Choosing Subjects at O Levels

“CHOOSING O LEVEL SUBJECTS”

‘Maria, you have to take up the science subjects at your O level’.

‘But Mom I do not want to! The biology and physics concepts just do not seem to find their way into my brain! I’d rather go for Business subjects!’

‘But beta, you know that your father wants you to take the science subjects. He would never allow anything otherwise.’

Problems. Problems. Problems…..

Choosing your subjects at O Level is one of the many important problems you are likely to come across in your life. What subjects you opt for at this level plays a major role in determining what further education you receive and what turn your career path takes.

For starters, you are required by schools to take up a minimum of eight subjects at O Level. Some schools demand that you take up a minimum of nine subjects. Either way you have to appear for five compulsory subjects. You have the option of taking up three electives (4 if you are made to take nine subjects). Electives are the subjects that you choose as your major subjects. Most schools stick to the following typical subject combinations:

	Biology Physics Chemistry		Add. Math Physics Chemistry		Economics Accounting Business Studies

Other schools are more flexible in their approach and allow students to take up random combinations e.g. Physics and Chemistry with Economics. The five compulsory subjects that you have to take are: English Language, Mathematics (either syllabus B or D depending on your examination board), Urdu, Pakistan Studies and Islamiyat. For Urdu, you get to choose either Urdu Literature that comprises ghazals, afsaanay, novels, etc. or Urdu Language which basically tests your ability to communicate in Urdu assuming that its not your mother tongue (the syllabus title says ‘Urdu as a Second Language’). It comprises simple comprehension passages, essay writing and some basic English- to- Urdu translation.

Having covered the basic subjects that you have to take anyway, we move on to the electives. Some kids grow up knowing their calling. They know whether they want to be engineers, doctors, or lawyers or some other professional from a profession that inspired them. It seems as if they have always known what subjects they are going to take at their O level, at A Level and at all the ‘Levels’ of further education (!!).

Others choose to live in the moment and leave this decision until they really have to take it. However, do not worry if you do not belong to the I-have-always- known- what- I- want- to- be class of people. Choosing your O level subjects is simply a matter of making a few small decisions.

If you feel that you have always been attracted towards Biology and have sailed through biology classes at school, then it is the subject for you. The same applies if you aspire to become a doctor or a biological researcher one day. Your combination should be Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

If mathematics has been the one subject that you have always been great at and that you find is the only one you find challenging enough, then you should definitely take up the Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry combination. This goes for anyone who wants to be an astronaut, an engineer, a pilot, or an architect.

In case all of the science subjects repulse you, leave you feeling boggled, or the business executive types attract you (or if you wish to be the future Donald Trump!), it is best for you to take up Economics, Business Studies, Accounting and Commerce.

That is the simple way to go if you know where your interests lie and IF, more importantly, your parents agree to go along with your subject choice. Just in case you have not found your true calling yet and find no particular career inspiring enough, it is best to go with the Biology, Physics and Chemistry combo. This combination is a very option as it allows you to switch to almost any other subject combination during you’re A Level and further education. It gives you time to ponder over and decide on your career options without harming your future prospects. Moreover, in our society there is a special bias towards the Sciences and parents are usually ever- reluctant to allow their children to take up Business subjects. If that is the case, again it is best to go for the Science subjects for O level. Even if after studying science, you feel you still want to go for Business subjects then you have the O level period to convince your parents to allow you to take those up. However, if you feel that you find it hard to do well in the Science subjects, so much so that you will not even be able to manage a grade C, then it is best to sit and have a serious talk with your parents. Tell them about your weaknesses and stress that whether you take Sciences at O levels or not would not matter much if you fail to gain admission anywhere due to poor grades in Science subjects.

For those of you who plan to apply to colleges and universities in Pakistan, it is mandatory to take up the above- mentioned typical subject combos. Otherwise the Equivalence Board would classify the combination as ‘Humanities’ which means you can’t get into a medical or engineering university as both require ‘Science’ to be taken up at Matriculation. Anyone who wants to pursue a career in Medicine should be extremely careful that he/ she takes ‘Biology’ CIE syllabus code ----- and not ‘Human and Social Biology’ CIE syllabus code -----. The Equivalence Board considers the latter a Humanities subject. Those wishing to pursue engineering must take up the Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry combination as Computer Studies and Computing both do not classify as a combination option for Engineering.

As per CIE instructions, there are certain subjects that you cannot take together in the same examination session e.g. Computing and Computer Studies. Be very careful about any such subjects, as opting for such subjects together would only waste time when you are registering for the exam.

That was it for the major options. Now, apart from the major subjects, if you wish to take up extra subjects, decide which one early on. If you are taking science subjects for major electives when you actually wanted to go for business subjects, it would be a good option to take up either Commerce or Business Studies as an extra subject. Both are soft options- easy to understand and good for building up basic business concepts. If you initially wanted to take up Arts, go for Fashion Design or Arts as the extra subject. Statistics is always a good option as it is easy to understand and helps a lot with your general O level Mathematics as well as A Level Mathematics and Biology.

Choosing extra subjects at O level isn’t really a problem at all since you have a wide variety of choices. CIE offers all kinds of interesting subjects ranging from Bengali and Punjabi to Metalwork, Woodwork and Music. (For an exhaustive list visit www.cie.org.uk) Since it is not mandatory for you to choose any extra subjects, don’t if you find that it would be too much of a load to carry alongside your compulsory subjects. In such a situation, the best strategy would just be to stick to the main subjects and not divert your attention towards any extra subjects.

So go ahead and decide what subjects suit you best…. And best of luck for all your endeavors!! J

O level help

Lifesavers for ‘O’ level woes

By Qurratulain Qaiser a.k.a MAHAM

Everyone gets worried about his or her exams. It is a natural phenomenon. But there are a few steps which, if followed, would prevent a nervous breakdown during exam time. First, get the books prescribed by your school and go through them (just to get an overview of what the books contain!) Try to get the copies of the syllabus for the subjects you have to appear in. Don’t forget to choose the syllabi for the subjects you have to appear in and for the year in which you have to appear in the examination (e.g. choose the 2007 syllabi if you plan to appear in May/June 2007 or October/November 2007). All syllabi are luckily available free of cost at www.cie.org.uk. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download it though! Go through all the syllabi.

Whenever you plan to start studying properly, go through the books over and over again. Ideally, you should have one course book and two reference books (preferably from the list of prescribed texts in the respective syllabi). Cover the syllabus, moving from point-to-point, so that the whole syllabus is thoroughly covered. Do not hesitate to go a bit beyond the syllabus if the extra information helps you. This extra information might come from a teacher, a reference book, the Internet or a fellow student. A little general knowledge can gain you a lot of marks and give you an edge over other candidates. It is better to make notes as you learn important points. Also, check out the past papers on different subjects. For subjects like Pakistan Studies (the history and culture of Pakistan and the environment of Pakistan), it is best not to buy solved past papers as they are of little help. Never try to rote-learn any text. It is better to try and understand each and every concept.

Link all the information in your mind in a way that it can be used in a variety of contexts. To prevent last minute panicking, you should have ideally covered the syllabi three months before the date of your first Cambridge exam. The date sheets are also available (two months prior to the exams) at www.cie.org.uk.

GOLDEN TIP: Study what is required by the syllabus and just a little more.

REVISION: Revision is a crucial part of all examinations. First of all, you need to focus on your weak areas and grasp any concepts that are weak, properly. Then revise the whole syllabus content. Read the books in your curriculum as many times as possible. It actually helps because the layout of the page would remind you of any points you might not be able to recall during the paper. Attempt yearly past papers, especially those from the year 2000 onwards. Check the durations of all papers and their distribution of questions. Chalk out how much time you need to give to each question. For history and Islamiyat, it is best to work on your writing speed. See how many words you can write in 20 minutes. For the Islamiyat paper, you should be able to write at least 900 words in 20 minutes.

EXAMINATION: Before the exam day, don’t stay up late overnight. Eat well before the exam — a good supply of glucose to the brain helps boost its working. Go to the exam venue in school uniform. Be there in time (at 8:30am for the morning session and at 2:00pm for the afternoon sessions). Don’t lose your cool. Stay calm and composed.

Panicking is of no use. So, don’t go for revision right before the exam although it is OK to discuss your confusions with some of your friends and get your head clear.

Whatever you do, don’t listen to any know-it-all who is trying to scare you by showing off how much more he/she has covered compared to you!

ATTEMPTING THE PAPER: This is the most important part of your exams. It’s the time to bring out the best in you and give it your all.

1. Write your name (in block letters) and the candidate number on the question paper and the answer sheet. Copy it down carefully from your statement of entry (no matter how well you think you know it!

2. Read the question paper carefully before you put your pen to paper.

3. Read and re-read each question before answering it and keep referring back to it while writing the answer.

4. Do not write long, rambling and rote-learned answers. Answer the question in such a way that the examiner knows what you have written is the answer to the question being asked and not a reproduction of the text book.

5. The length of the answer should be in accordance with the marks allocated.

6. Always answer the question that is actually being asked, NOT the one you think has been asked. This usually happens when you read the first few words of the questions and shoot away. These words might actually match the starting words of a question you might have read in the past papers but if you take a closer look it might be quite different.

7. Answer the question in proper paragraphs and not in note form.

8. The distribution of paragraphs should be according to the point and reasons you need to give especially in Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies.

9. For objective papers like biology, chemistry, etc., solve the MCQs on the question papers first by putting really small dots against the correct option.

10. In the MCQs paper, it is best to first cross out the obviously wrong options — the distracters. This usually leaves you with two options. Find the correct answer by using your knowledge and common sense combined.

11. Never reproduce material learnt from elsewhere. Chances are that someone would have written the same answer.

12. Use dark blue or black ink to solve the paper and never write in the right-hand margin headed ‘Examiner’s use only’.

13. If you have been given a word limit, it is best to stick with it.

14. Leave at least 10 minutes, before the end of the paper duration for checking the paper all over and then re-checking it. If there’s something that you need to cut out or correct, put a simple, clear, single, straight line across the word or phrase.

15. For MCQs, it is extremely important to check that you have shaded the correct box against the correct question number by tallying the question numbers and answers against the question paper answers you have marked.

16. Do not use staples, correction fluids, glue, paper clips, highlighters and coloured pens or pencils unless your syllabus specifically allows their use.

17. Last but not the least; check your candidate number and name on all the sheets and question papers before handing them over.

Best of luck for whenever you appear in your exams!