In Years 7 - 9 students have been studying the English National Curriculum Key Stage 3. As they move into Year 10 they start two-year courses leading to General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations (GCSEs) at the end of Year 11. In some subjects, students will follow International GCSE. These Key Stage 4 courses in turn lead to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme course in the Sixth Form at BISC. They will also lead to admission to other courses at other schools, such as A-Levels. 

(I)GCSEs are highly valued by schools, universities and employers, so they will be useful whatever students are planning to do afterwards. IGCSEs have less British content than GCSEs so in many cases they are more accessible to international students who do not have knowledge of the UK.

All (I)GCSE subjects will receive grades using the 9-1 grading system which is used throughout the school.

The GCSE qualification mainly involves studying the theory of a subject, with some investigative work. Some subjects also involve practical work. (I)GCSEs are studied full-time at school taking five terms to complete.

(I)GCSEs are assessed mainly through written examinations, although in some subjects there are also elements of coursework. Some subjects, like Art and Design, Music, and Drama have more coursework and fewer examinations.