KUALA LUMPUR, 14 April 2005 - A-Levels at UCSI is gaining popularity due to a strong combination of factors.

According to the Head of UCSI School of Pharmacy, Dr Yeong Siew Wei, who is also Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy, the A-Levels students are able to generally cope better than their counterparts in the first semester of the pharmacy programme. This is an important factor for students who want to excel in the Pharmacy course, she said.

Her observation is affirmed by First-year pharmacy student, Joanna Chooi Pui San, who said that she has benefited from the A-Levels London Examinations modular programme, which she completed last year.

Because the curriculum is modular, we were able to concentrate our studies module by module, she said. The textbooks recommended by our lecturers were also very suitable to help us follow through the syllabus systematically. Dr CB Lee, who heads the School of Management, said her students who did business-related subjects during their A-Levels generally perform better in their Business degrees. With the language and study skills acquired while doing their A-Levels, we have found that our students do well in their First Year, she said.

Based on records, UCSI's Class of 2002 A-Levels students scored a total of 116 As and 100 Bs in the June 2003 London A-Levels Examinations. Some of its students have been accepted into medical programmes, engineering, material science besides continuing with other undergraduate programmes at the UCSI.

The other factor is the quality of lecturers engaged by UCSI. According to its Head of Pre-U Studies, Dr Yap Kon Sang, only well-qualified lecturers are engaged to teach its A-Levels.

Among the experienced lecturers on the team is Yeoh Kiat Teong, 62, who has nearly 40 years of teaching at Form Five and Six levels since 1964.

His golden word of advice to his students: To do well in Mathematics, one must first of all be interested in mathematics, and be willing to work hard at it. He added that he has no qualms about putting the additional hours to help students who want to strengthen their foundation in the subject.

To me, it has always been a rewarding experience to have students excelling in mathematics, he said. I am always available to help, whenever the students need help.

Another reputable academic staff who has a special ability to make Biology come alive is Mabel Tan, who has taught the subject since 1990. A Master Degree in Biochemistry graduate herself, Tan, has taught in two private colleges prior to joining UCSI in 2001.

Students who have been through her classes often give very high ratings for Mabel Tan’s ability to make Biology interesting, and her ability to relate it to every day living.

This is the advantage of my training in Biochemistry, she said. When I teach Biology, I give my students an overall perspective of Biology and how it relates to them. Biology therefore comes alive, and no longer remains a boring subject where students have to pore over names of organs.

The third, and very important factor, is that UCSI’s A-Levels is a highly regarded `A’ Level programme worldwide namely the London Examinations modular programme.

It is accredited by the QCA, a UK government body responsible for development, accreditation, assessment and certification of qualifications.

Besides having more than 150 years of establishment as a leading examination for university admission, it is a highly respected qualification globally, Dr Yap said. In addition, those who are equipped with this qualification are allowed direct entry into most universities in the Commonwealth countries and exemption from year one in some U.S. universities. This distinguishes it from other ``A’ Level programmes.

Great advantages comes along with the form of staged assessment in the ‘A’ Level Modular programme, added Dr Yap. A student who is dissatisfied with the outcome or result for any unit out of the six, a second attempt is allowed till a desired result is achieved.

Hence, the better result attained will be counted towards the A-Levels award at the end of the day. Our objective is to ensure a strong academic foundation, not to fail them, he said.

Besides A-Levels, UCSI also offers new degree programmes in Optometry, Food Science, Biotechnology and Nutrition, besides its current span of programmes ranging from Music to Engineering, Information Technology, Business, Applied Sciences, Pharmacy and Social Science.

For more information about the ‘A’ Level Modular programme, contact one of UCSI’s counsellors at 03-9132- 9326 or arrange for a visit, or email them at admit@ucsi.edu.my.