A 2-year programme, saving an academic year
Join KIMS to reach your full potential and succeed in your O Level exams.
CIE has designed syllabi on the assumption that candidates have about 130 guided learning hours per subject over the duration of the course for O Level, and 360 guided learning hours per subject for A Level. According to this, O Level requires only one-third of the time required for A Level, but in most local schools following the traditional 3-year O Level programme, approximately 50% more time is given to O Level than A Level.
Students doing O Level in 3 years would be one year behind international standards. Unlike those educational institutions, O Level at KIMS takes only two years for completion and provides students an excellent opportunity to save one precious academic year.
Whereas other institutions follow a lecture based system, learning at KIMS is achieved through a subtle concoction of lecture and activity based learning. Class time is devoted to healthy discussions where students brainstorm ideas, question notions of the past and experiment with new methods and techniques to solve problems assigned to them. Class work, home assignments and extra worksheets/handouts are provided to students to give them a thorough understanding of various concepts.
The need for a highly qualified, experienced and dedicated faculty cannot be emphasized enough here. KIMS takes great pride in introducing a well knit family of such devoted teachers who are available for and welcome students approaching them with problems. Apart from building their experience, the fact that teacher turnover is extremely low brings an added advantage of strong bonding between teachers and students at KIMS.
In order to develop a certain degree of regularity, students are taught almost all subjects every day and assigned various unseen exercises to practice at home. Summer vacations are condensed to allow maximum utilization of time and remedial classes for various subjects are arranged all the year round, with special emphasis on English and Mathematics.
In order to lessen the burden of coursework, KIMS has made special arrangements to help students cover the syllabus of Urdu in one academic year and appear for its final Cambridge exam at the end of OI. Please note that students are not allowed to sit for the Cambridge Exams of any of the remaining seven subjects before the end of OII.
This is because these O Level subjects normally take three years to prepare and students cannot have a thorough understanding of any of them in less than two years. Any student appearing for Cambridge Exams without the school’s consent may be forced to discontinue studies at KIMS as his/her presence in class will be extremely counterproductive for the others.
Such students cannot be allowed to skip classes either, as that would increase the chances of unnecessary intermingling between O and A Level students. We hope that O Level students and their parents understand that our examination policy is in the best interest of students and hence, expect them to co-operate with us rather than press for alternative arrangements.
Subject Selection
O Level students are required to study 8 subjects, of which English Language, Islamiyat, Mathematics, Pakistan Studies and Urdu are compulsory for all groups. In order to choose the other three subjects, students may select one of the following combinations:
Combination 1:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
Combination 2:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
Combination 3:
- Accounting
- Economics
- Business Studies
Combination 1 is the most preferred as it allows all options for higher studies to remain open. Students prepared in O Level Sciences can easily study Economics, Accounting and Business at A Level provided they are good at Mathematics and English. Also, A Level Economics, Accounting and Business courses cover the respective O Level syllabus, so studying them at O Level barely contributes to students’ knowledge. A student who studies Economics for five years (three years at O Level and two years at A Level) knows nothing extra about Economics than the student who studies Economics only at A Level. Thus, we strongly recommend that students study Physics, Chemistry and Biology at O Level irrespective of their future study plans.
Please also note the following:
- All 11 subjects (8 at O Level and 3 at A Level) have the same weighting as regards the calculation of IBCC. Thus, subjects such as Islamiyat at O Level are just as important as Physics at A Level.
- For most British universities, it is mandatory that students score at least a C grade in O Level Mathematics and English. Thus, students are advised to retake O Level Mathematics and/or English if they fail to meet the minimum passing requirement in their first attempt.
What Our Students
Have To Say
“I have been a part of the South Asian music fraternity for over a decade now. I was the former lead vocalist of the Pakistani band JAL, after which I started my solo career. I have performed in numerous concerts worldwide and also contributed songs to Bollywood. I made my solo debut on Coke Studio 10 in 2017. To explore other talents in me, I took on acting and played the lead role in a number of drama serials. I have also walked the ramp for some of the most renowned designers in Pakistan. I did my A Level from KIMS in 2001, and later pursued a B.Sc. in Computers.”
Farhan Saeed
BATCH OF 2001“After completing my A Level in 2005, I pursued a BSc in Computer Science at FAST, followed by an MSc in Computer Science at LUMS. I have been employed at Microsoft Corporation since 2012, and am currently working on Xbox and Windows. Working abroad, I try not to miss my city, Lahore, too much. ”
Fahad Mudassar
BATCH OF 2005“I graduated from KIMS in 2004 with 6 As in A Levels. I then studied at Harvard College, graduating in 2008 with a Bachelors in Computer Science. Currently, I work as a Software Developer and live in Connecticut, USA, with my wife and 2 year old daughter.”
Zain Khalid
BATCH OF 2004“My father dreamt of travelling around the world on his motorbike, but when he died young at age 34, I decided to fulfill his dream. I took motorcycle riding lessons from my younger brother and became the first female motorcyclist to travel across Pakistan solo. I travelled through regions where it is taboo for women to venture out unaccompanied, let alone on two wheels. A biopic is being filmed about my journey called “Motorcycle Girl”. I keep a photo blog, Zenith Irfan: 1 Girl 2 Wheels, on Facebook to document my journeys. I did my A Level from KIMS in 2014.”
Zenith Irfan
BATCH OF 2014
