I don't have a good idea for the past few days to go back and I am not a big fan and the

This post has been edited by shadowmorning: Aug 26 2015, 11:25 PM

I don't think there are many people who took both exams so a good way to compare is to look through the syllabus of each. Since you already know the SPM syllabus, you can find the CIE IGCSE syllabus at http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/acade.../igcse/subjects

thanks, but it still doesnt explain the FORMAT of the (Bio,Chem,Physics,Addmaths) subjects under O-levels. i mean,when u check addmaths for sample tests, there are paper 1 and paper 2. but when i chk under bio-chem-physic, there's like until paper 6? but no paper 1 sample provided? can u help explain?

http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/acade...t?assdef_id=840

http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/acade...t?assdef_id=879

http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/acade...t?assdef_id=837

I don't really have any idea about SPM, but I'm going to be doing O levels.
Paper 5 is practical which is not offered for private candidates here, so you do paper 6 which is the alternative to practical.
Paper 1 is objective, paper 2 is short answer, paper 3 is long answer.

And then again, the links you gave up there are IGSCE. IGSCE is different than GCE O.

woah thks man that was close...hey do you think if u can supply me with some links having some o-level format material and syllabus etc? thks alot.

ok u were saying that "Paper 1 is objective, paper 2 is short answer, paper 3 is long answer." and " Paper 5 is practical which is not offered for private candidates here, so you do paper 6 which is the alternative to practical."

question - p2 short answer meaning short subjective answers?
p3 LONG answer u mean by essay?
what is paper 6 compromise of?


if u can help god bless u.

I don't have online stuff. I have hard copy stuff.

Short answer is like one word or two word or one sentence answer. Very straightforward.
Long answer is not exactly an essay. They may ask you to describe an experiment. Explain something.
Hm paper 6 you can look at the sample paper? It's just like those done at school too. I'm not sure how it is at spm level since I'm only taking pmr this year. But it's very similar to those. Observation, hypothesis, conclusion, reason for using a specific substance.

about the paper 6 thing... so basically u must THINK up an experiment for paper 6?
one more thing if u dont mind me asking, how do you know bout this spm/o-lvl thing? and y are u taking pmr(a msian government exam) and then know nothing bout spm? sorry if im intruding on a personal matter.

No you don't have to think up an experiment. They give you an experiment. But you need to know the results and you must have very good visualisation skills.

Hehe I'm taking pmr because I'm form 3 and attend government school. But well I just find it too boring so my parents are letting me do O level.

O lvls should be easier since they dont have the oh-so-hated rigid marking scheme like spm.

hey luckykid u must really be a intelligent if ur simply doing o'lvls when ur still in form 3... yeah in spm paper 3, they will GIVE questions with experiments and they readings and they will ask things like variables ,hypothesis based on given diagrams or info. what im talking bout is that last question in paper 3,usually labeled as QUESTION 3 and either they will give 2 situations(can choose one) and ask u to make an experiment with ur own thinking.theres an example of spm p2 and p3 attached below.SO...is it like that in O-lvl? chk it out. thks

and C=Note, can u explain a bit more of spm's "oh-so-hated rigid marking scheme"? how is o lvl marking better than spm? i really wanna know

I can't find the attachment?

Past papers for IGCSE.
http://freeexampapers.com/Dndex.php?d=SUdDU0U=

I did both and from what I can see in O level, add. maths it is harder but the rest of the science subject it is abit easier I also took 2nd time from SPM to O lvl because my spm like shit "B's" then after 2 months of O lvl = A** haha

But O Level's doesn't have low grading margin like SPM.

There were several articles written by teachers to The Star, complaining that subjects like Add Maths & Physics have ridiculously low passing marks.

Cheers.

Of course O-Levels is harder


In O-Levels, you can't take dozens of small subjects like in SPM

O-Levels is way deeper..
That's why lesser subjects.
My O-Level Add-maths book was thicker than several SPM books combined.



I took Cambridge IGCSE in 2003. (I came from International School..I never attended government school.)
When I took A-Levels after that, it really showed in the class.. the difference between the people who took O-Levels and SPM. It shows in their understanding.

By the way, only a handful of people actually took O-Levels in Malaysia because of that government policy on International Schools at that time. And some took as external candidates


If you have some money or scholarship, please don't even think about SPM.
Take OL and AL.. and go oversea

This post has been edited by prolog: Aug 18 2009, 08:25 PM

of coz O-LEVEL tougher.
SPM, i wonder how i pass i add math,what i did, was only 2 questions,and i got a D8!!
what kind of standard??

O-level is tougher i think.

SPM are more simple, teachers at gomen school feed you with anything that you need for the exam. but the most important thing is you have to study. No matter how easy it is.

spm's malay is hard~ haha!
but overseas' o-level english paper is even difficult.
Olvl standards on language subjects is way too high ah =O

btw, i would say spm's passing mark is low

o-level.

spm close one eye can do

Of course O-levels is better, because it's the colonial country-that-came-to-make-war-and-stole-our-resources-to-make-their-country-more-advanced's Exam, duh.