We’re so excited to share that we’ve teamed up with OxfordAQA to launch the new International GCSE Global Skills Projects. Education leaders are already calling it “the most important new GCSE in a generation” – and we can’t wait to see the difference it makes for students.
Launching for first teaching in August 2026, this qualification responds to the rapidly changing world students are preparing to enter, covering challenges such as AI and automation, climate change, shifting labour markets and global uncertainty.
International GCSE Global Skills Projects is designed to sit alongside core GCSEs such as English, maths, sciences and languages, enabling students to develop critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and global citizenship skills from the start of secondary education.
Through assessed, project-based learning, students apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges, building capabilities that universities, employers and society increasingly value.
The qualification aligns perfectly with the eight pillars of our Critical Curriculum
It combines OxfordAQA’s global reach and academic rigour with 8billionideas’ award-winning, skills-focused approach, providing schools with a credible, robust way to embed essential skills within a recognised GCSE framework.
“GCSEs have always evolved to reflect the needs of society, and today those needs are changing at unprecedented speed. International GCSE Global Skills Projects brings these capabilities into a rigorous, assessable framework.” — Emily Cheffins, Chief Examiner, OxfordAQA
“This qualification turns the long-standing conversation about connecting education to real-world challenges into action. It is the most important GCSE in a generation.” — David Harkin, Founder and CEO, 8billionideas
Schools worldwide will be able to offer International GCSE Global Skills Projects from August 2026. For guidance on getting started and how your students can benefit, click here.