The Higher School Certificate is an academic qualification in

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

awarded upon the completion of Upper 6 Form, the final stage of secondary school. The qualification is awarded upon earning passing marks on the A-level exams administered by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate, in conjunction with the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

Local Examinations Syndicate of the

Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...

board.

Editions

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

The traditional Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the main school-leaving qualification awarded by Mauritian secondary schools. Requirements include A Levels and AS Levels in subjects chosen by the student. Successful students may receive academic recognition and are eligible to compete for laureateship, a scholarship scheme offered by the Mauritian

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

for students pursuing

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

Higher School Certificate Professional Qualification (HSC Pro)

The Higher School Certificate Professional Qualification (HSC Pro) is an alternative school-leaving qualification with a modified curriculum and structure, which allows students to pursue both an academic curriculum and

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious c ...

training, to be prepared for tertiary studies as well as employment. The qualification was introduced as a pilot in 2015. There are certain unique features of this qualification that distinguish it from the traditional Higher School Certificate. One is the inclusion of the Cambridge International Technical in ICT, adapted to the local context, in place of an A Level. Another is replacement of the AS General Paper with a mandatory alternative, the AS Global Perspectives, which is designed to develop communication, analytical and research skills. Another is the Work Placement Component (WPC), a structured and supervised placement that provides practical work experience in the industry. The structure for the qualification includes: *2 or 3 A Levels, including the Cambridge International Technical in ICT *2 or 3 AS Levels, including the AS Alternative to the General Paper *The Work Placement Component (WPC) The alternative qualification is recognised by local and overseas universities, enabling students who successfully complete the qualification to seek admission in universities. HSC Pro students may not compete for laureateship, as can traditional HSC students, but may participate in alternative schemes provided by the Mauritian

for further studies as well as employment.

Subjects

Typically 3 to 5 primary subjects are chosen to study at AS-level, and at least 3 subjects are further studied to A2-level. Both the AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A2 years must be completed for the full A-level qualification to be completed; an AS-level qualification may also be awarded after the first year.

AS-level

Cambridge Higher School Certificate candidates may take the following subjects at AS-level: *General Paper *Divinity *Islamic Studies *Hinduism *French Language *Environmental Management *Hindi Literature *Arabic Language *Chinese Language *German Language *Spanish Language *Urdu Language *Hindi Language *Tamil Language *Telugu Language *English Language *Language and Literature in English *Law *Art and Design *Travel and Tourism *Physical Education *Computer Science *Marine Science *Thinking Skills *Literature in English *Geography *History *Sociology *Biology *Design and Technology *Accounting *Business Studies *Economics *Mathematics

A-level

Cambridge Higher School Certificate candidates may take the following subjects at A2-level: *Divinity *Islamic Studies *Hinduism *Law *French (Mauritius) *Food Studies *Art and Design *Travel and Tourism *Physical Education *Design and Textiles *Urdu *Arabic *Hindi *Marathi *Tamil *Telugu *Computing *Marine Science *Thinking Skills *Literature in English *Geography *History *Psychology *Sociology *Biology *Chemistry *Physics *Music *Design and Technology *Accounting *Business Studies *Economics *Mathematics *Chinese *German *Spanish *Computer Science

HSC Pro

Higher School Certificate Professional Qualification (HSC Pro) students additionally take the following subjects: *Cambridge International Technical in ICT *AS Global Perspectives

Progression

Students who successfully earn the Higher School Certificate may then progress onto

tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

study. Students who are unsuccessful in obtaining the qualification may then transition from the academic stream to the vocational stream and progress onto

programmes of study. Students may also choose to obtain

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

qualifications at a later time.

References

{{Education in Mauritius Education in Mauritius Graduation Secondary school qualifications