The advantages and disadvantages of O level in Pakistan is a very widely asked topic and in this article, you will go through a detailed guide that will help you answer this question.
So, let’s start from the beginning without further introductions and help you decide about your future plan regarding your studies.
What is O Level?
The word “O Level” refers to the ordinary level and it is an international qualification that is offered in multiple countries such as:
- Pakistan
- India
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
- Singapore
In Pakistan, the British Council is responsible for conducting the Cambridge International Examination (CIE). This education is seen as an alternative to the matriculation system that is offered by the Government of Pakistan.
However, this qualification is limited to middle and elite class in Pakistan due to the massive cost and various other factors.
We will take all these factors into consideration in this article and guide you about this qualification.
This study is exam-based and it offers several subjects to its audience. Some of the subjects that you are offered are listed below but you have to remember that in Pakistan, there are five compulsory (mandatory) subjects such as English, Urdu, Mathematics, Pakistan Studies and Islamiat.
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- Biology (5090)
- Business Studies (7115)
- Chemistry (5070)
- Commerce (7100)
- Environmental Management (5014)
These are some of the subjects that Cambridge offers in Pakistan but it is to note that not all schools offer all the subjects. You should consult your required school regarding the matter.
This takes us to our topic which is to discuss the pros and cons of O level education in Pakistan.
The advantages and disadvantages of O level in Pakistan
The advantages:
The international curriculum of Cambridge is widely accepted in the Universities and Colleges. This education allows students to not only learn knowledge but also stimulates their thinking and questioning skills.
According to Cambridge, this qualification allows a student to develop an analytic, critical and collaborative approach and this scope is likely to widen apart from studies as well.
The success in this curriculum can allow students to take admission to International Universities such as Harvard and Cambridge. There are other advantages to this education as well which are listed below:
- O level is “great” for mathematics concerned fields because the study is more useful for longer terms since it is pretty demanding.
- The conceptual studies in O level allow candidates to look at the topics with a different perspective.
This is very useful in the long run because if you are aiming to study at International Universities in future, you will be benefitted by the Cambridge curriculum.
- The international value of this educational system is immense and it cannot be neglected. There are two examination series conducted every year in Pakistan.
The first one being conducted in May-June while the second one in October-November. Therefore, you can choose when you want to appear for your exams after consulting your required institution.
The primary focus of this qualification is upon reading and writing skills and the practicals involved for particular exams are very useful if the required resources are provided.
Moreover, I will explain the above mentioned point with another shade which is that the O level students are given more concessions in the International Universities.
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This means that if you are aiming to study abroad, this qualification is for you but if you want to pursue your career locally, then you can consider the national qualification such as Matric as well.
What about the O level syllabus? Look, technically the syllabus for your O level subjects is pretty lengthy but if we consider the fact that you have three years for preparation, the syllabus can be easily covered.
The University of Cambridge offers this secondary school degree and this point is itself an explanation of the advantage of this exam-based qualification.
Cambridge discourages the rote learning system which is usually liked by the students that select O levels. According to some people, it encourages students to read more books and acquire more knowledge to meet the syllabus requirements as set by Cambridge.
Now when you know something about the advantages of O level education in Pakistan, we can discuss some disadvantages of this educational system as well.
The disadvantages:
The most prominent and important point to discuss is that it is very costly. The books you will buy for your O level studies is enough for you to complete your Matriculation.
It is to note that some people consider this point useless but in fact, this is only affordable by the middle and elite class in Pakistan. This is a disadvantage of this study.
The fact that you can complete your national qualification (Matric) in two years while O level takes three years is an evident disadvantage. The students concerning medical fields are likely to choose matriculation but why?
The reasons are that biology in both qualifications is quite similar and therefore, many medical students in Pakistan opt for Matriculation instead of O level.
If you do not want to undertake foreign studies, O level Is not what you will give the first priority. The reason is simple. O levels have higher international value but little national value mainly because of the tough competition locally.
You should consider all these factors before deciding whether you should opt for O level or not.
If you want to take FSC (a standard intermediate educational system in Pakistan) after O level, then you can be at a disadvantage and this is the reason why the majority of people do A levels after O levels.
You cannot neglect the difficulty level of this educational system because of the fact that the examiner will test your knowledge, learning and analytical skills.
Therefore, this qualification can be really challenging for some students but the truth is that it is not. There are plenty of students in Pakistan that easily complete O levels within a matter of months.
With this, I have explained different factors such as cost and overall value which can help you find the advantages and disadvantages of O level in Pakistan.
Conclusion:
It is time to wrap up the article and I hope that all your queries regarding the topic have been answered. If you have further questions, you should feel free to leave a comment.
Thank You very much for reading and staying with me till the end. The bottom line is that if you wish to study within Pakistan then, you should select Matriculation.
However, if you want to study abroad in Universities such as Harvard and Cambridge, or even other Universities, you should opt O levels because the reason for this choice has already been explained.
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Finally, I would like to clarify that these opinions are based upon my own experience and past and this is not a compulsion which I am setting up for you guys. I would like to end the article with a famous quote by Malcolm S. Forbes:
The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.