Cambridge AS & A-Levels

Cambridge Assessment International Examinations continue to develop students for success in an evolving global setting.
Email us at admissions@somcol.co.za

OUR UNIQUE PROGRAMME

Both inside and outside of Cambridge classrooms, our students develop an engaged and informed curiosity toward the world. The Cambridge Programme further fosters the growth of independent, confident and responsible young adults through the intensive nature of the syllabus and the peer-to-peer collaboration that takes place in the programme.

In addition, at Somerset College, we facilitate a fully integrated school culture by opening all school activities and extra-murals to our Cambridge students, including sports, camps, music, theatre, clubs, portfolios, events, leadership positions and awards. Every Cambridge student is an integral part of the wider Somerset College community and enjoys a holistic educational experience that encourages new talent and student ongoing contribution to our thriving campus life.

What is the Cambridge Assessment?

Somerset College is proud to offer the Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE). The CAIE is a highly respected global syllabus where students develop a deeper understanding of focused subjects through advanced and interactive teaching techniques, giving them an excellent grounding and preparation for their university studies.

The Cambridge Programme is viewed as a world-class international qualification and is highly esteemed by leading universities around the globe, opening doors to a wide range of tertiary institutions locally and internationally.

We are among the best in the world

Since its establishment in 2016, the Somerset College Cambridge Programme has achieved outstanding results. These are not only a testament to the talent and dedication of our students, but also to our exceptional teachers, who enthusiastically inspire and equip students in their pursuit of their individual goals. Our results have gained both national and international recognition, with our proud students having already achieved some of the highest Cambridge accolades:
“Top in the World” for Mathematics, English and Afrikaans (AS-Level),
“Top in South Africa” for Computer Science and Economics (AS-Level), and
“Top in South Africa” for Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics (A-Level).

2021

Kairo Naido: was the top AS student in the country, taken across his best four subjects.

Joshua Bloom: was the top AL student in the country taken across his best three subjects.

Noa Brawermann: was the top student for AL in the Country for English Language, and History. Noa was also joint second in the world for History

2022

Charlotte Leinberger: Top in South Africa (Joint 3^rd in the world) - iGCSE German

Mamahloli Mohapi: Top in South Africa - AS Biology

Christina de Kock: Top in South Africa - AS Economics

Joshua Lewis: Top in South Africa - AS Physics

Kairo Naidoo: High Achievement - Further Mathematics

Kairo Naidoo: Top in South Africa (4^th in the world) - AL Computer Science

Kairo Naidoo: Top in South Africa (7^th in the world) - AL Physics

Kairo Naidoo: Best in the country across 3 A Level subjects

Our Cambridge subjects

At Somerset College, the Cambridge Programme is completed in the last two years of high school. In their AS-Level year, students are required to take a minimum of five subjects, while in the A-Level year, a minimum of three subjects is recommended.

Somerset College offers:
English Language and English Literature
Mathematics (Statistics, Mechanics, Further Mathematics, Pure Mathematics)
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Economics
Art and Design
History
Geography
Computer Science
Afrikaans
French
(Other languages are offered by special arrangement.)

Joining our Cambridge community

Our Cambridge Programme is viewed as a challenging international qualification and is highly valued by many leading universities around the world. Both local and international universities recognise that the programme is designed to prepare students for their tertiary studies, and so students can apply to study in South Africa and abroad. While the programme does not cover some South African subjects, such as Life Orientation, South African universities are happy to accommodate this and gladly accept the A-Level qualification.

International candidates must have a minimum of six IGCSE credits. They must have achieved an A or B in IGCSE examinations (or equivalent) for the subjects they wish to pursue at AS and A-Level. South African candidates, who have completed their Grade 10, may apply with a minimum of 60% in the subjects being considered at AS-Level.

For further information and any admission queries, please contact: Admissions at admissions@somcol.co.za

Cambridge tuition fees

2 year staged route:
Year 1 AS level (5 subjects) – ZAR R169 900 (per annum)
Year 2 A level (max 4 subjects) – ZAR R169 900 (per annum)

Cambridge AS-Level Capital Development Levy: ZAR R7 200 (per annum)

Cambridge A-Level Capital Development Levy: ZAR R5 200 (per annum)

Boarding – ZAR R133 600 (per annum)

Note:
• The fees shown above do not include textbooks and postage costs.
• Please contact us for more details regarding boarding.
• Debentures are not redeemable for the Cambridge Programme.

Cambridge results

Cambridge Results: November 2023

We are very proud to announce the results achieved by our Cambridge students in the November 2023 Cambridge International examinations.

At the Advanced Level (AL), 36% of all subject entries resulted in a distinction with almost 60% of all subject entries resulting in a B symbol or higher. Special congratulations go to Josh Lewis who averaged 94% across 4 AL subjects and Sebastien Lorentz who averaged 93% across his 4 AL subjects.

Details of our top-performing AL students are shown below:

Josh Lewis

Mathematics A*

Physics A*

Further Mathematics A*

Geography A

Sebastien Lorentz

Mathematics A*

Physics A*

Chemistry A*

Further Mathematics A*

Quinn O’Keefe-Easton

Biology A*

Mathematics A

Chemistry A

Physics A

Mamahloli Mohapi

Mathematics A*

Chemistry A*

Biology A*

Samantha Koch

Biology A*

Chemistry A

Mathematics A

Erica Manson-Combrink

English Language A

Mathematics A

Biology A

Art and Design B

Anna Wellman

Mathematics A

Chemistry A

Biology A

Joshua McIntosh

Economics A

Mathematics A

Physics A

Oscar Pause

Mathematics A*

Computer Science A*

Economics B

In the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) year, 30.4% of all subject entries resulted in a distinction and 51% of all subject entries resulted in a B symbol or higher. Over a quarter of the AS cohort achieved 3 or more distinctions.

Special congratulations go to Zoë Grobler and Hayley van Staden who both achieved five distinctions in five AS subjects.

We also congratulate the following students who achieved three distinctions or more: Tassius Chigariro, Loré de Kock, Raaid Fajander, James Jooste, Morgan Phillips, Jaryd Pringle, -Nelia Swanepoel and Matthew Visser.

The AS results are very promising as the subject averages show that our students have been well-prepared to enter the second year of the Somerset College Cambridge Programme with confidence. Cambridge International have tightened up on the thresholds now and have moved back to pre-COVID thresholds. We thank our parents for their continued and loyal support of the programme over the years as they too have played an important role in the success achieved by their children.

We have a strong cohort of AS students registered to start the Cambridge Programme in 2024 and we hope they take inspiration from these excellent results obtained by our AS and AL students in the 2023 examinations.