Yomi BlackChoosing your subjects for Cambridge is the decision with the longest reach in this entire process. It is made once, usually in a hurry, and it determines which courses you can be admitted to for years afterwards.
- Rule
- Subjects are entered individually. There is no fixed minimum, though universities set their own.
- Compulsory
- English, Mathematics and the sciences or humanities your destination requires
- Coming
- Cambridge revises syllabuses on published cycles with clear first-examination dates
- Subjects offered
- 14 in the current list covered on this site
- Chosen by
- The requirements of your intended course, not your preferences
- Checked against
- The admission requirements published for that course
How subjects are examined here
Each subject is examined as multiple components per subject, with practicals examined as separate papers in the sciences, marked against published assessment objectives, with grade thresholds set after each series. international depth, with syllabuses written to be taught over two years and examined in components
That shapes which subjects are realistic for you. The syllabus assumes teaching most Nigerian schools do not provide, particularly in the sciences, which is why entering privately is difficult here.
Why the combination outlives the examination
A subject combination is the longest-lived decision in this process. The result is permanent, the certificate does not expire, and the courses it qualifies you for are fixed by subjects chosen in a single afternoon, often by somebody else.
Cambridge is the only examination here designed to be read by admissions officers who have never heard of Nigeria. That portability is what you are paying for.
Checking against the destination
It is accepted by universities worldwide, and by Nigerian universities as O’level or A-level equivalent, but acceptance of the certificate is not the same as acceptance for a course. Every competitive course names subjects, and the named subjects are not negotiable at admission.
What people ask about this
What decides my combination?
The admission requirements of the course you intend to read. Work backwards from the course, not forwards from the subjects you enjoy.
How many subjects must I register?
Subjects are entered individually. There is no fixed minimum, though universities set their own.
Which are compulsory?
English, Mathematics and the sciences or humanities your destination requires. From the next curriculum change, Cambridge revises syllabuses on published cycles with clear first-examination dates.
Should I take the maximum or the minimum?
Take the extra subject if you would credit it without additional effort. Adding a subject you have barely studied buys a failed grade on a certificate you will show for the rest of your life.
Can I register a subject my school does not teach?
You can enter it. Nobody will prepare you for it. This is the most common cause of a surprise failure.
The rule
Subjects are entered individually. There is no fixed minimum, though universities set their own. That is a range, not a target. There is no credit for exceeding it and no discretion below it, because a shortfall is a registration error rather than a choice.
The compulsory element is English, Mathematics and the sciences or humanities your destination requires. Everything else is yours to choose, and the choosing is where candidates go wrong.
How to choose, in order
- Find the O’level requirement for your intended course first. The published admission requirements name the subjects each course requires and the ones it accepts. That list, not your school’s stream, decides your core electives.
- Lock those in. Whatever your course names is non-negotiable and chosen before anything else.
- Add a second course’s requirements. You will most likely not get your first choice on the first attempt. A combination that qualifies you for two related courses is worth more than one that perfectly fits a single competitive course.
- Fill the remainder with subjects you can credit. The remaining slots exist to protect your minimum. Choose for reliability, not for prestige.
- Decide the last slot last. Take it if you have a subject you would pass without extra effort. Leave it if you would be starting from nothing.
Where subject selection goes wrong
- Registering a subject the school does not teach. You can enter it. Nobody will prepare you for it. This is the single most common cause of a surprise failure.
- Ignoring the practical papers. Several subjects carry a practical or an alternative to practical as a separate paper, with separate preparation and sometimes a separately scheduled session.
- Leaving the combination to whoever fills the forms. Check the printed entry against what you chose before it is submitted.
- Counting wrong. Count the subjects on your own entry yourself.
The examining body decides what it will examine. Institutions decide what they will accept. Nothing here overrides a course requirement, and a good result in the wrong subjects is worth nothing to a course whose named subject you did not sit.
The subjects covered on this site
Every subject below has its own pages here: what the syllabus covers, how to work its past papers, and how to pass it.
- Accounting
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Economics
- English Language
- French
- Further Mathematics
- General Mathematics
- Geography
- Government
- Literature-in-English
- Music
- Physics
- Visual Art
Sources
- Cambridge Assessment International Education. www.cambridgeinternational.org
Next in this guide
Everything on Cambridge in one place:
- Cambridge eligibility
- Cambridge registration
- Cambridge fees
- Cambridge syllabus
- Cambridge timetable
- Cambridge past questions
Start at the Cambridge hub for the full map.
Sources
- Cambridge Assessment International Education. www.cambridgeinternational.org