By NNN-Bernama
Singapore : A seven-year-old boy, who made headlines here after he successfully sat for Chemistry “O” Level examination in January, has been officially recognised in the Singapore Book of Records as the youngest child ever to pass an “O” level exam.
Ainan Celeste Cawley sat for the exam on Jan 18 at the age of 7 years and 1 month at the British Council here and obtained a “C” grade credit.
His mother, Syahidah Osman Cawley, said Ainan’s achievement will be included in the new edition of the record book which will be published in January.
Ainan’s achievement has already been published at the record book’s online edition, listing him as “Youngest To Attain A GCE O Level Certificate”.
Half-Irish and half-Malay, Ainan, whose grandmother, Sabariah Abdul Wahab, 50, is a Malaysian from Parit Yaani, Johor, — has been to school in both London and Singapore.
His father, Valentine Cawley, a writer, was educated at Cambridge University. His mother, Syadidah Osman Cawley, is a Singaporean ambidextrous portrait artist.
On the next step for Ainan, Syahidah said: “He has already read his A level textbook and is expected to sit for the exam this year. For this, he needs lab experience, as he has not previously had access to a laboratory”.
“If this can be arranged, he anticipates sitting his A-level exam, normally taken by 18-year-olds before setting off on a bigger journey — university and the world of the research scientist,” she said.
Syahidah said Ainan’s interest in science began at an early age.
At the age of four he already shown interest in hyper-dimensional shapes, which later developed into an interest in the structure of molecules, as he discovered chemistry on the Internet.
At the age of six, Ainan — the eldest of three siblings — was given a chemistry book to look at on a whim. His family then gave him a chemistry test paper to do from the book and answered it correctly.