CSA advises students to approach A-Levels with care

Monday, 20 April 2015 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sound choice matters especially when it involves the future goals of teenagers. Every year groups of youth complete their Ordinary Level examinations and pass an important milestone in their lives. At this juncture it is very important that they get some guidance either from a parent, guardian or concerned adult about their futures and the many choices that best suit their ambitions in life. Shaleeka Jayalath, the Principal of the new international school on Jawatte Road, believes “that A-Level subjects should be chosen with a child’s aspirations in mind. This is the undisputable way to ensure that teenagers will enjoy their studies while building a solid foundation for higher studies at university and the careers they hope to pursue.” More and more students want to enter leading foreign universities in order to complete their education and secure their futures. Universities in turn are aware of this and constantly recommend that students think carefully when choosing their A-Level subjects. The popular belief is that there are three principles that should be considered at this crucial stage - what students are likely to be good at, what students are likely to enjoy and what will help students get to where they want to go in the future. It is a well-known fact that certain university degree courses have certain prerequisites in terms of A-Level subjects. For example Engineering degrees usually require A-Level Mathematics. Other courses may not have prerequisites per se but taking certain A-Level subjects makes it easier for the student at the degree level. Jayalath recommends that “along with what subjects would best suit a particular university career, subjects that the candidate can score well in need to be considered because universities also consider the grades obtained. For example in the UK, entrance to universities will mostly be based on the UCAS tariff points obtained at A Levels. What this means is the better the grades, the higher the tariff points obtained.” Apart from the above, A-Levels are an opportunity for a student to discover their strengths and determine what their future career path should be. The present choice of A-Level subjects should not prevent students from taking up courses in the future. So choosing wisely is important. At the Colombo School of Arts (CSA) students are provided with the right guidance. The subjects offered at CSA for Cambridge O-Level and Cambridge International AS and A-Level examinations include Mathematics, Computer Studies, Economics, English Literature, Travel and Tourism, Law, Art, Business Studies, English Language, Sociology, Psychology, History, Geography, Accounting, French Language, German Language, Sinhala Language and Tamil Language. CSA is a newcomer in the field of education in Sri Lanka. Yet this new international school is among the first in the country to launch a program of studies that also includes internships and remedial support in their curriculum, as well as first year scholarships to their students. The school supports the concept that a well-structured holistic education noticeably reduces the rate of unemployment and underemployment. Having recognised that what schools are doing in traditional education has room for improvement, CSA has adopted an action-oriented instructional approach that sharpens critical thinking skills and enables children to identify problems, seek out and evaluate relevant information and resources, and design and carry out plans for solving these problems. The school’s approach is aimed at getting their students to take the initiative and responsibility for their own learning and think analytically rather than just memorise facts that will in turn enhance their thinking abilities and make them better thinkers and hence better performers. CSA aims to deliver the very best of the Cambridge International Examinations O-Level, AS-Level and A-Level programs. The school is affiliated to the Imperial Institute of Higher Education (IIHE), Sri Lanka’s only institute which is directly associated with the prestigious University of Wales (UK) and the University of Salford, The Awards’ (UK) Business School of the Year. For further information about the programs offered by CSA, contact the School Office on 0114383996 or visit the CSA website at www.educationcsa.lk.