A-Level Success in Two Exam Boards

The A-Level programme of HELP Academy is widely recognised as among the best for pre-university preparation in the region and internationally. This has been achieved by a consistent adherence to a high standard of teaching and mentorship – the same quality that has built HELP's reputation as a premier institution of higher learning. It has a consistent record of successfully preparing students to enter the world’s top universities for courses like Actuarial Science, Economics, Engineering, Medicine, Natural Sciences and Biological Sciences.

Strong academic leadership is the reason behind this success.

The head of HELP’s A-Level Department, Mr Yeap Soon Chye, is an experienced science lecturer specialising in Chemistry. He is also a master counsellor who has a knack for successfully guiding students in applying to top universities.

He and his team of lecturers (popularly called the ‘A-Team’) have mentored countless A-level students to attain A and A* grades in Maths and Further Maths, Economics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology to qualify for admission to universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London, the London School of Economics, Harvard, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton and Chicago. They also distinguished themselves further by winning prizes for academic excellence and first class honours results.

HELP is the only centre in the country to offer the full A-Level programme from two exam boards: the Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Level (IAL) and the Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge).

The IAL is a modular system which allows students to re-sit single subjects in stages (or units) to attain a better grade. The Cambridge exam, on the other hand, is taken in two levels: AS and A2. Students dissatisfied with any unit must re-sit the entire level, but AS grades are accorded UCAS points and are counted for university entrance in the UK.

Both boards are widely accepted for university admission around the world, and both are popular with students and produce equal numbers of top scoring students.

The HELP Academy is well-equipped to nurture A-Level students to achieve excellence in their studies. Its state-of-the-art Curie Science Labs were acclaimed by the IAL chief examiner from the UK to be among the best in the world.

Its Getting the Edge (GTE) programme cultivates leadership and organisational skills among students. They work with experienced lecturers on award-winning science projects. This has enabled the centre to win the Malaysian Toray Science Foundation’s Science Education Award for a record-breaking of 24 years.

Its pastoral care programme assigns students to a mentor-lecturer who monitors them on academic performance and assists with application for university admission. Applying to top universities is a rigorous process and the department prides itself on meticulous nurturing to help students enter top universities.

HELP’s A-Level department also helps students to develop their personal and intellectual skills. There are speech, drama and writing workshops to hone skills of presentation, speaking and critical thinking. Good universities require students to think critically and have a holistic education.

This also explains how HELP’s A-Level students can muster their skills to excel in cross-disciplinary studies.

A good example is Goh Kah Wei who attained A* in Maths, Chemistry, Physics, and A in Economics, but who ended up studying Law at Cambridge University, graduating with honours.

Kah Wei ascribes his successful academic journey at HELP to the close attention, supervision and friendship he received from the lecturers, which helped to shape his academic capabilities and personality. This helped him to cope well with the Tutorial System (called Supervision) at Cambridge where the tutor meets with just one or two students.

The department’s record of success stories attests to the efficacy of its teaching and nurturing methods.

Not only have its students gained admission to prestigious universities and won scholarships from institutions like Bank Negara, JPA, Tunku Abdul Rahman Fund, Singapore Government Investment Corporation, Maybank, Shell, Sime Darby and ASEAN; their subsequent academic performance at those universities has drawn praise and recognition for the department.

One such testimony is from Professor Dame Carol Black, the Principal of Newnham College in Cambridge University. Referring to the First Class Honours equivalent results attained by former HELP A-Level students Melissa Chee and Grace Ng in their Chemical Engineering and Natural Sciences Tripos, Prof Black said: “Much of the credit for this must go to the education they received before coming to Cambridge. We are always keen to receive applications from students of such calibre”.

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