The Impacts of Removing Mid-Year Exams in Singapore Schools

Over the last few years, the Ministry of Singapore has gradually been reducing the number of graded exams students have to take in school. The latest announcement will see mid-year examinations being removed for students in junior colleges (JCs) and Millenia Institute (MI) from 2024 onwards. These are part of efforts to reduce the emphasis on grades, thereby reducing the academic pressure on students, as well as embracing more holistic approaches to learning.

While we are glad that Singapore is taking steps to reduce academic pressure and stress on our young students, we also can’t help but think of the impacts that removing exams will have. After all, being competitive and academically-focused is a big part of the Singaporean ‘kiasu’ attitude, and the demand for classes like Secondary Combined Science Tuition and IP Math Tuition continues to ride high.

Will Singapore students become too ‘slack’ with fewer exams to study for? Will Singapore’s education standards drop as a result of the reduced academic rigour? Will Singaporeans finally learn how to learn for the sake of learning, rather than for the exams? We don’t have all the answers, but we can explore some of these expected effects – some of which are already happening. 

There are fewer opportunities to track students’ learning

As the Singapore education still uses a very much grades-and-assessments-based approach to evaluating students’ progress, the removal of key examinations means that students get fewer data points to track their learning.

For example, if you got a C for math at the mid-year examination, you would at least know and try to work harder to get an A at the end of year. Now, you wouldn’t even have a sense of your standard until the end-of-year exams, and you may get a shock to get a C at your first exam of the year.

But wouldn’t teachers be able to give feedback and report on the students’ progress as the year progresses? In an ideal scenario, teachers would be able to. But in reality, most teachers simply do not have the time and breadth of attention to make a detailed report for each and every student they teach.

Possible solution: As a tuition provider in Singapore, Future Academy supports students by providing topical, termly, and semestral reviews to help them keep on track with their learning. The small class sizes enable tutors to observe students individually and provide timely feedback which can help students improve – before the final examination in school. As part of our value-added service, we also provide regular progress updates to students’ parents so that we can endeavour towards a partnership approach to support students in their learning at home and in school.

More varied learning activities

Without the mid-year exams, there is a bit more curriculum time freed up for students. The intention is to siphon more time to self-directed learning and activities to ‘develop 21^st century competencies’, which include skills like critical thinking, global awareness, communication, and information skills.

As a result, students may get to do more varied learning activities, which often manifests in a form of ‘project’ for students. Some of these could be fun for students, as they get to try new things, learn in different ways, and explore things in their own time. However, some of these projects can be very time-consuming, and can result in confusion or wasted time without the proper guidance from their teachers.

In the worst case scenarios, students may end up not grasping the material they need for their exams, or have no time to study for them.

Possible solution: Our three tuition centres in Singapore provide tuition classes to supplement your learning activities in school. Through interactive lessons with expert tutors, students will go through a checklist of content, concepts, and skills that they need to know for their exams. Students are also free to ask their tutors questions to clarify their doubts.

Students may put in less effort

As former school teachers, we know how students are. One of their favourite questions to ask is: “Is this graded?” – which implicitly tells us that they will treat graded and ungraded assignments with a different level of dedication and effort.

Now that there is no mid-year exams, there will be one less motivator to drive students to do their best, especially in the first half of the year. For sure, the ideal situation would be that students put in their utmost effort for every task they are given. But that is hardly ever true in reality.

Possible solution: This is a tough one that ultimately boils down to a change in attitudes. As a society, if we continue to view equate education to grades, our children will only put in effort for what gives them the grades. Instead, if we – parents and educators – truly believe that education goes beyond the grades, then our children will understand that they should be doing their best and learning through all kinds of activities – not just the graded ones.

At Future Academy, we strive to be not just a results-driven tuition centre. Our tutors are truly passionate about the subjects they teach, and use engaging methods to nurture a love for the subject in our students. We hope that these will inspire students to appreciate what they learn, and develop a healthy attitude towards lifelong-learning.

Conclusion

There is no perfect solution for reducing stress or the emphasis on grades in Singapore schools, but it is a good thing that MOE is at least trying. It takes a fundamental shift in perspective of not just students but also educators and parents. On a broader level, the meritocratic narrative in our society also needs to be tweaked, if we want this to work.

But meanwhile, for students and parents stuck in this transition phase, we are here to support you. You CAN do well in school and get good grades without stressing excessively over it – as long as you have the right approach and support. If you are looking for quality IP Chemistry Tuition or JC Physics Tuition to support your learning, contact us today to find out more.