One pathway to entering university is to take a “Foundation Programme”.  The statistics, however, show that not many students manage to enter their preferred universities and programmes this way.  This may bite even harder after the money is spent and the effort is made.

If students are prepared to spend one year in the United Kingdom, taking an A-Level programme is not a bad option.  With A-Level results, they can apply to local universities via the Non-JUPAS channel, or to UK universities through UCAS.  All they have to do is concentrate on three subjects, and they can make up for it by obtaining good scores in them.  Students who obtain excellent results can, indeed, gain much coveted medical school or law school places at reputable universities.

Speaking from experience

Kevin Li (pictured) is one student who took such an alternative route.  After falling short on his DSE attempt, he went to the United Kingdom to pursue a two-year A Level programme.  He was happy that he did, and the experience helped him to re-discover the joy of learning.  He eventually entered the University of Surrey to study Engineering by virtue of good A Level results.  He did admit, however, the first year of his A Level studies was not exactly interesting with too much repetition of the subject content he learned for DSE in Hong Kong.  He also wished he had not imposed such a heavy financial burden on his parents.

A one-year A-Level programme in Thailand – perhaps an even better choice

Overseas studies in the UK can be challenging, though.  Students are thousands of miles away from home, living in an unfamiliar environment, and the financial costs can also be forbidding.  Abbey Education Group addresses these issues by designing a one-year A-Level programme in Thailand – it provides education of similar quality, at half of the expenses.  There is also no IELTS requirement.

To many people, Thailand is a country for travelling and shopping.  What is less well known is Thailand’s gradual development into an international education hub.  Schools such as Harrow International School, which provide quality, English-medium, boarding school education have been operating in Thailand for a number of years.  On the beautiful campuses of these schools, highly qualified and experienced, native-speaker teachers engage students in effective classroom learning, and oftentimes after-class tutorials, to help them learn.  Students who subsequently gain high scores in A-Level examinations are admitted to prestigious universities around the world.

Thailand is geographically not far from Hong Kong; it takes no more than a three-hour flight for parents to visit their children.  Hong Kong students usually find the Thai environment easy to settle into, and the boarding school life will help concentration and intellectual growth.

The programme boasts six distinct features:

• International recognition – Cambridge A Level is accepted as entry qualifications to universities around the world;
• Excellent faculty and staff – teachers are all native English speakers with qualifications and experience in teaching the Cambridge Advanced Level Syllabus;
• Exam-oriented tutor support – students receive two hours of tuition every day after school; the receive feedback on their mock exam performance; monthly reports are compiled for students and parents;
• Study-life balance – students take part in after-school extra-curricular activities and weekend tours; they get to socialize and use English in everyday-life settings;
• Comfortable living environment – students stay in comfortable, en-suite rooms with home-cleaning service; sports facilities and catering services are provided to keep them healthy;
• Visit friendliness – parents can take advantage of the geographical proximity of Bangkok and visit students on weekends; accommodation can be arranged for overnight stays in the same housing complex for students.

June and July are traditionally the months when young people and parents seek information about A-Level programmes.  It is always a good idea to start early with fact-finding and applications, and not wait till the release of examination results.  Abbey Education Group provides one-year A-Level programmes based in the UK as well as in Thailand.  We welcome enquiries and our consultants are always there to provide any information and advice you may need.