Welcome to the Upper Secondary School
Welcome to the Upper Secondary School (USS) of Ghana International School (GIS).
We provide international education to students from ages 15 to 18+ (Form 4 – Upper 6)
We are proud of the number of young adults we churn out every year and the excellent IGCSE and A- Level results they achieve. We also take pride in the attractive study grants our students receive from top US, UK, European, Ghanaian and other universities.
We are proud of the international competitions like SASMO, KANGAROO MATH, GAUSS, FRYER MATH CONTEST, MISE, MOS, STEM, EUCLID, Chess, Art, and AISA competitions in which our students take part and the enviable accolades they receive. GIS students had top honors at both senior and junior levels at the National Mathematics Olympiad. This summer, four of our students represented Ghana at the Bulgaria International Olympiad and at the same time, one represented Ghana, at the senior level, at the International Math Olympiad, held in China. As first-timers at the Fryer Math Contest, GIS was ranked among the top 50, out of 175 international schools across the world.
We are proud of the wide range of co-curricular clubs, internships and work shadow programmes on offer which allow our students to showcase their talent and learn new skills.
We are proud of the multicultural experience that our students receive. This helps to make them true global citizens as they have a real opportunity to experience, embrace and celebrate diverse cultures.
We are proud of the rigorous and robust academic curriculum that provides our students with the requisite “tools” to excel in College and beyond. We are proud of the roll out, this year, of BTEC courses, which are directly related to 21st century skills.
We are proud of the leadership and responsibility roles that our Prefects, SRC and other student leaders perform. This provides them with an early taste of (student) politics and the rudiments and ethics of electioneering, communication, negotiation, persuasion, campaigning and marketing. This enables students to internalize the important GIS attributes of critical thinking, discipline, effective communication, social responsibility, creativity and international mindedness to achieve the best high school experience.
Finally, we are proud of the excellent cohesion and camaraderie among management, teachers, staff, alumni, parents and the wider GIS community. As our motto, so are we. UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER!… WELCOME!!!
Mr. Ernest S. K. Afeawo,
Vice Principal.
Academic programme & curriculum
The curriculum at GIS is based on the British model. In the Secondary section, courses are validated through IGCSE examinations at age 16 and GCE Advanced Level at age 18. The 11 – 16 age groups are called Forms 1 to 5, IGCSE being taken at the end of Form 5. The Advanced Level years are called the Lower and Upper Sixth Form, now known in England as Years 12 and 13, with Lower Sixth matching American Grade 12 and the Canadian grade 12. Forms 4 and 5 have four sub-forms, namely L, M, R and S. Forms L6 and U6 have three sub-forms, namely L, M and R. Forms 4 to U6 students are divided into smaller subject sets for lessons.
All students in the Secondary School (Forms 1 to U6) are in mixed ability classes. (In Form 5, where both the Core and Extended Maths syllabi are taught, there is one set for the core and three to four mixed ability sets for the Extended syllabus).
The curriculum has a strong academic bias and is geared towards students in the top forty tofifty per cent of the ability range, and is meant for those who intend to go on to tertiary institutions. There is a lot of emphasis on homework, essay writing and tests, requiring a great deal of input from students.
Subjects in Forms 4 and 5
The following subjects are offered at IGCSE: Accounting, Additional Mathematics, Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Computer Studies, Economics, English Language, English Literature, French, Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics, Sociology and Spanish. English language, Literature and Mathematics are compulsory. Students select an additional five to seven subjects. To ensure a broad education at this level, students are encouraged to take either History or Geography, or both. At least one science subject is required. It is possible to register for another language not offered by the school provided the candidate is fluent in it and able to take the first language option in the subject. For non-compulsory subjects, students will be guided in their choice. The Career and College Counselor holds meetings with students and their parents to help students choose their subjects, taking into account interests, aptitude and plans for the future. This service has recently been greatly strengthened by input from a UK-based careers advice consultancy, which conducts an assessment programme referred to as ‘Step One’ for Form 3 students to expose their strengths and possible future career opportunities open to them, to guide them in making informed choices of IGCSE subjects for Form 4.
For new entrants to GIS joining in Form 4, their subject choices will be determined by their performance in the entrance tests
