, AP, A-Level, IGCSE and the US high school curriculum, taught alongside school and timed around the exam calendar.
Competition past papers, free
A large library of past papers, mark schemes and syllabus breakdowns across every competition on this site. No charge and no enrolment.
Scan to add an advisor
Say which competition or course you are asking about. Replies in Chinese or English.
Or call +86 21 6352 6630FAQ
IGCSE, briefly answered.
What families ask when the bridge year approaches.
Is IGCSE required before A-Level?
Not formally — but most A-Level schools run IGCSE as the entry stage, and the study habits it builds are the real preparation. Strong IGCSE grades also carry weight in UK and US applications.
How does IGCSE differ from middle-school maths and science?
The syllabus is broader, taught in English, and examined with structured questions that reward method as much as answers — which is exactly what the bridge year is for.
Which subjects should a student choose?
Schools typically set five to eight subjects. Choose the sciences and humanities that point toward the intended A-Level or IB combination — the pre-placement course helps test the fit early.
Which examination boards does Hanlin cover?
The boards in common use in China — CIE and Edexcel — plus awareness of Oxford AQA as its IGCSE list grows.
What comes after IGCSE?
A-Level or IB. The same tutor team carries students across the bridge — see the A-Level page for the next stage.
IGCSE enquiries
Make the bridge year count.
Tell us the school, year group and subject list, and an advisor will map the route into A-Level or IB.