Wht's the difference between stpm n a levels in term of syllabus?

[miaofen]

Well I had browsed thru some articles and web on both stpm and a levels.. I just wanna noe wht's the difference between a levels and stpm. As i noe a levels i slightly easier than stpm. And a levels is divided into 3 semesters whereas stpm we have to vomit out everything after 18 months.

My fren said tht a levels is somethinf like spm level? bt i didnt agree wif her n say tht it's just a tip of an iceberg. perhaps she judge it too early well she's also a spm leaver just like me bt starting her studies earlier than me lol. cos Mmost probably im taking stpm as i wanna pursue medicine. my sister said it's unfair if i just take in private institute. Well parents asked me to take stpm as it will build a strong foundation for me and it's so much cheaper compared to a levels.. o.O

Does stpm and a levels differ a lot?

Thx ya =P

Thread moved to the education section
seehua~

[Vaan]

Well, both A Level and STPM are divided into three semesters while some A Level like this year Edexcel A Level July 2008 Intake have four semesters.

STPM syllabus is definitely wider and slightly more accurate, sometimes those extra information is irrelevant I think while A Level is more focused. True, STPM consisted of only one final exam after 18 months of studying while A Level is different, making it far more easier than STPM.

Depending on which A Level a person take, for say if a person take Cambridge A Level, it's only three semesters so two exams, if a person take Edexcel A Level, regardless of three or four semesters, there are three exams. That person also can repeat his or her units if the results from the previous exam is not satisfying while STPM cannot and only one exam that will determine everything.

One more thing, A Level is definitely easier than STPM but also definitely harder than SPM.

Hey, you wanna pursue medicine, try applying for JPA scholarship when it opens for application after SPM 2008 results come out.

[The Myth]

As i noe a levels i slightly easier than stpm.

It depends on how you valuate it.Cambridge A level which I'm taking now is speed challenging.E.g. , For paper 1 of Bio,Phy,Chemistry,we are only given 1 hour to answer 40 objective questions.For paper 2,we are only given 1 hour or 1 hour 15 minutes to answer 6 to 8 subjective questions.The questions are very tricky too.One have to really think blow by blow before answering any question,unlike those direct questions in SPM.


My fren said tht a levels is somethinf like spm level?For A subsidiary(AS) level,discounting factors like time and trickiness,it might be true that there are a lot of similarities especially in term of syllabus with SPM.For A2 level,on the other hand,is much much tougher.

Mmost probably im taking stpm as i wanna pursue medicine.I'm an A level student who are pursuing medicine under JPA scholarship.

[eve88]

One other difference is that for ALevels, the marking is more consistent, while for stpm, there are some stories that an element of "luck" is involved in whether you get a good grade or not, especially with PA.

But this is hearsay, so may be inaccurate...

[miaofen]

Well, both A Level and STPM are divided into three semesters while some A Level like this year Edexcel A Level July 2008 Intake have four semesters.

STPM syllabus is definitely wider and slightly more accurate, sometimes those extra information is irrelevant I think while A Level is more focused. True, STPM consisted of only one final exam after 18 months of studying while A Level is different, making it far more easier than STPM.

Depending on which A Level a person take, for say if a person take Cambridge A Level, it's only three semesters so two exams, if a person take Edexcel A Level, regardless of three or four semesters, there are three exams. That person also can repeat his or her units if the results from the previous exam is not satisfying while STPM cannot and only one exam that will determine everything.

One more thing, A Level is definitely easier than STPM but also definitely harder than SPM.

Hey, you wanna pursue medicine, try applying for JPA scholarship when it opens for application after SPM 2008 results come out.


Ohh alright. =P thx ya.

And another thing, in terms of syllabus, is there any difference wif EDEXCEL A Levels and Cambridege A levels? Both these A Levels students can resit the paper ? Im sure we have to pay extra for tht ryte? o.O

[takiokirifuda]

But, for me A Level is harder than STPM. Yes, is true that in STPM you will study for whole 18 months and use the knowledge in one examination. But, still, it is not fully exam orientated. Compared to A Level, it is fully exam orientated, and there is no chance you can get extra marks from assignment. One thing about STPM is, that, the syllabus are distributed equally throughout the year of learning. A Level instead, they combine all together the sections or sub topic. For example, in chemistry both organic and inorganic are combined into one syllabus and although they are divided into two part, AS and A2, but, why don't finish it one go. While STPM, the marker are most from Malaysia (since it is Malaysia Highest Certificate), thus, their marking is not really strict. Since A Level (especially CIE) is British's program, then marking are more strict, and they said, most of our paper will be sent to Singapore, that mean it will be handled by a really strict marker. One thing about A Level is that, a lot of reading is required since the text books are not really helpful (less info), and the question paper set by them sometimes need us to relate our knowledge with new technologies.. I'm sure people that took A Level are more mature about new environment with tech and development...

[adele123]

I think saying STPM marking is not as strict as A-Level is not fair, nobody knows for sure, not like there's somebody who is a marker of both STPM and A-Level.

And definitely STPM is fully exam orientated.