BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Primary School Assessment (PSR) scheduled to take place on November 15 will be replaced by school-assessed marks as COVID-19 infections continue to spread.
The education minister YB Dato Hj Hamzah Hj Sulaiman made the announcement Saturday, saying they had re-evaluated plans to hold in-person exams in order to safeguard student and teacher safety.
A total of 6,151 Year Six students in government and private schools are scheduled to sit for the PSR exam this year.
It is a mandatory examination that certifies completion of primary education and is a requirement for students to enter lower-secondary. However, the exam is not compulsory for students with special needs.
With school-assessed marks, a grade will be assigned based on a portfolio of the student’s work completed during the academic year.
A portfolio must contain two types of the substantial work, such as:
- Assessments, tests, or exams using a complete set of past subject papers
- A combination of questions taken from past exam papers according to PSR format
- Mock exam papers
- Topical test papers
The selection of work included in a student’s portfolio is at the discretion of respective schools.
The education minister said the assessment will go through a quality assurance process to ensure that it is implemented fairly.
As the government battles to contain the current outbreak, the Ministry of Education has moved to cancel year-end exams, and introduce alternative assessment methods for IGCSE, O and A Levels.