SINGAPORE: The Primary School Leaving Examination is kept at a “consistent standard of difficulty” over the years, with 15 per cent of questions classified as “challenging” each year, said the Ministry of Education’s director-general of education on Friday .
“In Singapore, the PSLE is kept at a consistent standard of difficulty across the years. This standard is maintained by capping the proportion of questions that are classified as 'challenging' at 15 per cent each year,” wrote Ms Liew in her post. A “small number” of questions allow stronger students to “demonstrate their mastery” of the subject, she continued.
The PSLE provides parents and teachers with a “snapshot of learning”, to find out where the child is in terms of learning, and what their strengths and weaknesses are, she wrote. “There is no bell curve, and no quotas imposed on the number of students for each AL band,” wrote Ms Liew.