• Study in the international class

• The AICE Diploma
• Finnish matriculation examination
• Examination choices
• Study programme
• General administration
• Course tray 2006 - 2009
• Daily schedule (word)
• Titles of courses in espoo international
• Textbooks 2007 - 2008

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Study in the international class

Thanks to the entrance test we can be sure that all our students are proficient in English. Many - but not all - have lived for a year or more overseas. Many have studied in the medium of English in lower school. This linguistic competence and wealth of international experience provides the bedrock on which the edifice of Espoo International rests. The expectations on our students are at once similar to and distinct from the expectations placed upon one´s peers in Finnish lukio.

The similarity lies in the fact that ours is a standard programme in which all compulsory courses are offered and must be passed, just like in any other Finnish lukio. The distinction is that Espoo International offers a range of subjects which are examined by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).  Thus, ultimately, students are prepared for examination success in both the national examinations and the international (Cambridge) examinations. We trust that it was just such a possibility that attracted you to apply in the first place.

Finnish lukio is modular in format. This means that during each period (of several weeks) students themselves get to pick and choose among the possible courses on offer. For your colleagues in Etelä-Tapiolan lukio the choice is wide; for the international students there are fewer options to choose between. In many cases during the first year, in fact, there is little choice at all: most courses are compulsory and must be taken at once as these arise. During the second and third years the choice of options widens progressively.

One important point to make at the outset is that all compulsory lukio courses must be studied in the medium of English. There is a very good reason for this: your teachers have been recruited to teach in English and it is your responsibility as students in Espoo International to subscribe to the programme. The idea, of course, is to enable you to strengthen your English language skills considerably during your time here, allowing you to capitalize on this in subsequent study/working life.

The Cambridge - or AICE - courses are akin to syventävä courses in a standard Finnish lukio. Really, though, these should also be regarded as compulsory preparation for the demanding Cambridge examinations. All AICE courses need to be completed before entering for the Cambridge exams, and in order to have any realistic chance of success the average grade should be at least a seven.