Epsom College has become the latest of a growing number of independent schools to ditch GCSEs in favour of a more rigorous international qualification.

From 2008 pupils at the Victorian school in College Road will sit IGCSE examinations in English, maths, and science.

The school decided to adopt the qualification, which is similar to the former O-level, because compulsory GCSE coursework had become a "jumping through hoops exercise".

The decision follows the disclosure that one in three employers has run remedial classes for school leavers lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills. It has emerged that pupils needed less than half marks to achieve an A grade in this year's maths GCSE.

Stephen Borthwick, the headteacher, said: "More and more Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference schools (HMCs) are adopting the IGCSE and, like them, Epsom College believes it to be a more challenging option, better suited to the needs of our talented students."

An informal review of the latest GCSE courses concluded that the subject matter was "poor and unchallenging" with multiple choice questions that would fail to stretch candidates' abilities.

Paul Green, the director of teaching and learning, explained that compulsory coursework often had to be contrived, taking up valuable time. Epsom College pupils, he said, were beginning to find the exercise "tedious and demotivating".

The IGCSE was intended for international students who wanted to come to British universities but were unable to do coursework. It has been approved by 10 universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Durham.

State schools are unable to switch to the IGCSE because the Government will fund only courses approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).