Critical thinking: AKU board announces 5th annual exam results

First place goes to student with 93%.

KARACHI:

The Aga Khan University Examination Board announced its annual Secondary School Certificate examination results Thursday, marking its fifth successful year of conducting these examinations across Pakistan.

Hooria Imran of Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan School with 93.55% marks earned first position in this year's AKU-EB examinations. Komal Zehra Zaidi of Al-Murtaza School (girls branch) with 93.45% and Sarah Salahuddin of Shahwilayat Public School with 92.82% earned the second and third positions, respectively.

The results show that 13.6% of this year's SSC Part I and II (combined) candidates earned an A-1 grade while 31.6% earned an A grade. The SSC exams are practical tests which encourage applied learning as described by Dr Thomas Christie, the director of AKU-EB: "Our exams are space-limited and require candidates to think critically to apply what they have learned all year into just a few lines. This is not an easy task - it is a product of many months of dedication towards learning how to explore resources beyond the textbook and search independently to arrive at specified outcomes."

This year, AKU-EB students were able to access the new Learning Support website while preparing for their examinations. The Learning Support website is the only online study tool of its kind in Pakistan with tutorial videos covering the SSC National Curriculum in five subjects: English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Candidates can also assess their levels in online practice tests.

"Learning Support goes beyond just exam preparation and is available to those who do not have access to classrooms. The website is an extension of our ongoing collaboration with Kawish Television Network to daily broadcast these subject lessons on television. It is one way for us to encourage our candidates to become independent learners and take charge of their own learning," pointed out Karima Kara, the associate director.

AKU-EB's annual SSC results are now available online with a detailed breakdown for candidates on how they performed as compared to their group peers at www.aku.edu/akueb. To find out more about Learning Support, visit <http://learningsupport.akueb.edu.pk/news_events.php>.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2011.