25 October 2016
More than 70 students from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School and Woodgrove Secondary School sat for the incorrect GCE ‘O’ level mathematics paper last week due to a mix-up. Both schools had indicated the wrong syllabus code during the registration process in the early part of the year – registering students for the new math syllabus when it should have been the old one.
The mathematics exam comprises of two separate papers. Though students had sat for the wrong Paper 1, they were able to take the correct Paper 2 the next day.
Though the topics in both syllabi are largely similar, students found a few questions unfamiliar.
The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board is currently working with the schools and the University of Cambridge International Examinations to ensure that candidates will be fairly assessed. They will not be required to resit Paper 1, but instead will have school continual assessments as well as the cohort’s performance taken into consideration as well.