Cambridge GCE O-level Preparatory Course

Your Path to Junior Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities

Introduction

GCE O-Level is an internationally recognized Cambridge certificate suitable for students planning _disibledevent="on">Singapore and around the world. Upon graduation, students will be given the choice to either continue with the GCE A-Level education or to advance in their education through Diplomas in Colleges which will eventually lead them to their higher education in Universities throughout the world. Beacon, School of Technology offers such advancement opportunities through our Diplomas and Edexcel BTEC Higher National Diplomas (Internationally recognized) which will lead O-Level graduates to achieve their University Education within an express time frame of 3-4 years upon their O-Level graduation.

The course syllabus covers a range of disciplines. The GCE O-Level syllabus develops the practical and theoretical skills which lay the foundation for further advancement in the education pathway. Students will be given the opportunities to understand and acquire the knowledge and skills stipulated in the assessment objectives of the respective GCE O-Level subject covered in this course.

Course Syllabus

The preparatory course comprises of five subjects following the syllabi stipulated by the examination authorities (Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate or Ministry of Education, Singapore)

Syllabus 1127 English Language GCE O-Level

Syllabus 1162 Chinese Language GCE O-Level

Syllabus 4017 GCE Mathematics Ordinary Level

Syllabus 4018 GCE Additional Mathematics Ordinary Level

Syllabus 5052 Physics GCE O-Level

Syllabus 7118 Principal of Accounts GCE O-Level

Assessment

The course is assessed at the preliminary stage through varies in-house test and examinations which will prepare them for the final GCE O-level Cambridge Examinations.

The students will sit for the GCE O-level examinations at the end of the year as private candidates which is assessed by the examination authorities (Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate or Ministry of Education, Singapore)

Entry Requirements

Local students with minimum age of 17 years who have attempted O-Level exams previously.

Foreign students with qualifications equivalent to the Secondary 3 academic standard may be admitted on the condition that they are proficient in English. Students lacking proficiency in English will be required to take up English lessons.

Certification

Students who successfully satisfy all requirements of related GCE O-level subjects will be awarded the prestigious Cambridge GCE O-Level certificate.

Course Schedule

The course program takes total of 960 hours in course work, excluding self-study and revision time.

Full-time

• Total Duration: 1 year
• Total Course Hours: 960
• Weekly Time Tabled Hours (Teaching): 16
• Weekly Time-Tabled hours for English, group & social activities: 14

General Certificate of Education

History

The GCE was originally introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1951, replacing the older School Certificate (SC) and Higher School Certificate (HSC). It was intended to cater for the increased range of subjects available to pupils since the raising of the school leaving age from 14 to 15 in 1947. The examinations were graded into ordinary level for 16-year-olds, and advanced level for 18-year-olds. There was also an intermediate level alternative ordinary level (AO-level) and a higher special paper (S-level). In 1988, GCE O-Levels were phased out in favour of theGeneral Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). GCE A Levels were retained.

Worldwide use

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, students who wish to attend university in the United Kingdom usually take part in the British examinations in addition to Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE), despite the equivalent gradings granted by UK universities between the two sets of examinations, for grades attained in the British examination tend to be better. The English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong runs schools that follow the British patterned education, and students take GCSE in Years 10–11 and AS/A Level exams in Years 12–13, although the schools are transitioning to the IB Diploma.

Malta

In Malta, the British examinations are still very popular, though their popularity has been in decline since the introduction of a similar examination scheme by the University of Malta^{[citation needed]}.

Singapore

Increasingly in Singapore, students who perform well in school are given the option to bypass the O-levels, and take the A Levels instead at the age of 18, in a scheme dubbed the integrated programme (also known as the through-train programme).

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level examinations are conducted by theDepartment of Examinations of the Government of Sri Lanka. The GCE(O/L) is normally conducted in the month of December and GCE (A/L)s are conducted in the month of August. They are conducted on an island-wide examination centres on same time. Examination entrance is restricted by a minimal number of formal school going years and laboratory field work. The majority of candidates enter the exams via their respective schools, while candidates who have finished school education can also apply as a private candidates.

The O/L examination is regarded as the qualification examination for starting on GCE(A/L). Specialization streaming is depended on the grades obtained for subjects in the O/L. The country's reputed schools admit students to their A/L, depending on the O/L grades.

The Sri Lankan University Grants commission determines the cut-off points for the selection of students to the Sri Lankan universities according to the grade points obtained in the A/L examinations based on the normal distribution.^[1]

Definitions of o level

• General Certificate of Secondary Education: the basic level of a subject taken in school
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

• A subject-based qualification superseded in England by GCSEs, but still available as an international examination
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/O-level

• Alternative spelling of O-level
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/O_level