COUNSELING IN

EDUCATION Lesson 3

Assignment 2

Group Members

ROY NEILL FERNANDEZ - MC20614050

ATIQAH MUNAWARAH BINTI ABDULL SALAM - MC210614193

EVENT : CHOOSING SUBJECTS FOR CAMBRDGE IGCSE FOR YEAR 10

DATE : 16TH August 2022

TIME : 8.30am – 12.30pm

VENUE : CENTRAL AUDITORIUM, Global Modern International School (GMIS)

TARGETED AUDIENCE : 20 STUDENTS + 40 PARENTS

PEOPLE INVOLVED : 1.MR. GANESH GOPALAKRISHNAN

(HEAD OFCAMBRIDGE OFFICER)

2. MADAM TOR SIONG

(HEAD ACADEMIC COUNCILLOR)

ACTIVITIES : 1. INTRODUCTION TO CABRIDGE PROGRAME

2. COURSE SUBJECT OFFERED IN SCHOOL

3. FORMS & CONSENT LETTERS

Itinerary of the day

ITEM TIME ACTIVITY OBJECTIVE

i. 8.30am – 8.45am Welcoming of parents and students

(M.C by head student)

Welcoming and ushering of parent and learners

from new Year 10 intake into the school’s

auditorium.

ii. 8.45am – 9.00am Morning briefing

by School Principal

(Mdm. Shaima

Abdullah)

A warm welcome and briefing by the esteem school

principal to the audience present.

1 9.00am – 9.30am Introduction to

Cambridge IGCSE

by Head Of

Cambridge,

(Mr Ganesh)

Learners and parents know the schools objective

and reasons to collaborate and proceed with the

Cambridge IGCSE CIE curriculum and to clarify its

purpose in order for audience to be more confident

in the schools choice of the program.

1.1 What is Cambridge and what are its benefits 1.2 Our school as a CIE centre 1.3 Minimum and maximum subjects 1.4 Available month/year (briefly) 1.5 Q & A session

iii. 9.30am –

10.00am

Breakfast

school cafeteria

A short breakfast provided by school cafeteria

committee, adjourned at the school’s cafeteria.

Meals: Light spaghetti, assorted biscuits, fried

noodle and tuna egg sandwiches.

Drinks: Orange and apple juice, warm milo and

coffee and warm water.

2 10.00am –

11.30am

Course subjects

offered in school

By Head Of Academic

Councillor,

(Mdm. Tor Siong)

Learners and parents are exposed to subjects that are offered by the school and know which of the core compulsory subject they need as well as the extended subjects options provided by the schools for their Cambridge IGCSE CIE curriculum.

2.1Core subjects 2.2 Compulsory subjects 2.3 Elective Subjects 2.4 Final combination of subjects 2.5 Q & A session

3 11.30am –

11.00pm

Distribution and filling

of forms, consent

letters, registration

Distribution of forms related to subject list and

selection. Consent from parents on the subject

choice and registration of selected subjects.

4 12.00pm –

12.30pm

Final Q & A session,

closure

Question and answers session on regarding

Almost every learners and parents wondered, what is the best subjects and courses to undertake?

Especially when it comes to further developing their interest and their career opportunities provided

by UK international curriculum known as the Cambridge IGCSE as an international examination

board. Furthermore, what are courses and programme services provided and supported by the

school itself undertaking the CIE (Cambridge International Examination) curriculum?

1. INTRODUCTION TO CAMBRIDGE IGCSE

We acknowledge that wherever in the world your learners want to pursue their career, we would

help them get there with Cambridge IGCSE curriculum which is recognize over 200 countries

worldwide. The Cambridge IGCSE curriculum offers a variety of routes for learners with a wide range

of abilities, including those whose first language is not English. Schools committed to the CIE

programs helps learners build a curriculum around learner’s specific needs. Starting from a

foundation of core subjects, it is easy to add breadth and cross-curricular perspectives. Encouraging

learners to engage with a variety of subjects, and make connections between them, is fundamental

to our approach.

1.1 What is Cambridge and what are its benefits

For schools and learners, Cambridge IGCSE offers a flexible and stimulating curriculum, supported

with excellent resources and training. For learners, Cambridge IGCSE helps improve performance by

developing skills in creative thinking, enquiry and problem solving. It is the perfect springboard to

advanced study.

There are over 70 subjects available at Cambridge IGCSE, including 30 languages, and schools can

offer them in any combination. Cambridge IGCSE develops learner knowledge, understanding and

skills in:

Subject content

Applying knowledge and understanding to new as well as familiar situations

Intellectual enquiry

Flexibility and responsiveness to change

Working and communicating in English

Influencing outcomes

Cultural awareness.

We GMIS as an institution provider, we have been involved in the development of Cambridge IGCSE.

Our syllabuses are international in outlook, but retain a local relevance. We have incorporated to be

created specifically for an international student body and avoid cultural bias.

1.2 OUR SCHOOL AS A CIE CENTRE

We at GMIS become a British Council-attached centre and join a global learning network of thousands

of ambitious schools and institutions.

As an attached centre, we can offer world-renowned exams from Cambridge International

Examinations (CIE). This has boost our profile and reputation, while making it convenient for our

learners to sit exams in the same venue as they are taught. We can also benefit from co-branding our

centre with the British Council and the exam board.

The following benefits from the British Council will benefit our learners:

Help to organise registration

Handle all exam administration

Offer support and advice for students and teachers

Ensure the security of all exam venues

Be on hand to help teachers and principals where needed.

1.3 MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM SUBJECTS

The core subjects are English and Mathematics. Nevertheless, learners can also choose other subjects

ranging from Sciences, Social Sciences (commonly Accounting, Business Studies, Economics,

Sociology) to Arts & Technology (commonly Computer Studies, Information & Communication

Technology (ICT), Art & Design).

Learners are awarded with one IGCSE certificate on each subject. If you take 5 subjects, you will be

awarded 5 IGCSE certificates. The number of subjects that need to be taken is varied from school to

school, and also depends upon individual preference.

In Malaysia, it is compulsory for all Malaysian students to sign up for their SPM Bahasa Malaysia when

they are in Year 11 (the Form 5 Year). We do however recommend each learners to undertake an

average of 7 subjects due to the minimum for university credentials requirements.

1.4 AVAILABLE MONTH/YEAR (BRIEFLY)

Unlike the Malaysian Certificate of Education (or Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, aka SPM) which offers

examinations once a year, the Cambridge IGCSE offers examinations twice a year,

• May / June

• October / November.

The IGCSE issues the results in August and January every year. However student can choose to sit

and customize their exam sessions but it must be completed by the academic tear itself.

Moreover, the IGCSE graduates can quickly apply for scholarships or be admitted into college and/or

university earlier as compared to the SPM graduate.

2. COURSE SUBJECTS OFFERED IN SCHOOL

Cambridge IGCSE was created more than 30 years ago. Today, it’s the world’s most popular

international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds. Not only is it truly international - it gives our learners

more options than any other international qualification. That means more subjects to choose from,

more ways to learn and more ways to succeed.

We provide a wide range of teaching support and resource materials for each Cambridge IGCSE

subject. Select the subjects below for details.

In other words we have group the subjects based on our cognitive research and packaged them for

better ease of transitioning.

2.1 CORE SUBJECTS

Cores subjects are required to undertake by all student and cannot be dropped or changed.

There are 2 core subjects:

• English as a 1st or 2nd language

• Mathematics (Extended)

2.2 COMPULSARY SUBJECTS

Compulsory subject are required but with an option to choose any type of language the learners

desires.

2.3 ELECTIVE SUBJECTS

Elective subjects are fully option to choose from the grouping we have initially setup for the learners

convenience.

By referring to the grouping sections, learners could be assisted in choosing a more viable path in

selecting their subjects

2.4 FINAL COMBINATION OF SUBJECTS

To assist in summarizing the subjects of choice by their grouping, learners and parent will have a better

overall view of choosing the subject in relate to their interest and future career correspondences.

Only be this thus ends the session for choosing the subjects that best matter to their preferences and

smoothen the operation in organizing student to their classes and avoid any misinformation

3. DISTRIBUTION AND FILLING OF FORMS, CONSENT LETTERS, REGISTRATION

As the title suggested, the distribution of the subject selection forms related to subject list and

grouping shown. Learners and parents can make their final choices from these selection.

Consent from parents and learners is vital to avoid any breach of trust and understanding as well to

have a secured and uninterrupted planning on the academic year. Those who have decided can begin

their registration and allows to change their subjects in a 30 day grace period.

A sample of our subject registration form

4. FINAL Q & A SESSION AND CLOSURE

A final Question and Answer session is held to clear and final discrepancies and to ensure that both

parties fully understood the counselling session was. It also proceed to assimilate the objective

achieved for the day and thus the formality that the session has ended.

Conclusion

In this programme, students will be able to pick courses at the end of year 9, at the age of 14, in

order to take iGCSE exams at the age of 16, which are an international equivalent of the English

GCSE exams. Students in the United Kingdom can take examinations in up to 12 topics, with 5 being

the minimum. The majority of international curriculum students take eight examinations. This is

comparable to the number of examinations taken by their classmates in other foreign schools for the

Middle Years Programme (MYP).

It is best to keep in mind the topics that a student wishes to study later, at A-Levels or for the

International Baccalaureate (IB), as well as looking forward to university, when choosing IGCSE

subjects so that future opportunities are not closed off. Students who are unclear about what they

want to pursue in the future may benefit from IGCSEs. They have the ability to study a wide range of

topics. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this freedom by pursuing a variety of subjects.

Moreover, for those students who are less sure of the path they wish to take, Madam Tor Siong is

there to guide them in the programme. She will put the students in a group and briefly telling them

what are subjects are compulsory to choose and there are some other subjects where it has so many

options based on the students' interest. While keeping the students’ options are open, Madam Tor

Siong also emphasizes the need for students to be informed of the requirements for studying in

other nations in order to prevent being taken off guard.

However, students must further restrict their options and make an arguably more important

decision on the long-term interests they will pursue. Before committing to the curriculum and

particular subject selections, students should have a thorough knowledge of the curriculum, the

assessment style, and the workload. Students should pursue courses that they will truly love and

excel in, based on a track record such as their projected or actual grades from earlier stages of tests.

References

1. Sabihe Hutcheson, (2019). Subject choices: How To Get it Right.

https://www.internationalschoolparent.com/articles/subject-choices-how-to-get-it-right/

2. Anynomous, (Feb 18, 2019). 5 Things You Should Know About The iGSE in Malaysia.

https://educationdestinationmalaysia.com/blogs/5-things-you-should-know-about-the-

igcse-in-malaysia

3. Maple wood Academy, (August 21, 2019) iGSE Vs. Spm: The Differences Between Both.

https://www.maplewood.com.my/igcse-vs-spm-differences-between-both/

4. Cambrige Assessment International Education

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-upper-

secondary/cambridge-igcse/subjects/