With the most recent New South Wales Higher School Certificate (HSC) results released in December 2018, both faculty and students pursuing this internationally recognised matriculation programme at INTI International College Penang (INTI), were overjoyed when it was revealed that 11 students had been named world ranking top achievers, scoring ATAR 80 and above, while all INTI students had obtained 100% passes in all subjects.
INTI’s world ranking top achievers for the New South Wales Higher School Certificate examination celebrate their achievement with lecturers and academicians at INTI Penang (L-R) – Mr Yeap Ah Choo, a lecturer of Pre University Studies; Ms Leela Rajaram, a Senior Lecturer of Pre University Studies; Ms Hemalatha Murugiah, the Chief Executive; Mr Goh Wai Meng, the Academic Director; Mr Dinash Kandasamy, the Head of School of Pre University Studies; Ms Teng Mei Tuan, the Head of Programme of Pre University Studies.
Among them, Leong Ming Jo amazed his lecturers and fellow course mates by scoring the highest ATAR of 94.30 in INTI with 2 high distinctions and 2 distinctions. There were 34 INTI students who sat for their examinations in October 2018.
ATAR is an acronym for ‘Australian Tertiary Admission Rank’, and is the primary criterion used by Australian universities to admit students into undergraduate courses. This percentile ranking measures a student’s overall performance in comparison to their peers upon completion of their studies.
In providing students with the opportunity to obtain the HSC locally, which is recognised by top universities in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States of America and Asia, INTI Penang’s experienced faculty provide expertise in a range of subjects in Science and Commerce, which broaden their students’ study options in the future.
Leong Ming Jo (Left), the highest scorer of HSC 2018 at INTI, received his certificate from Ms Hemalatha Murugiah, the Chief Executive of INTI Penang.
At the Top Achiever Ceremony held at INTI’s Penang campus recently, the students proudly received their Higher School Certificate, issued by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), New South Wales.
According to the analysis of the HSC Results 2018 sent to INTI, INTI students performed well by obtaining a total of 12 high distinctions (Band 6 or E4) and 67 distinctions (Band 5 or E3) . 5.41% of the candidates scored an ATAR of 90 and above, placing them in the top 10 percent of the cohort worldwide; 29.73% scored an ATAR of 80 and above placing them in the top 20 percent internationally.
Apart from that, 89.2% of the candidates scored ATAR 55.5 and above, and gained 100% passes in all subjects including Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Economics, English, Information process and technology, Mathematics, Mathematics Extension 1 and Physics.
Citing the results above, Mr Dinash Kandasamy, the Head of School of Pre University Studies stated, “This achievement is significant to INTI because it tells us that we’re doing the right things to maintain the quality of our staff and students.”
He elaborated further, “This was not an easy feat! Our team worked closely with HSC students, monitored their grades, and deployed various preventive and intervention activities. The efforts of the faculty coupled with other support systems like additional classes and INTI’s mentor-mentee programme that provides one-on-one tutoring, helped the students unleash their abilities within a short period of time.”
When asked about his thoughts on the outstanding achievement, Leong Ming Jo, 18, commented, “I feel ecstatic and proud of my achievement. My time at INTI has been 180-degree change from secondary school. The HSC course at INTI compresses two years of studies into an intensive 10 months, therefore, time management and discipline were crucial. The lecturers at INTI were a great help to me and my classmates, as they would take their time to ensure that we could understand the syllabus.”
Through exceptional faculty and academic support systems that have proven to be effective, INTI fosters its students with the learning skills and discipline that can be used to excel in any academic pursuits, preparing them to achieve greater heights in their studies and in their personal life.