Depending on your school, O Level comprises two to three years of education in which eventually you give your CAIE papers. Out of the eight subjects you give examinations for, five are compulsory. The other three you are free to choose for yourself out of a list of subjects provided to you. Depending on if you are doing OL privately or through a school these lists of subjects may vary. Some schools tend to offer a better variety.
However, no matter if you’re studying OL privately or through a school the problem remains the same. It isn’t a new issue for students to struggle with choosing their O Level subjects. It can be a lot of added pressure on top of the fact that you will have to give your CAIES based on the subjects you choose. This is exactly why we compiled this article to help you choose the OL subjects that suit you best.
As we stated before the variety of subjects is different everywhere and to get a better understanding of the subjects available it is better that you consult your school administration. However, the general subjects available are broken down into a general subdivision of three categories:
- Medical Sciences
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Computer Sciences
- Computer Science
- Commerce
- Business Studies
- Economics
- Accounting
Choosing your OL subjects entirely depends on your interests and which career you plan to carry on with after school. Those planning to pursue medical fields after school are most likely suited to choose all science subjects (medical sciences). However, this is just one example out of the many diverse fields available for your choosing. Your O Level subjects don’t entirely have to depend on your interests or what field you choose in the future. If you find yourself still being confused about which subjects to choose you can always explore all the subject options. As long as you think things through and manage your subjects properly you can take up as many subjects as you want and also switch subjects as many times as you want.
The minimum optional subjects you need to take up to complete your (minimum) eight subjects limit are three optional subjects on top of the five compulsory subjects you already have as a part of your curriculum (Islamiat, Pakistan Studies, Urdu, English, Math).
No matter what subjects you choose you should carry out proper research and consult a career counselor if you can. You should take as much time as you need to decide your subjects as O Level CAIES hold 50% weightage. If you feel you need more time to decide you can always opt to switch to a school that has three-year O Levels or you can opt to take a gap year.
However, whatever decision you make at the end of the day it’s up to you. Watch this short video on how to get career recommendation based on your aptitude: