Training Examiners on Criteria to Use When Making Decisions During National Examinations in Schools
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Joan Pereira’s inquiry into whether national examination personnel are trained on objective criteria for decision-making and the conditions under which subjective criteria may be used. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing replied that personnel are briefed on standard operating procedures for scenarios like train disruptions or audio issues, with complicated cases referred to the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. He highlighted that specific protocols allow for replaying audio tracks during Listening examinations due to environmental noise or technical malfunctions to ensure candidate fairness. In the 2024 GCE O-level English Language Listening examination, five out of 140 centres invoked these protocols to replay tracks in certain classrooms. The Minister clarified that such replays are conducted according to the examination format after all initial tracks have been played.
Transcript
18 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Education in respect of national examinations which are conducted in schools (a) whether examiners are trained on the quantitative and objective criteria to make decisions during the examinations, such as considering a request to replay the audio tracks for a listening comprehension examination; and (b) under what conditions are examination personnel permitted to make decisions based on subjective criteria.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Prior to the conduct of the national examinations, examination personnel are briefed on the standard operating procedures relating to the preparation and conduct of the examinations, including procedures to deal with various scenarios, such as late arrival of candidates due to train disruptions and unclear audio broadcast during the Listening examinations.
In complicated or unusual situations, examination personnel will consult the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) on the measures to be taken. This is to ensure that the examinations are conducted fairly for all candidates.
For Listening examinations, SEAB has put in protocols to handle disruptions, such as environmental noise from movement of heavy vehicles, flypasts or muffled playback from the speakers. For such disruptions, the examination personnel are allowed to replay the affected tracks to ensure fair assessment for affected students.
In the recent incident from the 2024 GCE O-level English Language Listening examination, five centres out of 140 examination centres reported having to replay part of the audio tracks in one to two of their classrooms, due to environmental noise or muffled playback from the speakers. The assessment format required tracks 2 to 6 to be played twice. Therefore, in the case of a replay, the affected tracks would be replayed after all tracks have been played and according to the examination format.