O-level exams begin one week earlier this year

O-level exams begin one week earlier this year
Move is to pave the way for a single JC intake.

May 08, 2007

AsiaOne

This year's O-level examinations will be brought forward by one week to Oct 22 so that results can be released earlier next year.

The change is one of the moves to pave the way for a single junior college (JC) intake in late-January 2009.

There are currently two intakes a year - one in January, based on preliminary examinations results, and one in March, based on O-level results. The current system means schools have to re-teach subjects for students who enter JCs in the second intake and help them catch up with those who enter earlier.

Results for this year's O-level exams will be released earlier next year in late-January instead of mid-February, as is the case now.

To do this, other changes include dispatching exam scripts to the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in Britain within three days of each paper, instead of five, The Straits Times reported today.

Also, the Syndicate will have more markers so the marking period can be shortened "without compromising accuracy", said the chief executive of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board, Mr Tan Yap Kwang. Subjects that require more marking time, like those with essays, will be scheduled for earlier dates while multiple-choice papers will be held later as the latter are machine-marked.

The examination period will stay at about three weeks. Also, the number of papers students have to sit for in a week remains comparable to that of previous years, assured Mr Tan.

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