In societies that place a lot of emphasis on academic success like Singapore, not doing well in one’s studies can feel like the end of the world.
That’s what it was like for Joel Sasmita Naidu D/O Nivender, who thought she’d never have the chance to attend university after receiving unsatisfactory results in her N-Levels.
Source: PSB Academy
Thankfully, PSB Academy’s Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) programme gave her a second chance.
Upon completing the programme, which has close to a 100% passing rate, students may then apply for a certificate course, followed by a diploma across 13 disciplines and eventually, a degree.
As much as we all wish to excel at school, there are a lot of things that could end up hampering our progress, leading to unsatisfactory exam results.
Such was the case for Ms Joel, who did poorly in her N-Level exams as she often missed classes due to health issues. She also struggled with certain learning disabilities.
Ms Joel initially took a Nitec course in Applied Food Science at ITE College East for about 10 months but realised it wasn’t for her.
That’s when her mother introduced her to the IGCSE preparatory course at PSB Academy.
Source: @psbacademy on Instagram
Upon completing the course and passing her IGCSE examinations in 2019, Ms Joel went on to get her Certificate in Business Management and Diploma in Business Administration (Digital Marketing) — also at PSB Academy — before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Digital Marketing from Coventry University in 2022.
The institution has seen many success stories like this. In fact, they reported a near-100% passing rate among their IGCSE cohorts from 2018 to 2022.
Source: PSB Academy on Facebook
78% of degree graduates were also able to find jobs within half a year of their examinations, according to the 2022 Graduate Employment Survey by PSB Academy.
Developed by the Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE), the IGCSE intensive preparatory course can be completed in five months.
Students can then go on to sit for the Cambridge IGCSE external examination. Since PSB Academy is a registered Cambridge international school and IGCSE exam centre, students may attend their classes and sit for their exams there.
After that, they can apply for a certificate course, followed by a diploma across over 13 disciplines offered by the academy. Then finally, it’s on to university, a degree, and a bright future.
Source: PSB Academy on Facebook
You — and your parents — might be happy to hear Institutions of Higher Learning such as Singapore Management University, Australian National University, Imperial College London, and the five polytechnics in Singapore do welcome candidates holding the Cambridge IGCSE qualification based on Cambridge International’s recognition database.
Source: PSB Academy on Facebook
So don’t ever let anybody tell you that scoring anything less than As and Bs in your N-Levels will get you nowhere in life.
More than just offering students a chance to progress to a diploma and then a degree, the IGCSE course could also help them find their passion.
In Ms Joel’s case, she said that it helped her in discovering her interest in digital marketing. She now aspires to work at either Disney or Google.
To find out more about the range of programmes that PSB Academy offers, click here.
Of course, the best way to learn more about something is to hear directly from the experts themselves.
You’ll get to do just that at PSB Academy’s Open House on 20 Jan 2024. Besides getting to have one-on-one sessions with programme consultants, you’ll also be able to meet lecturers, try out workshops, and enjoy course fee rebates of up to S$12,000.
Source: PSB Academy on Facebook
Terms and conditions apply, so visit PSB Academy’s open house website to find out more and to sign up.
You can also follow PSB Academy on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more updates.
While it can be very disheartening to be greeted by less-than-stellar grades when you open your results slip, nobody should let a bunch of alphabets define their entire life.
As with everything else, what matters is how you deal with obstacles that come your way. Instead of letting them become stumbling blocks, you can see them as stepping stones that take you in a different direction than what you initially expected.
To everyone with a major exam coming up, we wish you all the best and hope that whatever happens, you’ll take it in your stride and have an amazing future.
Also read: S’pore Student Passes N-Levels Despite Financial Difficulties & Family Woes, Earns Netizens’ Respect
This post was brought to you in collaboration with PSB Academy.
Featured image adapted from PSB Academy on Facebook and Facebook.
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