National Exams PSLE Arrangements

 

National Exams are upon us.

GCE N levels have already started on 15 Sep. It will be followed by PSLE on 30 Sep and GCE O levels on 18 Oct and GCE A Levels on 8 Nov.

Given the current spike in COVID-19 and the increasing number of people affected by the issuance of LOA, AA, QO, there could be a significant number of students affected. MOH has just announced that there will be special arrangements for candidates on Quarantine Order and Approved Absence. Other than those confirmed COVID-10 cases and on Stay Home Notice, those on  QO, AA, LOA  and MC can now take the exams with the following conditions.

Quarantine Order Candidates

For PSLE candidates who may have to be accompanied to their exam venue, MOH has also approved a similar leave arrangement for an accompanying family member or caregiver should the latter be under quarantine. 

For those under QO, they must satisfy the following

• Have obtained a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) entry swab at the beginning of the QO;

• Have completed a self-swab with Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) kits at home and test Ag- within 24 hours before each of their examination papers;

• Travel arrangements to their examination venue must be by private transport (i.e. by private vehicle or by private hire transport) or on foot, and only between their place of residence and examination venue with no additional stops in between. Travel by public transport such as buses or MRT is not permitted;

• Inform their schools that they intend to take the specific paper in order for the school to prepare the examination venue arrangements for them.

The details including the application procedure and the expected timelines for processing such applicants have yet to be finalised. MOH will provide more details in due course.

For these candidates, there are also special arrangements made to separate them from the normal cohort. These areas follow

• Take their examinations in a separate classroom/hall from the rest of the school cohort;
• Be seated 3m apart in exam-style seating;
• Avoid mingling with the other candidates as they will be provided with designated entry/exit points, restrooms, etc;
• Start examinations 30 minutes after the scheduled start time for the rest of the school cohort; and
• Stagger their reporting time and venue.

Approved Absence Candidates

For candidates place on AA due to Health Risk Warning or MOH mandatory testing regime, they have to complete the following in order to take the exams

• Mandatory Entry PCR Test to be negative
• Self Swab with ART Test kits at home at regular intervals in compliance with MOH testing regime AND informing schools of the outcome before the exam until AA is rescinded.

For the full arrangement, refer to MOE links

Arrangement for National Candidates affected by COVID-19 ( Sep 26)

Updated arrangement for 2021 National Year End Written Exams( Aug 20)

For candidates who are unable to take partial or full exams

For those who had miss nation exams paper(s) with valid reasons (including COVID-19), they can apply for special consideration. Special consideration is a well-established procedure that awards candidates with projected grades through a fair and rigorous evidence-based methodology. It will take into account 

• Candidate's performance in other papers for the affected subject in the nation and school-based exams
• School cohort's performance in the nation and school based exams.

For candidates who miss full papers

Prelim exam results to rank position among peers in school cohort. This will be used to derive the candidates projected mark. It will also make reference to school cohorts performance in the PSLE

For candidates who miss one or more paper

Candidate performance in those papers of the subject had taken and school prelimary exam results will be taken into consideration.

Lastly, this is the latest list of cut off points using the new AL scoring system for Secondary Schools in 2021. Parents can use this for reference