How to Choose Your IGCSE Subjects (2026): The Year 9 Guide That Keeps Doors Open

Somewhere in Year 9, a form comes home asking you to pick your IGCSE subjects — and it's the first school decision that genuinely shapes what comes after. Drop a science at 14 and medicine quietly closes as an option at 18. Most students choose by "what my friends took" or "which teacher I like". Here's the better way: how many subjects to take, which ones are really compulsory, and how to choose so that no door you might want slams early — including the extra rules that apply if a Jordanian university is on your radar.

How many IGCSE subjects should you take?

The sweet spot for most students is 7–9 subjects. Fewer than 6 can limit options (and won't cover Jordan's equivalency); more than 10 rarely adds anything except diluted revision time. No university anywhere gives extra credit for subject number thirteen — but every university notices a B that should have been an A*.

The one principle: choose backwards from the degree

You don't need to know your career at 14 — you need to know which doors to keep open. Work backwards:

If a Jordanian university is even a maybe

Jordan's Tawjihi equivalency has specific subject rules, and the students who get burned are the ones who hear about them after choosing. Build these in now:

• Six IGCSE/O-Levels + two A-Levels is the standard package — your equivalency percentage is the average of all 8, so there are no throwaway subjects. (How the conversion works.)
• Arabic is required for Arab students — and it must be first-language Arabic (Cambridge 0508 / Edexcel 4AA1). Arabic as a Second Language doesn't count. Full details in our IGCSE Arabic guide.
• Match the A-Levels to the major — medicine wants Biology + Chemistry, engineering wants Maths + Physics. The per-major thresholds are in our Jordanian university requirements guide.
• Maths and IT/Computer are commonly expected within the six — sensible picks anyway.

Extended vs Core: don't let a tier cap your future

Cambridge tiers many subjects into Core (maximum grade C) and Extended (A*–E). Core exists for students who'd genuinely struggle on Extended — but if you're targeting A/A*, competitive universities, or a Jordan equivalency average, sit Extended in Maths and the sciences. A Core C (~75 in equivalency terms) quietly caps your average no matter how well you do elsewhere.

The five questions that beat "what are my friends taking?"

1. Which degrees might I want — even 30% might?
   List them, look up their A-Level expectations, and keep the feeder IGCSEs alive. Uncertainty is an argument for keeping sciences, not dropping them.
2. What does the evidence say I'm good at?
   Use actual grades and past-paper scores from Year 8–9 — not vibes. Enjoying a subject and scoring in it usually travel together, but check.
3. Does my package satisfy the rules that apply to me?
   School requirements, and the Jordan equivalency package (incl. first-language Arabic) if a Jordanian university is possible. Verify current Ministry rules — they shift.
4. Am I taking anything purely as a "filler"?
   Swap it for a subject you'll score higher in. In an averaged system, your weakest subject is the expensive one.
5. Can I still change my mind?
   Most schools allow subject swaps in the first weeks of Year 10 — after that it gets costly. If you discover a wrong turn late, individual subjects can be added or resat as a private candidate in Amman.

FAQ

Your IGCSE choices aren't about predicting your future — they're about refusing to shrink it at 14. Keep the door-closing subjects alive, satisfy the rules that apply to you, pick options you'll score high in, and then do the thing that actually determines the outcome: practise real papers until the grades are boringly predictable.