The subject combination a student picks at the start of Lower Sixth quietly decides which university courses stay open two years later — and it is chosen earlier, and with less information, than almost any other decision in a Cameroonian student's schooling.
At RAIBICOL, students move from Form 1 through to Upper Sixth along two broad pathways — Arts and Science — each supported by dedicated facilities and by the boarding structure that keeps Lower and Upper Sixth candidates focused through the two years leading to the GCE Advanced Level. Here is what parents and students should understand before choosing.
The Science pathway
A Science combination typically centres on Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, examined at RAIBICOL in facilities including the school's Physics and Chemistry laboratories and ICT lab. This path keeps open the widest range of university options directly: medicine, engineering, pharmacy, nursing, computer science and the physical sciences generally require a Science A Level background, and switching into these fields later without it is difficult.
Who tends to thrive here: students who enjoy structured problem-solving, are comfortable with sustained lab and homework loads, and are reasonably confident in Mathematics — Science A Level subjects build heavily on each other, so a shaky foundation in one often shows up as difficulty in the others.
The Arts pathway
An Arts combination draws on subjects such as Literature in English, History, Government, Geography and Religious Studies, and leads toward law, journalism, education, public administration, the humanities and social sciences at university. It is not a "fallback" from Science — it is the correct first choice for a student whose strengths and interests genuinely lie in argument, analysis and written expression, and it opens its own distinct set of demanding university courses.
Who tends to thrive here: students who read widely, argue a position clearly in writing, and enjoy subjects where there is more than one defensible answer to a question.
The decision that matters more than "Science or Arts"
The more useful question is rarely "which pathway is more prestigious" — it is "which university courses might my child want to keep open, and which subjects does that require." A student aiming at medicine has no real alternative to core Sciences plus Biology. A student aiming at law needs strong English and ideally History or Government, not necessarily Science at all. Working backwards from the intended course, rather than forwards from a vague sense of which pathway "sounds better," avoids the most common regret students report after results day.
Getting the choice wrong is not usually fatal
Subject combinations are chosen at the start of Lower Sixth based on Form 5 GCE Ordinary Level performance and genuine interest — and RAIBICOL's staff discuss the choice directly with each student rather than leaving it to guesswork. If a student's interests shift during Lower Sixth, that conversation should happen early, before Upper Sixth, while a change of combination is still practically possible.
How boarding structure supports the Sixth Form years
Two years of Advanced Level study demand sustained, focused work — not two years of intermittent effort followed by a final push. RAIBICOL's supervised evening study, fixed daily routine and distraction-free boarding environment are built specifically around this reality, and the results back it up: 100% or near-100% GCE Advanced Level pass rates every year since the section's results were first published, including this year's cohort, where close to half of the thirty-three candidates passed in all five subjects sat. See the full 2026 results.