Saumya Singh, pursuing the International Baccalaureate at G D Goenka World School, is one of the 10 Indian students who has topped in the world rankings at the Cambridge International Examinations for her outstanding academic achievements in November 2008 and June 2009 Cambridge examination sessions. In total, 79 students from across the country will receive the Cambridge Outstanding Achiever Awards for academic excellence in their individual schools.
Singh took a total of nine subjects and scored an A*( 90-100 %) in all of them. She says: "Time-management is the only way one can balance their way through the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)."

Excelling in the IGCSE is not about studying all the time; rather it is about studying regularly throughout the year and studying in an organised manner, feels Singh. "There is no rote-learning in IGCSE since no question is repeated. One cannot study a month before the exams and excel in them. It is, therefore, essential to have a clear grasp of concepts instead of specific examples. Allocating the appropriate amount of time for self-study, to all subjects, is important," she says.

Besides being thorough with academics, Singh is quite active with participating in debates, swimming competitions and dance recitals along with numerous other extra-curricular activities offered in her school. Singh strongly feels that there is a lack of awareness about IGCSE among students and they do not know the advantages. She says: "What makes IGCSE unique is that students have the liberty to make choices from a wide range of subjects. Students can drop subjects, which they don't enjoy studying, and rather choose specialised subjects. So those who are not interested in history or biology are not forced to study a subject, which will never aid them in their higher education."

As regards her choice, she opted for all three sciences along with economics and information and communication technology. "This will provide me with the latitude to choose any occupation later on in life," asserts Singh.
Even the curriculum, she says, is 'globally conscious' and ensures that each and every subject is viewed with an open and international perspective. So the student is introduced with examples and case studies from across the world. Further, each subject has at least two to three separate papers. Assessment in most languages is varied with a listening, oral and writing component while the sciences have tricky practical examinations. "IGCSE results are accepted in almost all schools across the globe and those applying abroad for undergraduate studies have an advantage during admission," she adds.

source: TOI