Five short questions rank the seven options international families meet, each with the guide’s own At a Glance card. No school names, no fees: the questions to take to schools.
Five questionsNothing is sent or storedFrom the guide’s education chapters
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Seven options, ranked for your child.
Montessori is strongest in the early years; the IGCSE is the foundation at fourteen to sixteen; the IB, A-Levels, AP, the Abitur and the baccalauréat are the senior years.
Based on the Going Global guide’s education chapters. A starting point for your conversations with schools.
The closest fits, in order.
The seven options, at a glance.
The IB Diploma
The senior years
A broad, demanding two-year pre-university programme: six subjects across all the major fields, three at the deeper Higher Level, plus a research essay, a critical-thinking course, and a service requirement. Scored out of 45.
Suits
the curious, self-managing all-rounder who wants to keep options open and earn a qualification recognised worldwide.
Think twice if
your child wants to specialise early in a few subjects, or your posting is short or uncertain — it is two-year and all-or-nothing.
Where you meet it
the most common senior programme at international schools, offered almost everywhere.
The IGCSE
Ages 14 to 16: the foundation before the senior years
Not a university qualification but the foundation before the senior years: a broad set of subjects at fourteen to sixteen, the bridge into A-Levels, the IB, or AP. Graded A*–G or 9–1.
Suits
essentially every student on a British-style path; the standard qualification for these years, not optional, and forgiving of learners still building their English.
Think twice if
you treat it as a formality — subject choices at fourteen, combined-versus-separate science above all, decide what is open at sixteen.
Where you meet it
British-curriculum international schools worldwide, through Cambridge or Pearson Edexcel.
A-Levels
The senior years
The British specialist’s qualification: three subjects — occasionally four — studied in depth over two years and examined almost entirely at the end. Graded A* to E.
Suits
the focused, self-disciplined student with a sense of direction, and anyone aiming at UK or Commonwealth universities.
Think twice if
your child is still undecided — choosing three subjects at sixteen narrows options early and is awkward to undo — or wants the breadth of a wider programme.
Where you meet it
British-style international schools, through international exam boards; offered worldwide.
Advanced Placement
The senior years
An American, modular pathway: individual university-level courses, each examined and scored 1–5, assembled atop a broader US high-school curriculum rather than packaged as a diploma; strong scores can earn university credit.
Suits
the student aiming at US or Canadian universities, and anyone who prefers to specialise flexibly and show mastery course by course.
Think twice if
your child wants a single structured programme to carry them, or is heading somewhere the IB or A-Levels are better understood.
Where you meet it
American-curriculum international schools; offered worldwide through the College Board.
The French Curriculum
The senior years
A near-exact export of France’s national system, taught and examined in French — intellectually rigorous, language-rich, and crowned by the baccalauréat, scored out of 20.
Suits
Francophone families wanting continuity, and non-French families who prize argument-led rigour and a fully bilingual child — if they start early enough.
Think twice if
your child arrives in the upper years with little French, needs a gentler pace, or is sure to leave the French-speaking world behind.
Where you meet it
the AEFE network of several hundred French schools across some 140 countries.
The German Curriculum
The senior years
Germany’s university-qualifying credential: the Abitur, sat after two years of upper-secondary across a broad range of subjects and examined at the close. Rigorous, language-intensive, and structured.
Suits
the academically focused student who thrives with clear expectations, and any family planning a German-university route or a return to Germany.
Think twice if
your child has no German foundation — the Abitur is language-dependent — or if relocations mid-course are likely.
Where you meet it
Official German Schools Abroad (Deutsche Auslandsschulen), supervised by the ZfA; limited in number and concentrated in German expat hubs.
Montessori Education
Strongest in the early years
A child-led approach rather than a curriculum: mixed-age classes, hands-on materials and self-directed work, the teacher a guide not a lecturer. Strongest in the early years; no exam or credential.
Suits
families who value independence and curiosity over structure, and a young child who flourishes given freedom.
Think twice if
you want grades and benchmarks, your child needs more direction, or you are choosing for secondary — authentic Montessori thins with age.
Where you meet it
Montessori schools, mostly preschool and early primary; the name is unprotected, so authenticity varies.
