Nicholas Wilkinson, a Matric pupil at St Andrew’s College, has been awarded a certificate from Cambridge International Examinations for attaining the top result in the world for the A Level Thinking Skills examination written in June of 2013.
Nicholas Wilkinson, a Matric pupil at St Andrew’s College, has been awarded a certificate from Cambridge International Examinations for attaining the top result in the world for the A Level Thinking Skills examination written in June of 2013.
Written by over 8 000 candidates from around the world, this is a not only a remarkable, but outstanding achievement.
The ability to think critically is a skill which universities and future employers are increasingly emphasising.
The Cambridge International Examinations Thinking Skills course and examination set out to develop intellectual skills which are not dependent on subject content.
The course allows the student to foster the ability not only to understand problems, but also to analyse and resolve them.
Wilkinson, who comes from Port Elizabeth reflected on the experience saying that: “The course helped me develop and refine the incredibly useful skill of logical thought. It is a skill that will stay with me throughout my life”.
Two of the examinations involved in this course are mathematically based while the remaining two are focused around reading, writing and developing good arguments.
Aidan Smith, deputy headmaster, stresses that the ability to think critically is a life skill which stands the boys undertaking the course in good stead for the rest of their lives.
“Offering ‘supra-curricula’ activities like the Cambridge A Levels in Thinking Skills, which challenge and extend our top boys, sets St Andrew’s College apart from other schools, and equips our boys to collaborate with the best students in the world,” he explained.
