A Journey Beyond The Logical Mind

Salam. After doing research after research, let us see what I've got.

International Baccalaureate.

*It is the same as A-Level in terms of pre-university program, according to some source.
*The duration of study is two years.
*It is easier than A-Level, according to our seniors. Probably their curricular is not as detailed as A-Level.
*For the IB Diploma programme, the students have to take six (6) subjects.
*Three of the subjects are taken at higher level, ie, 240 teaching hours.
*The rest is taken at standard level, ie, 180 hours.
*Instead of using A,B,C,... as a grading system, IB uses points;1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7. *7 is the highest grade.
*Apart from written exam, to obtain an IB Diploma, students must complete an Extended Essay, CAS and Theory of Knowledge course.
*CAS is the short form of Creative, Action and Service (if I'm not mistaken) and this is the main difference (in my opinion) between IB and A-Level.
*Students have to complete 180 hours of community service work,artistic pursuits or other character-building activities in order to pass CAS.
*Extended Essay (this is what I understand from the website) is a task for the student to write 4000-word essay on a topic of individual interest, related to an independent research.
*In Malaysia, there are 6 schools offering the IB Diploma programme; Kolej MARA Banting, Kolej MARA Seremban, KDU Smart School Sdn. Bhd.(private), International School of Kuala Lumpur(private), The International School of Penang (private) and Mon't Kiara International School(private).
*The medium of teaching in Malaysia is English.
*Example of subjects include : Malay A1, Arabic Ab. SL, Biology HL, Bus.& Man. SL, Chemistry HL, Economics HL, Economics SL, English B HL, English B SL, Information Technology in Global Society SL, Malay A1 SL, Mathematics HL, Physics HL, Physics SL and Theory Knowl. TK. (HL-Higher Level and SL-Standard Level)
*If I'm not mistaken, only MARA and Private sectors (Petronas etc..) sponsor IB Diploma Program.
source: http://www.ibo.org/diploma/

Okay, those are the 'official' infos.

Let's see the 'more juicy' part.

Haha, actually I have a cousin studying in Kolej MARA Seremban and she is my main source of info. My other source, is Brother Norshah. I love to read his blog especially his entries about his life in Kolej MARA Banting. Very very funny I tell you! Do check out his blog. I have his link somewhere on the right... Oh yeah, I found out that Brother Khairul Shahir is studying in KDU Smart School undertaking the IB Diploma. You can find the link to his blog in Brother Norshah's link.

FYI, I don't have any specific infos about A-Level yet. The only thing that I know is, their syllabi are more detailed than of the IB. A-Level does not require you to complete CAS, Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay. And A-Level is more recognised by Universities, although IB Diploma is gaining popularity worldwide and is getting more recognition year by year.


I personally advice you to take IB because it sounds fun and exciting!

Do make the right choice!