Qualifications That Open Every Door
For families in Istanbul seeking a school that will genuinely prepare their children for the world’s leading universities, GCSEs and A Levels remain the gold standard. These qualifications are recognised by universities in over 160 countries, respected by admissions tutors from Oxford to Harvard and trusted because they have been refined over decades to deliver what universities actually need: students who can think independently, write with precision and engage with complex ideas.
At RGS Istanbul, we will offer a full GCSE and A Level programme, but with something that most schools in Istanbul cannot claim. Behind our curriculum sits more than 350 years of RGS experience in preparing young people for the very highest levels of academic and professional life.
The RGS Approach to GCSEs
The GCSE years, typically ages 14 to 16, are a formative period in any student’s education. At RGS Istanbul, we will approach GCSEs the way the Reigate Grammar School has always approached its examinations: with rigour, with enthusiasm and with a deep belief that demanding standards are a gift, not a burden.
Our students will typically sit eight to ten GCSEs across a range of disciplines, from the sciences and mathematics to history, languages and the arts. The breadth of that programme reflects the RGS conviction, held for three and a half centuries, that a well-educated person is not a narrow specialist but a rounded, curious, capable human being.
“Reigate Grammar School has been preparing students for life’s greatest challenges since 1675. At RGS Istanbul, that same preparation is available to families in one of the world’s most extraordinary cities.”
A Levels: Depth, Mastery, and the RGS Tradition of Excellence
A Levels are where the RGS heritage will become most visible. In the sixth form, students will choose three or four subjects to study with a depth and seriousness that mirrors the best of university education. The expectation at RGS, consistent across 350 years, is that sixth form students will not merely cover a syllabus but genuinely master their subjects.
Our A Level teachers will be subject specialists who will bring not just expertise but genuine passion to their disciplines. Many will have taught in the UK or trained in the RGS tradition, and all are committed to the idea, central to the Reigate Grammar School ethos, that the purpose of education is not just to pass examinations but to develop a mind that will go on learning for the rest of its life.
University Destinations: A Record Built Over Generations
The proof of any school’s A Level programme lies in where its students go. Reigate Grammar School has a long and distinguished track record of placing students at the world’s leading universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and institutions across the Russell Group. At Reigate Grammar School Istanbul, we will carry that tradition forward, supporting our students through UCAS applications, Oxbridge preparation and the full range of international university pathways.
Contact our admissions team to learn more about our GCSE and A-Level programme.
