18th December 2007

PSLE Results.

This years PSLE results will be news for sometime. An eye-catching score of 294, a record beaten after 17 years and an emotional storyline that touched many hearts.

It is Natasha Nabila, a bright avid reader from St Hilda’s Primary who not only did extremely well for her PSLE, but did so while overcoming the loss of her grandfather. Before he passed away, Natasha’s grandfather had even given her a prayer to say before each of her exam.

Along with Natasha, 15 other students scored 286 or higher. While Natasha was surprised at doing well in her Science paper which she found hard, many other students were shocked when they received their maths paper. This year’s PSLE mathematics paper had caused a stir among parents and the Examinations Board. Many students found the maths paper difficult but things were not so gloomy on the results collection day. Some students even aced the paper.

Said Nirmal, a student from Huamin Primary School, “I was very scared during and after my paper. I didn’t dare tell my parents how I felt. On the day of results collection, I was thinking how I was going to explain to them about my maths paper. I was shocked and then happy when I received my results because I expected to get C but I got an A.”

The PSLE, is a compulsory examination that has to be taken by all primary school students at the end of their sixth year of education. This examination tests the English language, Mathematics, Science and Mother-Tongue. It’s also to test their abilities for a place in a secondary school to assess their admittance in the Special, Express or Normal stream. Applications have been sent in and despite the new internet system implementation, some parents still took the conventional way of filling up the hard copy and handing it to the school. One parent, Nikki Zheng, had differing thoughts- “ I think the implementation of the internet system was due. The filling up of school names and other details is really, a no-brainer. Unless, you have queries that can only be answered by the school or teachers, I think the Internet saves time.”

Many foreign students, from countries like China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc sit for the PSLE too. It’s a step some foreign parents take as they believe strongly in the Singapore Education system. The PSLE can be taken as an international test for students who are interested to pursue secondary and further education in Singapore. Most recently, the International Primary School Leaving Examination or iPSLE, was authorized to be administered in Vietnam. Along with Indonesian students, Vietnemese students who sit for the iPSLE can not only apply for schools in Singapore but all over the world because of the recognition of the examination worldwide.

The iPSLE will consist of the English language, Mathematics, Science and the three common language tests: Chinese, Tamil or Malay.

You can get detailed information of the iPSLE at http://www.seab.gov.sg.