Singapore’s exam board says PSLE papers not too
tough
SINGAPORE: After two outbursts in the last three years from
parents about the Primary School Leaving Examination, in
particular, the Mathematics paper, is there a nascent trend of
questions becoming too difficult for 12—year—olds?
Not so, says the Singapore Examination and Assessment Board
(SEAB).
In response to questions from MediaCorp, a spokesperson said
that the panel responsible for setting questions ensures "there is
a good coverage of syllabus and a judicious balance of easy,
average and difficult questions".
This examination panel is made up of "experienced
schoolteachers, curriculum specialists from the Ministry of
Education (MOE) as well as SEAB assessment specialists" and they
take "careful consideration" to ensure "the questions are within
the respective syllabus and within the pupil’s abilities and
experiences".
There are also "processes" in place to "calibrate the difficulty
level of each question and to control the overall standard of the
paper", said the spokesperson — though no specific examples were
given.
Asked if there has been grade inflation — and hence, tougher
papers being set in response to better scores — the SEAB
spokesperson noted that the level of difficulty of this year’s PSLE
Mathematics test is "pitched at the same level as that in the
previous years".
Some parents have complained about this year’s paper based on
feedback from their children, with some wondering if the
introduction of calculators was a factor.
The use of calculators does not have a "direct bearing" on the
difficulty of paper, according to SEAB.
Calculators became part of the primary school mathematics
curriculum last year for Primary Five pupils "to help reduce
computation errors". But basic computation skills "remain
important", said SEAB.
This is why the PSLE Maths exam has been split into two papers —
the first without the use of calculators and which constitutes 40
per cent of total marks — and the second where calculators are
allowed and which pupils sit for after a one—hour break. At two
hours 30 minutes, the total time allotted is 15 minutes more than
before.
However, a teacher who declined to be named wondered if it was
time to re—look the mode of PSLE assessment.
She told MediaCorp: "The syllabus is moving away from
knowledge—based to one that is creative ... but despite the shift,
the mode of evaluation has not changed."
She added that the level of difficulty could drive some parents
to put additional pressure on their children.
And some parents, it seems, are going to great lengths to ensure
their children are prepared.
A tutor told MediaCorp that she sends her nine—year—old son to
two separate tuition centres so he can learn about creative problem
solving as well as basic speed counting — all with an eye on the
PSLE exams to come.
"Of course, the teachers at his school do their best to cover
the bases but they only have so many hours in a day to do this ...
I just want to make sure he doesn’t get left behind and is well
prepared," said the 35—year—old.
— TODAY/so
