Welcome to the Upper Secondary School
Welcome to the Upper Secondary School of Ghana International School (GIS). We provide international education to students from ages 15 to 18+ (Form 4 – Upper 6).
Each year, we proudly churn out students with excellent IGCSE and A-Level results who are exceptionally well-prepared for university.. We also take pride in the attractive study grants and scholarships that our students receive from top US, UK, European, Ghanaian, and other universities.
We offer international competitions like SASMO, KANGAROO MATH, GAUSS, FRYER MATH CONTEST, MISE, MOS, STEM, EUCLID, Chess, Art, and AISA competitions in which our students often attain enviable accolades. Recently, 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.
Students also have access to a wide range of co-curricular clubs, internships, and work shadow programmes, which allow them to showcase their talent and learn new skills.
All of our students experience a truly multicultural environment in and out of the classroom. This helps to make them true global citizens as they have a real opportunity to experience, embrace, and celebrate diverse cultures.
Upper secondary students also have the opportunity to take on a number of formal (Prefects) and informal leadership roles, and that gives them an early taste of (student) politics and the rudiments of ethics, communication, negotiation, persuasion, and campaigning. The important GIS attributes of critical thinking, discipline, effective communication, social responsibility, creativity, and international mindedness are brought to bear in this process.
Overall, the GIS experience really develops exceptional, well-rounded, globally minded graduates equipped for higher education and beyond.
Such outcomes are the result 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. Edward Mensah,
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
