Bangalore boys world toppers in Cambridge IGCSE school exam

M V Pavan, of the Times of India. He's on top of the world. Bangalore student Manas Kohli is a world topper in Computer Studies in the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examination. It's the world's most popular international qualification for students between 14 and 16 years old.

As an IGCSE student (equivalent to Class 10) of The International School Bangalore, Manas secured the highest marks in the world in Computer Studies and is the India topper in Chemistry. His parents, Sanjay and Rashmi Kohli, are retired employees of software companies.

Manas told TOI on Wednesday: "My teacher gave me less marks in a mock examination conducted by the school. This motivated me to secure the highest marks in this subject in the IGCSE examination. I don't study for too long, just around four hours. I want to pursue Science and become an engineer."

And when he's not busy with Computer Science, he loves playing outdoor games.

Another IGCSE student, Manik Raghu Reddy of the Centre for Learning, Bangalore, is the world topper in combined science. Manik and Manas are world toppers among 30 Indian toppers who achieved highest marks in the world in individual subjects in the November 2013 and May 2014 Cambridge International Examination series - Cambridge International IGCSE, Cambridge International AS Level and Cambridge International A level. Also, 18 students from Bangalore secured the highest marks in India in individual subjects. For their outstanding performance, they'll receive the 'Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award'. Of the world toppers, 15 students got the awards for outstanding performance in Mathematics. The rest excelled in subjects including English, Information Communication and Technology, Biology and Economics.

Vinayak Sudhakar, senior schools development manager, India, said, "These achievements demonstrate the dedication and commitment of teachers, support provided by families and friends, and the students' determination and passion to succeed."

In the recent May 2014 exam series, there was a 10% growth across all Cambridge qualifications offered in India, with more than 43,000 entries. Additionally, entries for Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics and Sciences (Physics, Biology and Chemistry) have grown by almost 9%, with more than 8,000 entries.

Topperspeak

I'm extremely happy because Biology is my favourite subject and want to be a bioinformatics researcher. My strategy to score high marks was to finish studying on the same day whatever was taught in school earlier.