AN eight-year-old boy who sat for the Mathematics Extended Cambridge IGCSE last year passed with Grade A according to the results released on Jan 16.
Isaac Gew Ern Yi, who is a Standard Three pupil at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Wu Teck in Klang, Selangor is the youngest Malaysian candidate to take the exams which is equivalent to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
While the exam is usually taken by those between 16 and 18, Isaac eased through the paper with only seven months of preparation, said his mother Rebecca Sook Hui Tay.
“Extended Mathematics IGCSE paper covers topics like trigonometry and advanced algebra. He catches on quick learning through YouTube and completing past year exam papers with guidance from me and my husband as well as a tuition teacher. Having competed in many Mathematics Olympiads helped him to get ready for the exam too,” said Rebecca.
She added that Isaac, who is also a member of Mensa Singapore, has been passionate about numbers since he was one.
“He could count to 100 at the age of one and start doing multiplications when he was three.
“Currently, he is preparing for IGCSE for Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Computer Science,” she added.
“Isaac is a happy-go-lucky boy. He gets along well at school and has many friends. He’s always on to many things such as archery, computer coding and swimming during his leisure time together with his younger brother.
“As for Isaac’s future plans, we want him to finish his primary school first. We feel that going to school helps him learn social skills as he can be with friends of his age,” she continued.
Isaac has won multiple Gold and Championship Awards in national and international Mathematics Olympiad since he was in Standard One.
IGCSE is an international certification for the end of secondary school and is the equivalent to the British O-Level before a student proceeds to do Advance Level (A-Level) or pre-university studies.