I completed my IGCSE from DUBAI in 2007 and currently I am facing an intense situation regarding getting my EQUIVALENE certificate. I really don’t know where to go and whom to contact. I recently visited the INTERMEDIATE BOARD OFFICE but I was able to find any relevant information regarding EQUIVALENCE instead ended up totally confused.
The problem that I face is that I have given the following subjects excluding pakistan studies:-
Plus I have give ISLAMIC and ARABIC subjects from MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DUBAI.
I heard that they don’t give equivalence if the candidate has not given PAK STUDIES, URDU & ISLAMIC…I wasn’t in pak at the time of my IGCSE examz How come I should have appeared in these subjects when it wasn’t compulsory for me at that time.
Now I require an equivalnce certificate in order to obtain admission in INTER (COMMERCE)
Are you getting your equivalence for admission in any particular university in Pakistan? Medicine, engineering, something of that sort? It varies and the subjects required for what field you want to go into also differ.
Please do note that you are going to go through hell while trying to obtain your equivalence because those people do not believe in handing it over very easily. A few years back when I was senior in high school, I had wanted to apply to med schools there in Pakistan so I sent everything to Islamabad but they told me that since I did not take physics in high school, they could not issue me an equivalence for pre-med. They said they can give me one for anything else but not for applying to medical schools. So I took a semester of Physics here at college and resent everything. They THEN told me they weren’t going to accept it because I had taken a COLLEGE one semester course instead of the regular one year high school course My professor even wrote a letter to them explaining it was no different and I couldn’t go back to high school to study physics for one year! After a lot of bickering back and forth, they told me straight up they could not issue me an equivalence unless I took one MORE semester and I was like forget it because by then, I got into a med school here and forgot all about it. 4 months later, you won’t believe what I received in the mail- THE EQUIVALENCE! I didn’t know whether to be happy or yell. My relatives had gone crazy mailing them one document after the other, I had stayed up nights calling these people in Islamabad and this was the drama they put up. So yes, prepare yourself.
Mind me asking why you want to go the Inter route after GCSE? Why not continue with A-Levels?
Having been somewhat in the same boat as yours, I had to spend an extra three months in preparing for Pak Studies, Urdu, and Islamic Studies when I wanted to get into F.Sc. - but only a couple of months in F.Sc., I realized that I couldn't adjust to the change in format of study... and I had to revert back to doing A-Levels.
If your intention is to get into a University in Pakistan, then A-Levels are accepted widely in all Universities in Pakistan.
hmm...Well I am planning to get a equivalence so that I can easily get admission into a UNIVERSITY studying A'LEVELS in Pak is far more difficult for me...as you know I have shifted to pak its really hard for me to adjust in this environment and b'coz of this I have chosen to go for FSC as a private candidate....get my INTER CERTIFICATE and straight away go to UNIVERSITY and for A'LEVELS I'll have to work hard and at last I'll end up taking admission in the same UNI and plus I won't be able to apply in any of the GOVERNMENT UNIVERSITY such as KU.....anywayz....I'll visit the IBCC 2morrow again and let you know wht happens this time!!!!
even though Fsc format is differnt from o-level and a-level but if you intend to study in Pakistan afterwards its much better to do Fsc. it increases your chances for admission in universities. if you have not taken igcse in pakistan, i think you can get exemption for urdu' pak study and islamiat. i read it somewhere....that if u took british exams outside of pak u can be exempted. othewise its compulsary to study these subjects.
At laaaaaaaaaaast!!!.....Visited the IBCC office on Monday and u won't believe me....it was really very simple...there was a guy on the front desk I asked him...."I NEED A EQUIVALENCE FOR MY IGCSE" he said...."NO PROBLEM"...Then he asked me from which country I appeared for my IGCSE I told him "DUBAI" he then asked me to show him the "CERTIFICATE" and after showing him the certificate he gave me a bank challan form and an equivalence form as well and said that the rule has changed long ago and now all the students who have appeared for their IGCSE from Middle East requires only 5 subjects to get an equivalence in which Physics Chemistry, Maths and English are compulsory but if you are appearing for A'LEVEL in pakistan then URDU, ISLAMIAT & PAK STUDIES r compulsory...Thank GOD.....Now i'll visit the office on saturday to make sure that everything is well in place and after that I'll forward my application to ISLAMABAD.....Forgot to tell u one more thing....I'll have to send my passport copies plus the UAE visa page so that they can figure out that I was in DUBAI at that time.....1 more weird part....I'LL HAVE TO SEND ALL THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS......
said that the rule has changed long ago and now all the students who have appeared for their IGCSE from Middle East requires only 5 subjects to get an equivalence in which Physics Chemistry, Maths and English are compulsory but if you are appearing for A'LEVEL in pakistan then URDU, ISLAMIAT & PAK STUDIES r compulsory...Thank GOD..
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thanks for sharing this info.....i kind of knew it but now u confirmed it. my oldest is appearing in A-2 in may and my #2 is appearin for As and my #3 is going to appear for 1st O-level attempt(3 or 4 subjects) next may. none of them did urdu as their urdu is so so....but luck was on our side we moved to saudia and urdu problem was solved.
Well, I submitted my application in KARACHI office Located in INTERMEDIATE BOARD OFFICE, I had to submit my original IGCSE certificate with a fees of 1500 and plus had to attach my PASSPORT COPIES WITH VISA PAGE AND ENTRY AS WELL AS EXIT Stamps....Plus MY NICOP......He asked me to visit back on 21st....
IBCC stands for INTER BOARD COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN....
hey i want to know that if a person has already done matric / Inter from a pakistani board & now appearing for O/A levels (phy,che,bio) in pakistan,will he/she face any difficulty to get EQUIVALENE certificate?
hey i want to know that if a person has already done matric / Inter from a pakistani board & now appearing for Olevels (bio) and A levels (bio,chem,phy) in pakistan,will he/she face any difficulty to get EQUIVALENE certificate?
My professor even wrote a letter to them explaining it was no different and I couldn’t go back to high school to study physics for one year! After a lot of bickering back and forth, they told me straight up they could not issue me an equivalence unless I took one MORE semester and I was like forget it because by then, I got into a med school here and forgot all about it. 4 months later, you won’t believe what I received in the mail- THE EQUIVALENCE! I didn’t know whether to be happy or yell. My relatives had gone crazy mailing them one document after the other, I had stayed up nights calling these people in Islamabad and this was the drama they put up. So yes, prepare yourself.