New to Pakistan, dont understand the school system. HELP!!?

[Volleyball39]

Hi all.
I just moved to Pakistan from the U.S. I completed 9th grade there and in pakistan I am supposed to be entering 10th grade. I understand that here 9 and 10 are a pair in the matric system that you have to do from the same school. So I am thinking of doing o levels so I can get admission in 10th grade and not have to repeat 9 (the school said I can do that). My questions are:

1) O level is 9, 10, 11, correct? Is the 11th grade (3rd year of o level) considered first year of inter? As in after completing my o levels I can take admissions in second year? Or will I have to do 1st year after 11th grade? <-most important question!

2)can I apply for universities outside of Pakistan if I dont do a levels and just pass inter? Or do I have to do a levels in order to apply for universities outside of pakistan?

3) is there anyway I can do matric in 10th grade without having to repeat 9th grade?

4) who is considered an international student here in pakistani universities? (How much have they studied outside to be considered international)

Thank you very much. This is my first post here. I really hope you guys can help me out I am very confused. Please put it I to simple terms, I dont understand all the acrobyms and the education terms used here. It is my first year here.

 

[Blastwave]

Bumping this up.
[MENTION=38771]Anurin[/MENTION]
[MENTION=11904]Ranger Taffles[/MENTION]
[MENTION=25983]AbbY[/MENTION]
[MENTION=6068]Ottoman[/MENTION]
[MENTION=14587]outlaw[/MENTION]
[MENTION=12579]Shary Bhallu TC[/MENTION]

 

[rehan751]

I can answer 1 and 3.

1) You will have to do 1st year after completing your O levels. Completing O levels is equivalent to completing your matric.

3) No you cannot study 10th grade without completing 9th grade.

 

[Zeus MK]

the best for you is to pursue O level by Cambridge via a certified school i.e. The City School

 

[Anurin]

For the 2nd and 4th, A Levels opens up more opportunities for you as far as studying abroad goes and an international student will probably one who has graduated from a foreign high school - thats how it usually works, however, it may be different from one university to the other.

 

[Moiez89]

Hi Volleyball. Welcome to Forums and Pakistan.

Well in Pakistan there are 2 education systems as follows:-

1:- UK System Known as O and A Levels. In O Levels you study Grade 9 , 10 & 11. And in A-levels u can do 2 years of college study.

2:- Local System known as Matric and Inter . Matric is 1st we do, you study Grade 9 & 10 in it. Inter is Grade 11 & 12 afterwards.


So If u want to go to Grade 10 Direct either in O-levels or in Matric. Then it depends upon Specific School u are applying in. You will have to ask from School administration while registering.

 

[Ottoman]

First things first, collectively speaking 9th & 10th grade is SSC (Secondary School Certificate (commonly known as Matric)) whereas 1st & 2nd year (11th & 12th grade) is HSSC (Higher Secondary School Certificate (commonly known as F.Sc or Inter))

1) O level is 9, 10, 11, correct? Is the 11th grade (3rd year of o level) considered first year of inter? As in after completing my o levels I can take admissions in second year? Or will I have to do 1st year after 11th grade? <-most important question!

After finishing the three-year O Levels, your will have to complete both years of HSSC to be eligible for admission in a university. Because the marks of both first and second year are added to the final HSSC marks tally.

2)can I apply for universities outside of Pakistan if I dont do a levels and just pass inter? Or do I have to do a levels in order to apply for universities outside of pakistan?

You can apply for university admission abroad after completing either Inter (HSSC) or A levels.

3) is there anyway I can do matric in 10th grade without having to repeat 9th grade?

I'm afraid not. Both 9th and 10th grade marks are counted towards the final tally in SSC. There was a time when one only had to give board exams for 10th grade to complete SSC but that's not the case now.

Or maybe one can give exams for 9th grade alongside 10th grade. That would require confirmation but I think it is possible.

4) who is considered an international student here in pakistani universities? (How much have they studied outside to be considered international)

Thank you very much. This is my first post here. I really hope you guys can help me out I am very confused. Please put it I to simple terms, I dont understand all the acrobyms and the education terms used here. It is my first year here.

Most universities have a separate foreign seat and the criteria differs from institute to institute. I'm not sure but I think one has to be a foreign national to be eligible for the seat? I also know cases where Pakistan-national students who have completed their A levels from abroad are included in that category. And sometimes having a parent/guardian who works abroad also makes one eligible for the seat.

 

[Shary Bhallu TC]

Regarding 4: Foreign seats are not given to O/A Level students. They are given to students who have given board papers of other countries. For example board papers of Saudi Arabia would be included in foreign seats. O/A Level students have separate seats in most universities.

You can apply to universities abroad even if you do Matric/Inter. Matric/Inter and O/A Levels are just separate boards. I am sure that you will be included in foreign seats if you apply in a university abroad and be assessed on the basis of that board if you give Matric/Inter...

 

[The Alchemist]

Hi all.
I just moved to Pakistan from the U.S. I completed 9th grade there and in pakistan I am supposed to be entering 10th grade. I understand that here 9 and 10 are a pair in the matric system that you have to do from the same school. So I am thinking of doing o levels so I can get admission in 10th grade and not have to repeat 9 (the school said I can do that). My questions are:

1) O level is 9, 10, 11, correct? Is the 11th grade (3rd year of o level) considered first year of inter? As in after completing my o levels I can take admissions in second year? Or will I have to do 1st year after 11th grade? <-most important question! 1st year. Also some schools let you do O levels in 2 years

2)can I apply for universities outside of Pakistan if I dont do a levels and just pass inter? Or do I have to do a levels in order to apply for universities outside of pakistan? Very few universities accept FSc too. But mostly it depends on country and universities and it is better if you do A Levels as it is more recognized.

3) is there anyway I can do matric in 10th grade without having to repeat 9th grade? Dont think so.

4) who is considered an international student here in pakistani universities? (How much have they studied outside to be considered international) Not sure but I guess it depends on university. e.g. NUST says that

• Foreigners and Pakistanis having dual nationality, irrespective of the place of their study of HSSC or equivalent, Pakistan or abroad.
• Pakistani students studied abroad for HSSC or equivalent but appearing in the Pakistani board from abroad.
• Pakistani national students having passed an examination equivalent to intermediate level of Pakistan, from a foreign education system.

Thank you very much. This is my first post here. I really hope you guys can help me out I am very confused. Please put it I to simple terms, I dont understand all the acrobyms and the education terms used here. It is my first year here.

ans in red

 

[shahzadfootball]

i'd recommend you to check the syllabus of subjects your going to do in O'levels to see if you have covered most of the topics when u studied grade 9 .


so many complications here ...Today I went to beaconhouse to get admission in A-level (Not as ) and the person at admission office was like,"You have done IGCSE and we have gce o'level .this and that." it's the same board but different type ,they have the exact same syllabus as well . I had to go through it all thoroughly with it and then he understood . And before that when I went to Bahria college,the woman was like,you can do AS level but you can't do A-level . What is that non-sense now .


I'd suggest you to do quick olevels so that you don't waste a whole year that is if your sharp in studies ! Otherwise do the normal 3 years . And choose your subjects wisely ! If you plan to do university in Pak ,you'll have to take isl,pak.std and urdu in o'levels

 

[Volleyball39]

can I take admission in first year of inter if I have done my 9th and 10th grade from the U.S?

Or will they ask for board exam papers from Pakistan? I' ve taken my exams from the U.S, am I elligible for admission or do I have to repeat 9 and 10?
Also, what is better A level or inter if im planning on university in Pakistan?
Will I be able to take admission in universities abroad if I just do inter? Sorry if I dont know the terms.
Thank you!

 

[Amarog]

Welcome to Pakgamers, brother.
I'm not clear about this but if the 9th and 10th you did are equivalent to Olevels, then yes, you can take admission in first year inter. If you're planning to stay in Pakistan for uni then definitely Inter is the option to go with. The reason behind that is, when universities take Alevel students, they convert their marks according to the matric board system and they end up with considerable deduction in their marks when converted. That leads to less chances for them to get into the university. But it's not impossible. People do it. If you're an extra ordinary student, go for Alevels.
And I don't think universities abroad prefer inter, but Alevels. It's internationally acknowleged.

P.S: They no longer allow students to opt another subject(i.e. Pakistan Culture, which is a lot easier than studying Urdu) in lieu of Urdu. Inter Urdu is nothing you can take easy. Although, Inter is easier than Alevels but it does have Urdu.

 

[Volleyball39]

can I give board exams for two grades in the same year

I moved from the U.S. to Pakistan this summer and have completed my 9th grade there. Is it possible for me to take admission in matric 10 grade and give both 9 and 10 board exam papers this same year maybe from a private school? (I dont want to repeat) studying is not a problem.
Is there any pther way I can continue my education without have to miss or study an extra year?
Thank you

 

[Volleyball39]

Alchemist, can you tell me any schools you know in Karachi that let you do o'levels in 2 years? Does it have exams in 9th grade or just 10th grade? Bwcause I do not want to repeat 9th grade

 

[Ottoman]

Please abstain from making a new thread for every single query. Thanks

 

[Kashan123999]

NOTE OP: most universities in UK DO NOT accept our HSSC system,such as Oxbridge especially,so getting admission with an Intermediate HSSC becomes an impossibility,for applying to USA,HSSC is fine,but remember academics,exposure and almost everything of A-levels >> HSSC,so don't fall for the HSSC as you have already spent some years studying abroad,A-levels would be the perfect match for you

 

[Rip Uzair]

Alchemist, can you tell me any schools you know in Karachi that let you do o'levels in 2 years? Does it have exams in 9th grade or just 10th grade? Bwcause I do not want to repeat 9th grade

Although a few people have already have answered but I guess you did not understand.

1) Think you Matric and O-levels as a package, the only difference being that in Matric, 9th and 10th must be given is seperate examination, where as O-levels can be given in a single examination or multiple examination if you want. Matric(9th and 10th) = O-levels. So thinking of O-levels as 9th 10th & 11th etc doesn't matter, because if you want you can even give your O-levels exams in the very next examination after 8th grade(i.e after 3-5months because O-levels are conducted twice a year). You can't give both 9th and 10th in same examination, which btw are conducted once a year.(It is not for the schools to decide but the board). So you can't do anything about it. I'd suggest going for O-levels and appearing in the earliest examination you feel comfortable appearing in. Although I don't know much about Karachi but there should be many great schools there. One I've heard of is KGS(karachi grammar school). Go there or any other schools and they will let you know if they would let you take O-levels in 1 year. If no school would, you can also appear as a private candidate and study at an academy, although I don't know much about this route.

If you do go for O-levels, 5 subjects are compulsory if you want to apply to Pakistani universities in future(those are Pakistan Studies, Urdu, English, Islamiat, and Maths(I think))Although these are not compulsory if you plan to apply only outside Pakistan. Additionally, you can take as many and which ever subjects you want(of course this decision would be based on what field you want to join professionally). In matric, you have 8 standard subjects with option to either take biology or computer science. The course of Matric is divided into 2 parts 550 marks each in 9th grade and 10th grade. The total marks of matric thus being 1100.

2) After Matric or O-levels, you can go for FSc or A-levels. Again think of these as a package except that FSc must be given in 2 seperate examination(that is 11th and 12th), where as A-level can be given when ever you want (even in 3-4 months after O-level). So, whether you give matric or O-level, you MUST start FSc with grade 11th. In FSc, you have 5 subjects. 1 of these 5 subjects can either be Maths or Biology depending on whether you appear as a Pre-engineering or a pre-medical student, respectively. In A-levels, you can have as many and which ever subjects you want(which ofcourse would depend on what what course you pick at university).

3) If you would like apply to Pakistani universities after giving O/A-levels, you'd have to get your grades converted to local equivalent. After which this equivalence will act as your FSc result. In past high achieving students suffered greatly but after 2009, the difference is minimal(and in some cases you can get a better equivalence than your actual A-level marks. So, again, I'd recommend A-level. Although do note that A-level equivalence takes into account both A-level and O-level grades, so you'd want to do good at both and you'll have a great equivalence which can get you admission everywhere FSc can but not vice versa.

4) You can apply outside Pakistan whether you do FSc or A-levels, except that FSc is not widely recognised but A-levels is. So, I'd recommend A-level.

In Short I recommend you do O-levels and then A-levels at a good school(they'll guide and help you to get admission wherever you want)