Apart from the national examination - the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) - all student assessment (continuous and twice-yearly tests) is school-based. The Ministry of Education (Curriculum Planning and Development Division) provides schools with guidelines on the school-based assessment of students.25, 38
Assessment at the end of Primary Four
On the basis of a school-based examination in English, the mother tongue and mathematics, which takes place at the end of Primary Four (aged around 10 years), and on the basis of continuous assessment during the first four years of primary education, students are streamed for the final two years of primary school. There are usually three streams - EM1, EM2 and EM3 - and, if there is demand, there may be four with an additional ME3 stream.
NOTE: The EM3 stream began to be phased out in 2008.
Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE)
The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is a national examination which assesses a student's achievements at the end of the six years of primary school education and determines access to differentiated courses of secondary sector education ('normal', 'special', or 'express'), according to his/her learning pace, ability and inclinations.35
Students' performance in the PSLE is also one of the factors used to measure the performance of the school.22
Continuous, formative assessment of students serves to monitor their progress in academic studies and extracurricular activities.38
For most subjects, the relationship between curriculum and assessment is incorporated in the syllabus documents. For some subjects, e.g. English language, the teaching syllabus includes suggestions for informal and diagnostic assessment, while a separate examination syllabus specifies the skills to be examined and the allocation of marks for each skill.25
All children take the school-based examination in English, the mother tongue and mathematics at the end of Primary Four (age 10), so that they can be streamed for the final two years of primary education, and the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) towards the end of Year 6 (aged around 12).
Continuous, formative assessment forms an integral part of the teaching-learning process. Its purpose is to monitor student progress in academic studies and extracurricular activities and it often involves such test items as monthly quizzes. There are also two semestral assessments (mid- and end-of-year examinations) which provide a summative evaluation of a student's learning during the preceding half-year. Scores from these two forms of assessment are aggregated (suitably weighted) to offer a profile or index of the student's progress over the school year, and form the basis on which students are placed on, and progress through, the different courses of study. The scores also constitute one of the sources of feedback that are used to counsel students at annual teacher-parent meetings.25,38
The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) takes place at the end of primary school education (age 12). It is a formal assessment and students take both written and oral examinations, which are usually taken over three months towards the end of the academic year. In 2003, for example, oral examinations took place in August, listening examinations in September and written tests in October.200 Students in streams EM1 and EM2 taking the PSLE are generally tested in four subjects: English at the first language level, the mother tongue (Chinese [Mandarin], Malay or Tamil) at second language level (oral and written), mathematics and science. EM3 students usually only take foundation level English, basic mother tongue and foundation level mathematics in the PSLE and are then admitted to the secondary 'normal' (technical) course.11 The mathematics examination for the PSLE consists of a paper lasting two hours 15 minutes for students in streams EM1 and EM2 and two hours for EM3 students. Students are tested on knowledge and application of mathematical content as stated in the syllabus.18
Students in the ME3 stream (where one exists, see above) are also tested in three subjects; the mother tongue at first language (higher) level, basic English and basic mathematics.11
National tests/examinations and teacher assessment
| Primary 4 streaming examination for 10-year-olds | Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) for 12-year-olds (leaving Primary 6) | |
| What do the examinations cover? | Listening, speaking, reading, writing and mathematics. In English, there are written, oral and aural examinations. In the mother tongue language (Chinese, Malay or Tamil) there are written, oral and aural examinations and, in mathematics, there is a written examination. | Listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematics and science. In English, there are written, oral and aural examinations. In the mother tongue language (Chinese, Malay or Tamil), there are written, oral and aural examinations, and in mathematics and science there are written examinations. |
| How long is the examination? | A total of around seven hours | A total of between 9.5 and 14 hours, depending on the stream. |
| When does the examination take place? | On set days. Generally the written and aural examinations take place on set days in October, and the oral examinations take place in September. | On set days. Generally, the written examinations take place in October; the aural examinations in September; and the oral examinations in August. |
| Are the tests set internally or externally? | The school sets the tests in English, the mother tongue and mathematics. | The tests are set centrally and question papers are distributed to schools. |
Source: Humanities and Aesthetics Department, Curriculum Planning and Development Division, Ministry of Education, Singapore (2002).
|
Language Stream |
Subjects Tested in the Primary School Leaving Examination |
|
EM1 and EM2 |
English language, mother tongue*, mathematics and science * EM1 students take an additional higher level mother tongue paper. |
|
EM3 |
Foundation level English language, basic level mother tongue and foundation level mathematics |
|
ME3 |
Higher level mother tongue, basic level English language and mathematics |
Source: Ministry of Education (2003).
NOTE: The EM3 stream began to be phased out in 2008.
The Ministry of Education is responsible for the administration of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), setting the standards of attainment and providing feedback on matters pertaining to the examination system.25,38
Since the 2003 academic year, all primary students taking the PSLE have selected their secondary school after the results of the PSLE have been announced. Once results are announced, parents and students are given four days to make their school choices. Previously students chose their secondary school in the August immediately prior to taking the examination. 25
For most subjects, the relationship between curriculum and assessment is incorporated in the syllabus documents. For some subjects, such as English language, the teaching syllabus includes suggestions for informal and diagnostic assessment, while a separate examination syllabus specifies the skills to be examined and the allocation of marks for each skill.25
The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is a norm-referenced examination.25 Student attainment in the PSLE is recorded by grades: A*, A, B, C, D, E and U (ungraded).25
The profile of each student's progress in the first years of school, which all primary schools maintain, and student performance in the school-based examination at the end of Primary 4 (see above), provide the basis on which students are streamed for their future academic career. Students are grouped according to their level of performance in English, the mother tongue and mathematics. Parents are informed of their child's aptitude for the various academic subjects and are further advised on possible educational paths for them. The final decision on the stream best suited to the child rests with the parents.38
Student placement in secondary sector education is governed by performance in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).25
Students are issued with certificates which record their performance in the national examinations and which serve as evidence of their academic achievements when seeking entry to secondary sector education institutions.225
Schools receive a summary of their individual (school) and national results, as well as the detailed results of each student.25
The aggregated scores which students receive based on continuous assessment throughout the academic year, combined with results from the twice-yearly tests (and any national public examinations taken during that year) provide one of the sources of feedback used to counsel students at the annual parent-teacher meeting.38
In 1991, almost 90 per cent of 12-year-olds passed the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). In 2001, this figure was almost 97 per cent (Source: Yearbook of Statistics Singapore. [Online] at http://www.singstat.gov.sg/
In 2002, 96.3 per cent of those taking the PSLE were assessed as suitable to proceed to secondary school. Of these students, 62.2 per cent were eligible for the special or express course and 34.1 per cent for the normal academic or technical course. Of those not yet ready for secondary school, 3.7 per cent of the cohort, 1,658 were given another year in Primary 6 to consolidate their basic language and mathematical skills and 288 were enrolled on basic vocational training courses.59