7-year-old boy gets A* grade for O-level equivalent maths exam, youngest ever in Singapore

At seven, algebra was an abstract concept to me and exams were certainly not my strong suit. 

But for seven-year-old Theodore Kwan, that's all the years he needs to ace an O-level equivalent maths exam, Lianhe Zaobao reported on Thursday (Jan 15). 

Kwan, who will turn eight in June, took the IGCSE Pure Mathematics examination at the Extended level in October last year — his results were released along with other O-level candidates on Thursday. 

The IGCSE Pure Mathematics examination is divided into two levels, Core and Extended, with the latter being the more advanced test.

At seven, he is the youngest in Singapore to receive an A* grade for the exam, with the previous record holder being eight years and 11 months old, according to the Singapore Book of Records. 

Speaking with the Chinese publication, Kwan's mother, Crystal Tang, shared that the result came as a pleasant surprise to both her and her husband. 

Tang, 34, revealed that Kwan had failed to answer the last two questions of the paper due to time constraints despite his confidence in answering them. 

"He's still young and writes relatively slowly, so he didn't have the time to finish questions within the stipulated time," she told Zaobao. 

Tang and her husband have also guessed that their son answered every other question correctly to have maintained the A* grade despite not answering the final two questions, Zaobao reported. 

In a post on her LinkedIn page, Tang, who is currently a PhD candidate at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, also commented: "I'm still in a shock from the latest release of results for my son's IGCSE today! So grateful for the talent God has so given!" 

Talented in both maths and science

Kwan hasn't just made a name for himself in this mathematics examination — he also set a record for being the youngest ever to take the IGCSE Chemistry (extended) exam in April last year. 

He later took the remaining two papers in May and June, ultimately receiving an A grade. 

With an IQ of 154, Kwan is also the Vanda National Junior Science Olympiad youngest participant and the first globally to have achieved a perfect score, Zaobao reported. 

He has also taken part in the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad and walked away with two perfect scores. 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com