first things first.

not all part 2 qualification is offered via masters degree. in malaysia and most UK unis offer part 2 as a degree programme. it doesnt matter really in architecture, bcoz all the industry cares about is whether u hold a part 2 or not, not how far u've studied.

but it does concern the students, as the masters, a post-graduate degree, usually costs a few thousands more per year than an undergraduate degree. if money is an issue, u might be better off looking for a part 2 degree programme.

going into ur issues:

if u take degree in taylor's, the requirement for any part 2 universities is primarily a part 1 qualification. remember that taylor's degree is not accredited with part 1. so even if u graduate from there, u still do not hold sufficient qualifications to proceed to part 2.

so without a part 1, there's a possibility u wont get enrolled. however, most universities may consider u, if ur results are good with an exceptional portfolio, to join in at final year part 1 (3rd year 1st degree). finishing off the final year will award u with a proper part 1 qualifications, and later u will be able to continue with their part 2 programme. yes, it does take longer.

optionally, u could attempt to take ur part 1 exam independently. inquire with taylor's as how u can do that.

NUS do accept degrees from private universities, but similar to malaysian IPTAs, they would only consider u to a part 2 programme IF u've fulfilled the part 1 requirements.

i'm inclined to say yes, but to tell u the truth, i tried looking back at the conversations, and i still dont understand what u're asking. could u take some time and write the entire question including the example/context?
if u're talking about IPTS, ofcourse u can. they have lower intake requirements, but ofcourse with higher fees. but u can always obtain PTPTN or some other loans .

to tell u the truth, during my studies, i've always found myself competing with poly students, simply bcoz they are very fast workers. however, i know that i'm good at theories, concepts and formulation, which i use to gain advantage. typically poly students are well trained in technical aspect, but some of them struggle at theories and concepts, bcoz these are not given emphasis during their poly years. so although they can draw pretty fast, they spend more time trying to come up with new ideas, concepts and so on. well, i'm not saying that STPM/matric students are good at idea formulations, bcoz most of them sucked anyways hahaha!

academic line is not as easy as u think, especially since it requires masters and phd that is simply another extra 5 years of studies. to be honest, i've spent 3/4 of my life studying until now... .

and yes, archtiects can work past government retirement age bcoz they're technically self-employed (assuming u own ur own practice by then).
i wont say u dont have a chance, but it's quite slim. competitions are high. usually we dont have to look beyond 2nd choice to fill all the places. if u did, consider urself lucky .
no. u can complete parts 1, 2 and 3 in malaysia. parts 1 and 2 in local universities, and part 3 via practice.

there's no IPTS that offers part 2, and actually, there's no IPTS in malaysia that offers part 1 either. check the 1st page again to see the list of which school is accredited and which isnt. IPTAs accept IPTS degrees/diploma, but not as equivalent to part 1. so u wont be competing with part 1 students from other IPTAs.

arts in general? no. but drawing, yes.

most people confuse about visual arts and drawings. yes, to produce visual arts, u have to draw. but drawing isnt necessarily an art skill. all architects need to be able to draw, but they dont need to draw as an art. get what i mean?

and they dont have to excel in it either. but having it as a skill is quite crucial as a means of communication. architecture is all about communication, be it in drawing, 3D modelling, verbal, writing etc. whatever an architect choose to use, he must excel in it. that's why u see some architect can talk their way using a blank piece of paper but cant draw shit, while others can draw beautiful designs but cant even begin to describe it verbally or in writing.

science and maths are not integral to an architect, but as a designer, a good architect must have a firm grasp in all aspects that relates to architecture, science, maths, geography, history, culture, sociology and so on.
what makes an architect successful? now, that is a very subjective question with a million ways to answer it. to put it simply, there is no single way to excel in architecture. worst part is, one architect's successful path might be not spell the same to the next. everybody is unique.

RIBA is recognized in malaysia as the international industry standard for architectural practice. if u plan to study abroad, opting for those with RIBA accreditation secures ur future. u can also opt for RAIA for australian schools, which is also recognized by malaysia. i'm not sure about northumbria univ, though, but u can check at RIBA's website.
communication is important bcoz that's the architect's main tool of the trade. architects design buildings. in the design process, they will encounter problems that need solving. so the architect needs to relay the solution in his head to the next person (the engineers, local authorities, building contractors, clients). so communication IS crucial to the trade. if he cant talk or draw, then the architect will be just an engine that doesnt have an outlet.

an architect is naturally creative. but creativity means nothing if he couldnt relay his creativity out of his brains. compared to other design industries, architecture is basically the most complex creative process - fashion industry doesnt even begin to compare. an architect designs every single aspect of the building. look around u. from the type of wallpaper or the colour of walls, to the joints in ur window jambs, the structures (column, beam, foundation, roof etc), to the social aspects of how people live in a building.

it's not just math and science. sociology plays quite a big role as well. it's not easy to design a house as what most people think. u have to figure out if the master bedroom is private enough from the rest of the house (for private business ), while being close to the rest of bedrooms (to take care of the young children). u have to figure out how the triangular relations in a kitchen works (between the sink, the fridge and the oven/stove) so that it doesnt intersect with the circulation and so on. u have to design the entrance of the house so that u can have a better view while maintaining good relations with ur neighbours, while keeping whatever in ur house private . it's not just about building a building.

dont worry about having no knowledge in architecture before. nobody does. architecture is such a different education that the curriculum is tuned to train a person from scratch until finally equipped enough to gain industrial training. so we treat 1st year students as absolute zero, more often called the uninitiated. even i didnt have any knowledge about architecture when i joined in. i was a pure science student with no formal arts training. i dont even know any architects or what their actual work are. so dont worry about it.

my advise is, currency exchange rate is the least of ur problems when calculating ur budget. hongkong is one of the most expensive cities in the world. refer to this thread for more info. here's an excerpt:

1. Moscow
2. London
3. Seoul
4. Tokyo
5. Hong Kong
6. Copenhagen
7. Geneva
8. Osaka
9. Zurich
10. Oslo
11. Milan
12. St. Petersburg
13. Paris
14. Singapore
15. New York City
16. Dublin
17. Tel Aviv
18. Rome
19. Vienna
20. Beijing

there is no way on earth that hongkong is cheaper than australia. even the most expensive australian cities like melbourne and sidney didnt even come close.

look into the cities where u plan to study, not the country. for example, in the UK, london, birmingham and glasgow are few of the most expensive cities, but smaller cities like sheffield are cheaper than australia.
for PTPTN, u would have to pay when u start working or after 6 months of graduation. i'm not sure how it would be if u continue studying. u gotta check with PTPTN themselves.

part 1 is still a professional qualifications. refer to the first post in this thread. if they couldnt get a place for part 2, they can work as an architect's assistant or technician. gaining 1 or 2 years experience would enhance their resume the next time they apply for part 2.

no, there are BArchs offered in IPTS as well, but they are not accredited with part 2. also, as far as i know, no IPTS are accredited with part 1 either. u could still study there, but u wont be able to jump straight to part 2 in an IPTA. u either have to obtain ur part 1 independently, or sit for an extra year for ur part 1 in the IPTA.