Students Can Take Bahasa Melayu as Subject in Cambridge IGCSE Starting 2019

Those taking the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) can soon take Bahasa Melayu as a subject next year!

The Cambridge IGCSE First Language Malay (0696) syllabus was recently introduced by the Cambridge Assessment International Education that offers a higher level and more challenging studies in Bahasa Melayu.

The subject’s aim is to teach students to accurately and effectively communicate and write in Bahasa Melayu. The syllabus will be created based on Cambridge IGCSE First Language English subject.

According to the New Straits Times, the syllabus will start in September next year (2019), while the first exam will be in June 2021. It is stated that it will not be similar to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia’s (SPM) Bahasa Melayu.

Source: the star

Initially, Cambridge IGCSE only offered the Malay Foreign Language (0546) subject for students with no basics of Bahasa Melayu. This new subject, however, is catered for native speakers.

Students interested in undertaking this new subject will be required to have already studied Bahasa Melayu during lower secondary level or an equivalent national education framework.

Source: the independent

“The Cambridge IGCSE First Language Malay syllabus tests a different set of language skills than SPM Bahasa Melayu,” said Ahmad Lotfi Zubir, Education Ministry Private Education Division deputy director.

The Cambridge IGCSE First Language Malay (0696) would consist of:

Paper 1: Reading and directed writing
Answering comprehension questions and evaluating information from texts to write an argumentative or discursive letter.

Paper 2: Composition
Writing two compositions that are argumentative, discursive, descriptive or/and narrative in nature.

What do you think of this subject as a new addition? Tell us your thoughts in the comments! 

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