Thursday March 8, 2012

98% prefer English when writing answers

Reports by KANG SOON CHEN, FARIK ZOLKEPLI, HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH, AMINUDDIN MOHSIN, JOSEPHINE JALLEH and MOHD FARHAAN SHAH

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 98% of the candidates who took the Science, Mathematics and Computing subjects in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination last year answered in English.

Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC) chairman Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Noh Dalimin said there was a 1% increase of those choosing to answer the questions in English compared to 97.1% in 2010 and 97.5% in 2009.

“Although Mathematics S, Mathematics T, Further Mathematics T, Computing, Physics, Chemistry and Biology are taught in English in Form Six, candidates are offered the option of answering either in English or Bahasa Malaysia,” he said when announcing the analysis of the STPM 2011 results yesterday.

Best of the best: Prof Mohd Noh (4th from left) chatting with the recepients of the STPM outstanding student awards as they showed off their mock cheques.

Prof Mohd Noh, who is the vice-chancellor of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, said the number of candidates who obtained 5A's had increased to 12 compared to eight.

The 5A's scorers were Low Wei Yang (SMK Horley Methodist, Teluk Intan), Teoh Han Kheng, (SMJK Chung Ling, George Town), Mohamad Shahrullnizam Mahamud (SMK Sultan Abd Jalil Shah, Perak), Woon Soon Kit , Gan Wooi Lun (both from SMK Sam Tet, Ipoh), Muhammad Zulhilmi Mohd Salleh (SMK Kota, Kota Baru), Nurul Shazwani Kamarudin Darus (SMK Tengku Panglima Raja, Pasir Mas), Lim May Teng, Eric Khong Mun Kit (both from SMK (L) Methodist, Kuala Lumpur), Malarvili Subramaniam (SMK Ambrose, Ayer Tawar), Lee Jia Chern (SMK Jitra, Kubang Pasu) and Teng Lik Sien (SMK Tendong, Pasir Mas).

Of the total, he said five scored A's in all papers taken, adding that they were given the best student awards for STPM 2011.

Prof Mohd Noh said that although candidates were allowed to take five subjects, most took four subjects, as the Higher Education Ministry's requirement for entry into public universities was four subjects, including the General Paper.

He said 298 candidates obtained a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0 compared with 343 in 2010, adding that 53,687 registered for it last year.

Prof Dr Mohd Noh announced that the STPM examination assessment mode would be changed from this year.

Lower Six students now will sit for a semester examination in November, followed by two semester examinations in June and November next year.

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