Singaporean GCE 'O' Level
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The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) Examination is an annual examination given in Singapore. The examination is set by the University of Cambridge in collaboration with the Singapore's Ministry of Education.
The examination is taken by students at the end of their fourth year in secondary school, typically at age 16. The system is comparable to the United Kingdom's GCSE test, which is also usually given to 16-year-olds. The two examinations differ in the manner of questioning. The United Kingdom used O' Level (O' Grades in Scotland) exams until ten years ago, when they were replaced by GCSE exams. Whether the GCSE is an improvement over its predecessor is a topic of debate.[1]
For many students, obtaining a good result on their 'O' level certificate is considered exceptionally important. They, and their parents, believe that it may determine a student's future. As a result, this examination is taken very seriously by many students.
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[edit] Syllabus
Singapore's Ministry of Education determines the examination syllabus and the standard of difficulty. The test questions are created by the examiners at Cambridge, with the exception of the "Mother Tongue" subject. After the examination, the completed papers are sent to Cambridge for marking by British teachers and subsequently sent back to Singapore.
[edit] Grades
A grade in one GCE exam subject is a number with an accompanying letter. In descending order, the grades are: A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8, and F9. The grades of all subjects taken are added to give the total score named "L1R5" (one language subject and 5 relevant subjects).
Junior Colleges accept students by their L1R5 grades, while polytechnics may impose specific requirements—certain subjects must be taken, and certain minimum grades must be obtained to demonstrate basic competency for some courses. For example, a student who wishes for a place in a Mass Communications department must obtain an "A2" grade for English, in addition to their L1R5 grades.
[edit] Special and Express Students
All Special and Express students are required to take a minimum of six subjects, and a maximum of nine. Students who wish to take ten subjects, must obtain permission from the Ministry of Education. All Special and Express students must take the following subjects:
- English language
- Mother tongue
- A Second language or literature for foreign students in lieu of mother tongue.
- A Humanities subject (i.e. literature, geography, history)
- A Science subject
- Mathematics
- The Combined humanities, which comprises Social Studies, A history, geography or literature elective.
The Social Studies is used as an implicit study of National Education.
[edit] Normal (Academic) Students
Normal (Academic) students take four to seven subjects including:
- English language
- Mother Tongue or a second language
- A Humanities subject
- Mathematics
[edit] References
- ^ "Ten years of the GCSE", BBC News, 1998-08-26. Retrieved on December 27, 2006.
[edit] See also
- Integrated Programme
- General Certificate of Secondary Education
- General Certificate of Education
- International General Certificate of Secondary Education
