SEAB says PSLE Chinese Paper was fair to pupils SINGAPORE: The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said it has in place a process to ensure all examination questions are carefully set and vetted — so that they are fair to all candidates.
The board’s comment followed feedback that the recent PSLE Chinese examination paper contained a comprehension passage that was familiar to some students.
Some parents told online forums that the passage had previously appeared in an assessment paper with minor changes. They said it was unfair as students who had done the passage before would get more marks.
The board said questions are set by experienced and reliable examiners. The questions are then moderated through several rounds by specialists from SEAB and the Ministry of Education.
Papers are also trialled to ensure they are fair and to determine the level of difficulty.
The board said that although the setter had drawn reference from an external source, the passage is not a reproduction. It added the content and language in the passage had been substantially modified to be aligned to the assessment objective.
Comprehension questions set on the passage were not taken from any source. The board assured parents that pupils who had seen the other passage would not have been unfairly advantaged over those who did not.
This is the second time this year’s PSLE examinations are coming under the spotlight. Earlier, the PSLE Mathematics paper drew criticism for being too tough.
— CNA/sc
