More pupils in the UK are taking international GCSEs, figures from exam boards suggest. In England, the increase has followed a lifting of a ban which stopped state schools from entering pupils for them.
 
The exams which are known as IGCSEs are taken at the end of two years. This is unlike many GCSEs, where students take exams in stages over two years.
 
Overall, UK schools made 50,000 IGCSE entries this year, this compares to the more than 5m GCSE entries last year.