PSLE Grades of Students Affected by Special Circumstances due to COVID-19 Situation

Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of students who either could not take the 2021 Primary School Leaving Exams (PSLE) or had to take their PSLE in special circumstances due to the COVID-19 situation; and (b) how does the Ministry ensure that the grades allocated to students who could not take their exams is a fair and appropriate one.

Thirty-nine thousand, two hundred and eighty-one students registered for the 2021 PSLE written examinations that were held from 30 September 2021 to 6 October 2021. The overall attendance rate was 99.5%. About 430 (1.1%) students missed at least one paper due to COVID-19 related reasons.

About 840 (2.1%) students who were on Quarantine Orders (QO) sat for the examinations under special arrangement as they had tested negative for COVID-19 in accordance with MOH’s requirements. Of these, about 690 students (about 82%) managed to sit for all written papers.

Similar to previous years, students who miss any national examination paper(s) with valid reasons (including COVID-19, medical leave or compassionate reasons) can apply for special consideration. Special consideration is a well-established procedure, used by many international examination boards, which awards students with projected grades through a fair and rigorous evidence-based methodology. In awarding a grade for these affected students, SEAB will consider multiple sources of data, such as the student’s performance in the other papers for that affected subject in national and school-based examinations as well as the school cohort's performance in national and school-based examinations, to ensure a fair assessment for all students. All special consideration applications are assessed on each case’s merit, to ensure that the grades awarded are as accurate and fair as possible.