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Appendix 8
SINGAPORE
Main Features of the Examination
System in Singapore
National Examinations
1.
Streaming at the End of
Primary Education
Based on the results of
the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), pupils promoted
to Secondary I will be streamed to one of 3 courses at the secondary
level, namely, the Normal or N-course, the Express or E-course
and the Special or S-course. Pupils streamed to the S-course
and the E-course may, if they wish, choose to do the E-course
and the N-course respectively.
1.1
Normal Course
The Normal or N-course
is a 5-year secondary course leading to the GCE "O"
level examination. Students will be offered 2 languages
(EL and ML/CL/TL), one at the first language level and the
other at the second language level. A new examination, known
as the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE), has been
introduced to cater to these students at the end of their
4th year. Those who have done well will do the
GCE "O" level examination at the end of their
5th year.
1.2
Express Course
The Express or E-course
is for more able students who can complete the GCE "O"
level examination in 4 years instead of the normal 5 years.
Students will study 2 languages and other subjects as in
the N-course but will not normally be offered the CSE. They
will take the GCE "O" level examination at the
end of 4 years.
1.3
Special Course
The Special or S-course
is offered to the best of PSLE passers. Students will be
offered EL and ML/CL/TL both at the first language level
and complete their secondary education in 4 years as is
the case with the E-course students. Initially, the S-course
will only be available in the 9 Special Assistance Plan
(SAP) schools and only EL and CL will be made available
at the first language level in this course.
1.4
Lateral Movement Between Courses
There is a provision
for students to move laterally from one course to another
according to their capabilities and performance. Students
in the N-course can move to the E-course if they perform
well at Secondary 1 Normal. On the other hand, under-achievers
in the E-course can be transferred to the next level of
the N-course. There can also be a similar movement from
the E-course to the S-course and vice-versa. The streaming
procedure and provision for lateral transfers reduce educational
wastage and ensure that students are not studying at a pace
or level beyond their capabilities.
1.5
Pre-University Education
Students from all the
3 streams of secondary education are eligible for pre-university
education, and admission is based on their "O"
level results. Pre-university education is provided in junior
colleges and pre-university centres in secondary schools
for those who satisfy the admission criteria. For this,
students may use combined results of two separate sittings.
Junior colleges will conduct 2-year courses leading to the
GCE "A" level examination while pre-university
centres offer 3-year courses for the same examination. The
medium of instruction is generally English except for language
studies other than English. All pre-university students
must take a second language as it is required for admission
to the National University of Singapore.
2.
School-Based Examinations
The evaluation of students
performance through continual assessment and semestral examinations
are important tasks of principals and teachers. It will be
used to decide promotion from one level to the next and lateral
transfer from one course to another. Principals therefore
take great pains in ensuring that:
- The evaluation instruments are valid
and reliable,
- Promotions and lateral transfers are
effected in the best interest of the students concerned.
3.
Semestral Examinations
As a general rule, there is
one full scale examination per semester. The mid-year examination
is based on the scheme of work covered in the first semester
and the end-of-year examination should be based on the scheme
of work covered during the whole year. For this reason, the
end-of-year examination has a greater weightage.
While assessment is an integral
part of teaching and learning, over-testing, especially through
frequent common tests and class tests, have been avoided. To
avoid creating unnecessary pressure on students, these common
tests across classes in the same level, as far as possible,
have been confined to the mid-year or end-of-year examinations.
Figure
8 : Singapore Educational System
(To view
figure, please download Acrobat.)
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