Cream of the crop
HAVING received both the 2014 AISM Top Academic Student Award and the Principal’s Award, Ashwen Parthiban from the Australian International School Malaysia (AISM) has claimed a place among the top 2% of all students in Australia and around the world, who recently completed their Higher School Certificate (HSC).
The HSC is offered by the Australian International School Malaysia as a preuniversity matriculation course for its students. Students in Australia and around the world who sit for the HSC are also awarded an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) score which is an international qualification that is used for entrance into top universities worldwide.
Ashwen scored higher than 90% in all his five subjects (English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Economics), placing him in the highest Band 6 in examinations.
These excellent grades resulted in Ashwen’s final ATAR score of 98.35%, an outstanding achievement. Ashwen attributes his success to hard work and good time management and awaits news of being accepted into the two top universities of his choice, both in the United Kingdom, to study Chemical Engineering.
Not only is Ashwen a high-achiever academically, he is also AISM’s 2014 School Captain who played football for interschool and international sporting competitions. In addition to that, he won top awards in the Malaysian and regional World Scholar’s Cup competitions as well as in the Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN).
“The Australian curriculum provided me with the option of taking a breadth of subjects in Senior School. I was able to take English and Economics with pure Science subjects and explore a wide variety of areas before I start specialising in university.
“Although HSC is 50% based on examinations, it is great that testamurs and classwork do account for another 50%, allowing me more opportunity to demonstrate what I have learned,” says Ashwen, who is also a talented flutist who played in the school orchestra.
Ashwen is not alone in achieving high ATAR scores in the Higher School Certificate. Other Year 12 students, Kevin Kam, Jasmine Chow and Gregor Moonen, joined Ashwen in celebrating their achievements at the school recently.
Kevin is excited to be accepted into the University of New South Wales, Australia, for a Flexible Engineering Degree programme. He has won a scholarship worth A$4,000 (RM11,300) from this university and hopes to decide on a specialisation after the first year.
Gregor has always been inspired by technology and pursued Software Development as one of his electives in the HSC examinations. His decision to pursue a degree in Software Engineering is not surprising and he has been accepted into the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, to pursue his passion.
Jasmine, on the other hand, has received numerous offers from universities in Australia and Malaysia, but has decided to take a gap year to gain experience in the finance and accounting world before she decides on her future pathway.
Overall, 62% of AISM students were placed in the top 40%, giving them wide tertiary education and scholarship options.
AISM students were also highlighted on the Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) New South Wales Top Achievers list (Ashwen) and Distinguished Achievers list (Kevin, Jasmine and Georgina Thorp) which was reported in
Australia. AISM’s principal Dr Deborah Priest was delighted to receive the news about these outstanding AISM scholars.
“These results are a reflection of not only very talented, motivated and hardworking students, they are also clear affirmation that AISM continues to provide a rigorous and well-supported academic programme to its students,” she said.
Every year, AISM students not only benefit from seamless transitions into education pathways into Australia, they also gain acceptance into universities all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.
The Higher School Certificate is an inter- national qualification which emphasises on holistic education and helps students equip themselves with a wide range of life skills in addition to an excellent academic foundation necessary for their future.
The Australian International School Malaysia is the only international school in Malaysia offering an Australian curriculum.
Growing steadily over the years since its inception in 2000, the school caters for children from age three (nursery) to age 18 (Year 12). While great emphasis is placed on academic excellence, the physical, emotional and social dimensions of growth are seen as crucial elements in teaching and reflect the Australian education philosophy of developing the whole child.
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