PUTRAJAYA: The overall achievement of students for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2011 examinations was the best recorded in five years.

“The overall SPM achievement for 2011 improved from the year before, with the National Average Grade at 5.04 compared with 5.19 in 2010.

“This is indicative of an upward trend of the National Average Grade from 2007 to 2011,” said Education director-general Datuk Seri Abd Ghafar Mahmud when releasing the 2011 SPM results analysis at the Education Ministry yesterday.

Upward trend: Abd Ghafar with the 2011 SPM results analysis at the Education Ministry in Putrajaya Wednesday.

A total of 559 (0.12%) of 468,808 students scored straight A+ compared to 363 (0.08%) straight A+ scorers in 2010.

Of the top scorers, 506 candidates were from national schools while 53 were from other schools or private candidates.

Abd Ghafar said candidates from urban schools performed well ahead of their rural counterparts in five core subjects, namely English, History, Mathematics, Islamic Studies and Moral Studies.

“However, the rural candidates achieved better results in Science compared to the urban students,” he said.

This is the third year the ministry has used the new grading system with students graded according to A+, A, A-, B+, B, C+, C, D, E and G compared with previously where the grades were from 1A to 9G.

The lower the National Average Grade is, the better the performance of students.

Abd Ghafar added that overall school performance was calculated using the Average School Grade, where schools are divided into four categories excellent, good, satisfactory and less satisfactory but with potential.

“The overall achievement of schools also improved, as the number of schools in the excellent' and good' categories increased by 13 and 60 schools respectively,” he said.

Of the 2,208 secondary schools in Malaysia, 80 are considered excellent, 400 are good, 1,679 are satisfactory and 49 are less satisfactory but with potential.

The maximum number of subjects that students are allowed to take for SPM is capped at 12 - the six core subjects are Bahasa Melayu, English, Islamic Education or Moral Studies, History, Mathematics and Science and the rest elective subjects.

Abd Ghafar added that nine new subjects were offered in the 2011 SPM Kadazandusun, Music, Visual Arts, Fine Art, Dance, Theatre, Design, Tourism and Recreation, as well as Tourism Studies.

Seven students with special needs, three with low vision, two visually impaired, one hearing impaired and another with several disabilities obtained A's in all subjects, he added.

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