Picking O Level subjects is considered to be a weighty decision for students. Educationists and parents are frequently confronted with questions that want to resolve uncertainty and demand assurance. Worry of the future and pressure to make a careful decision are at the heart of these confusions.
The Cambridge curriculum pioneers a gold standard in education worldwide. Sought after by employers and international universities, O Level in Pakistan is in the middle of a Cambridge pathway leading to A Levels and beyond.
While it is true that the pressure to choose the right subject is quite high, if you have a counseling role, you can support the students using the guidelines below. If you are a student who wants to see the possible choices and leading career pathways, just read ahead and feel welcome to share the advice with your friends.
Subject groups and codes:
First, the students can understand the possibilities of combinations by choosing subjects from these groups:
English language and literature:
- English Language – 1123
- Literature in English – 2010
Creative and professional
- Accounting – 7707
- Art & Design – 6090
- Business Studies – 7115
- Commerce – 7100
- Computer Science – 2210
- Design & Technology – 6043
- Fashion & Textiles – 6130
- Food & Nutrition – 6065
- Statistics – 4040
Humanities and social sciences
- Geography – 2217
- Global Perspectives – 2069
- History – 2147
- Sociology – 2251
- Pakistan Studies – 2059
- Islamic Studies – 2068
- Islamiyat – 2058
Languages
- Urdu – First Language – 3247
- Urdu – Second Language – 3248
Mathematics
- Syllabus D – 4024
- Additional – 4037
Science
- Biology – 5090
- Physics – 5054
- Chemistry – 5070
- Environmental Management – 5014
O Level compulsory subjects in Pakistan
It is mandatory for each candidate in Pakistan to appear in these subjects:
- Pakistan studies
- Islamiyat
- English
- Math syllabus D
- Urdu
Does your school offer a subject that you want to study?
Not all schools offer all the subjects. Therefore, you have to check with your school office whether a specific subject is offered or not. Many times, students are eager to appear in a subject that is outside the school offerings. In such a case, proper planning needs to be done with the help of tutors and parents.
You can check the CAIE website to look at the complete list of subjects.
Things to consider when picking O Level subjects
Students make subject combinations by considering the following preliminary questions:
#1 Which career do you want to be in?
O Level students may not have a clear idea about career choices because they have just started to explore a more complex way of studying subjects. Therefore, clarity is not expected at this stage. To help you brainstorm, take a look at all different types of careers that people take up around you.
#2 What are your interests?
Do you enjoy science or math or creative writing inspires you more? This is simply a question of your personal choice. Students tend to like a subject because they are naturally curious about that subject or the teacher is so inspiring that he or she brings life to a subject students wouldn’t be interested in.
#3 What are you good at?
It is likely that your interests lie somewhere else but you are good at another subject. Students are good at a subject because they have had a good base in previous grades and they naturally spend more time on a particular subject. If you are good at a subject, it is always a great idea to pick that subject and not worry about your interest!
#4 Interest vs aptitude
If you are wondering, why is that? If you are good at a subject:
- You spend less time working on examples, questions, and almost everything.
- You spend more time enjoying the learning process.
- You spend less time worrying about the exams and class times.
- Eventually you will get a chance to explore all of your interests; all interests don’t have to be studied. You can take workshops, attend online free classes, buy books and read in your free time!
- You may be taking extra classes all the time to study the concepts you are not good at.
#5 Long-term goals
Always keep an eye on the bigger picture as well, which is mostly your aptitude plus career. As noted above, it is not always clear as to what students want to be as professionals. Therefore, more preference should be given to the aptitude of the students at this time.
Once you have brainstormed, it is time to take a closer look at different university pathways.
#6 Subject groups of O Level studies
Group 1: Science and maths
University degrees in sciences, technology, engineering and maths are referred to as STEM degrees. If you see yourself in one of the STEM programs, you are often expected to have studied a specific combination of subjects.
The sciences – chemistry, biology/computer science, physics + add maths/humanities/environmental science, are considered a good combination for further STEM programs in AS/A Level and universities.
Many STEM fields fall into one of three disciplines:
- Biological and life sciences
- Biochemistry
- Biomedical sciences
- Environmental sciences
- Physical geography
- Pharmacology
- Physical sciences including
- Engineering
- Materials science
- Forensics
- Archaeological sciences
- Computer science
- Geology
- Medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences
Group 2: Business studies, economics, accounting
Choose business studies, economics, and accounting plus add math or humanities.
Group 3: Economics, computer sciences, accounting
Choose economics, computer sciences and accounting plus add math or humanities.
Group 4: Economics, business studies and humanities/maths
Choose economics, business studies and one subject from math and humanities each.
Group 5: Economics, computer sciences, and arts
Choose economics, computer science, arts and add maths or humanities.
Groups 2-5 usually open up a wide range of specialities depending on the choices you make. The fields that will open up for further study are:
- Accountancy
- Actuarial sciences
- Applied maths or statistics
- Economics
- Management studies
- Social policy
- Computers and IT
- Politics
- Sociology and more.
An overview of subject combinations:
Let’s take a quick look at the subject combinations usually picked in Pakistan:
Overview of subject choices | ||||
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
Physics | Physics | Business studies | Economics | Economics |
Chemistry | Chemistry | Economics | Business studies | Computer science |
Biology | Computer Science | Accounting | Add maths/humanities | Arts |
Add maths/humanities | Add maths/humanities | Add maths/humanities | Add maths/humanities | Add maths/humanities |
Note that Cambridge does not limit you to take a maximum number of courses. However, students do tend to balance their workload of classes by taking 3-4 elective courses, in addition to the 5 compulsory courses.
#7 Want to see what the future may look like?
Some students want to foresee AS/Level choices leading to universities and professional careers also. It may help students build more information.
Russell group of universities in the U.K has made an interactive tool for you to map out the subjects and careers. Informed Choices is aimed at students 14 years and above who would like to see what the future may look like.
#8 How will you be assessed in O Level?
O Level students are tested on subject knowledge, conceptual understanding, and higher order thinking skills. Past papers, examiner notes, marking schemes, and sample papers are made available to the students through local schools or at Cambridge website.
What are the percentages for each grade?
Grade | Percentage |
A* | 90% + |
A | 80-89% |
B | 70-79% |
C | 60-69% |
D | 50-59% |
E | 40-49% |
U (Ungraded) | 0-40% |
#9 Cumulative world grade totals
Cambridge releases cumulative grade totals after each O Level exam in June/November. These grades inform you about how students performed in specific subjects. Note that the grade awarding standard may change each year. Students do see the previous years’ world grade average to see which subjects are exceptionally hard to get a high grade in.
Take a look at the cumulative grade totals of June 2022.
#10 Grade threshold tables
Cambridge gives you a complete look at grade thresholds in every subject after results have been released. These tables inform you of raw grades for each component and also the minimum raw mark required for each grade.
Now that you have learned about subject combinations and how you will be graded in O Level, let’s take a look at some tips that you can use to become the best at the subjects of your choice.
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Online Education in Pakistan | |
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O level english in Pakistan | |
Benefits of taking additional maths in O level |
Find your inspiration
Once you have picked your subjects, you are ready to study with your eye on the process of learning instead of the grades. Here are some helpful tips to get you through:
Find motivation: It isn’t inherent and can be generated by learning how you learn. If you can fight procrastination, make healthy habits of sleeping and learning, you can find the motivation through this effort.
Fight procrastination: No one has to be late all the time. Learn how you can use pomodoro technique and scheduling to your advantage.
Make chunks: Chunking is to memorize parts of the problem and then use the chunk as a whole. This makes your calculations faster, freeing your working memory for other things.
Be intelligent: Brain experts have discovered that there are no shortcuts to success in any field and that anyone can achieve intelligence with hard work and consistency.
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