STUDENTS in Malaysia continue to persevere amid current challenges of adapting to digital learning and prolonged lockdowns by excelling in the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards 2021.
Held annually, the awards are the hallmark of exceptional students’ achievement in Cambridge exams globally for both Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS and A Level.
This year, the awards recognised the achievements of 331 students from 78 schools in Malaysia and acknowledged their exceptional performance from the June 2021 examination series.
“We are proud to celebrate the achievements of students across Malaysia. We understand the struggles they have faced this year, and despite that, they have persevered in their search for knowledge,” commented Cambridge International regional director (Southeast Asia & Pacific) Dr Ben Schmidt.
“This year’s awards are not only a celebration of their educational excellence but also a recognition of their mental strength in rising to the challenges of digital learning. Hopefully, this will spark their fire and motivate our future generations to come.”
One of the key highlights of this year includes four candidates who achieved the ‘Top in Malaysia’ award for Cambridge International’s IGCSE First Language Malay.
This year marks the first exam for the new syllabus, which was introduced by Cambridge International to promote the study and use of Bahasa Malaysia among both national and international students.
Additionally, 13 students received the ‘Top in the World’ award for Cambridge International AS Level in Mathematics.
Other awards that were presented include the ‘Best Across Three Cambridge International A Levels’, ‘Best Across Four Cambridge International AS Levels’ and ‘Best Across Eight Cambridge IGCSEs’, which were presented to students who obtained first place in Malaysia within their respective qualification category.
Among the winners is Chai Zi Yang from Sunway College, who received the ‘Best Across Three Cambridge International A Levels’ award.
Speaking about his momentous achievement, Chai shared that the past year had been a challenging period for students due to the difficulty in adapting to digital learning as it lacked direct feedback from teachers compared to physical classes.
“Thankfully, my teachers were able to adapt to the situation and overcome the issues quickly.
“Apart from that I find that self-discipline is key to success in the digital learning environment. For me, I created a timetable to schedule my revisions, diligently took notes, and proactively reached out to the teachers for further clarification.
Speaking about his ‘Best Across Three Cambridge International A Levels’ award, Chai noted that Cambridge A Level syllabuses covered a wide range of topics while still being adequately in-depth, thus allowing him to decide his next steps.
The subjects that I’ve enjoyed the most are engineering-related, such as Mathematics and Science, which have encouraged me to pursue my higher education in electrical engineering.”
Meanwhile, Tenby International School’s Chow Yue Yao, recipient of the ‘Top in Malaysia’ award shared, “My studies at Cambridge IGCSE have taught me many things beyond the knowledge gained through the subjects.
“I genuinely enjoy the process of studying and understanding different concepts as I realise that most of the things I’ve learnt can be applied to my daily life.” – Jan 10, 2022
