The curriculum is designed to provide a solid foundation for younger students, leading to a wide choice of elective subjects in Forms 4 and 5, before the opportunity to specialise in three or four subjects at A Level.

The School has a strong tradition in Mathematics and the Sciences, with a high proportion of students choosing to study Physics, Chemistry and Biology throughout the year groups. The Arts are well supported, too, and there are a number of English options available, while the humanities and social science subjects can be taken from Form 4 up to the Sixth Form.

KTJ offers two parallel academic streams up to Form 5 (Year 11, age 16/17). The KBSM Malaysian local syllabus offers students the chance to sit for PMR and SPM exams, while the International Stream leads towards the opportunity to take up to nine O Level or IGCSE subjects. The increased access of Malaysians to the International Stream has been accommodated very smoothly. The School is able to provide the Ministry requirements of Agama (or morals), Sejarah and Bahasa while offering the full range of O Level options.

In the Sixth Form, students are able to take a wide range of A Level subjects. These can be started at the beginning of the International stream year in August, but a sizeable number of students join the Sixth Form in January after taking SPM in the previous November.

More on the National Stream

More on the International Stream

More on the Sixth Form 

More on the English Language Unit

The national stream comprises two levels; the lower secondary (Forms 1 – 3) and the upper secondary (Forms 4 – 5). The students of this local stream follow the KBSM curriculum as stipulated by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. Hence the medium of instruction is Bahasa Melayu except for Mathematics, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Information & Communication Technology which are taught in English.

Forms 1 – 3 are closely guided by the compulsory subjects while the Forms 4 – 5 are given a wider choice of subjects. The table below provides an overview of the various compulsory and optional subjects:

The introduction of School Based Assessments (SBA) has made studying even more interesting. Preparation towards examinations is less demanding as students are able to produce the best work with continuous assessment and guidance from teachers.

The learning outcomes ensure there is a high proficiency in communication skills with additional subjects such as Drama, Music and Computing at the lower secondary level. These skills are further enhanced through oral presentations in Bahasa Melayu and English for all year groups as part of the school based assessments system.

Students of the lower secondary level will sit the PMR public exam at the end of Form 3 whilst the students the upper secondary level will sit the SPM public exam at the end of Form 5. Their academic achievements at PMR and SPM examinations are remarkable and very encouraging with higher scores of A and Bs.

The academic year for the international stream starts in August. Students here are prepared to sit for external examinations of the Cambridge or the Edexcel Boards in Form 5 (O level and IGCSE). Our students in Form 3 are required to sit for the Checkpoint examination where they are tested in English, Mathematics and Science. This is to evaluate their performance in the first three years of their secondary education and helps us to set them effectively in Form 4.

For students following the International syllabus, core subjects in Forms 1 to 3 are;

English
Mathematics
Science
One other language: -- French, Mandarin or Malay
History
Geography
Art
Music
Information and Communications Technology
Physical Education

In Forms 4 and 5, students are required to study;

English

At least one science subject from Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Combined Science
One language from French, Mandarin or Malay

As well as five other subjects from the following;

Accounting
Additional Mathematics
Art
Business Studies
Computing
Drama
Economics
English Literature
Extra English
Geography
History
Music

It should be noted that Malaysian students who attend the international stream are bound by conditions set by the Ministry of Education. They are required to do Malay, Local History and either Agama Islam or Moral.

A Levels provide a passport to universities anywhere in the world. There is a strong tradition of both KTJ students from Form 5, as well as large numbers of young people who have completed O Level and SPM courses elsewhere, entering our Sixth Form. They are able to choose from the following wide range of subjects:

Lower Sixth

In addition, students are required to follow an AS Level General Paper, or, if needed, an O Level English course.

Communicating in English is a key to success both at KTJ and in the wider world. For those young students joining the School in Forms 1 and 2, the English Language Unit (ELU) can provide an essential foundation in English. If their English is not sufficiently strong to join the mainstream class, boys and girls are assigned to the ELU for between one and three terms. They spend about half the week under the careful guidance of our three native-speaking teachers, all of whom have specialist qualifications.

The students join their year group for lessons in Mathematics, Music, PE, Living Skills, Drama and Computing. These help those who are leaving the ELU integrate into the mainstream class in due course.

Some time spent in the ELU enables the students to progress to high achievement at O and A Levels in the years ahead.