Sharing on PSLE Scoring@ Curriculum Forum Day 2018

Dr Lau Hock Soon

Vice-Principal

3 February 2018

Meridian Primary School

Objective of Sharing

To explain:

how the PSLE Aggregate Score is computed

the process for posting to Secondary 1

What does the PSLE Aggregate Score (e.g. ‘score of 231’) mean?

Three common questions

What does this number

mean?

Is this the sum of all 4

subjects?

Is it a raw score?

PSLE - a placement examination

• need to reflect the relative achievement

level of students among their peers.

• places students into different courses

according to their academic ability

• enables posting to secondary schools by

merit and as far as possible into a school

of their choice

The PSLE Aggregate Score

• incorporates performance of students

in all 4 subjects

• allows students to be ranked fairly

nation-wide

• the raw mark obtained in exam only

shows how good the student is in that

subject, not how good he is compared

to others

• the need to consider the spread of

subject scores from the average mark,

i.e. the standard deviation.

Why raw scores cannot be used?

Spread of Subject Scores

Narrow Wide

What is T-Score ?

• T-Score converts average mark of each subject

to a common score of 50 points

• converts other marks, taking into consideration

the extent to which they differ from the average

and the spread of the marks around the average

• shows the relative position of a student’s

performance compared to the performances of

all the other students in that subject

How is Aggregate Score calculated ?

By adding the T-Scores of 4 subjects e.g.

Subject Total Mark T-Score

English 200 105 34

Mother Tongue 200 152 51

Mathematics 100 67 53

Science 100 58 47

PSLE Aggregate 185

T-Scores and Grades

Is it possible for a pupil with 3

‘A*’ and 1 ‘A’ to be ranked lower

than another pupil who has only

1 ‘A*’ and 3 ‘A’?

Subjects

3 A* & 1A (‘Jay’) 1A* & 3A (‘Ben’)

Raw Mark

(Grade)T-Score

Raw Mark

(Grade)T-Score

EL 182 (A) 60 190 (A*) 68

MT 185 (A*) 70 180 (A) 68

MA 91 (A*) 60 80 (A) 58

SC 92 (A*) 56 86 (A) 55

T-Score 246 249

T-Score and Grades (Example)

Subjects

‘Mary’ ‘Nancy’

Raw Mark

(Grade)T-Score

Raw Mark

(Grade)T-Score

EL 182 (A) 60 148 (B) 58

MT 185 (A*) 70 183 (A*) 66

MA 91 (A*) 60 70 (B) 56

SC 92 (A*) 56 71 (B) 57

HMT Not Offered Distinction 3

T-Score 246 240

COP of School X for the year: 242

T-Score and Grades (with HCL)

Secondary 1 Posting

• Guide: ‘Choosing Your Secondary Schools’

• Cut-off Point (COP) – To be used as a guide

Not determined by the school, but by the last

students getting into the school for that stream

in that year

Example: 2015 (COP of 230). In 2016, COP

may not necessarily remain at 230

Secondary 1 Posting - by Merit

Eric 230 first choice School A

Jane 230 first choice School A

Mary 229 first choice School A,

second choice School C

School

A

98School

B

76

School

C

90

School

D

96

Eric

JaneSo, the COP for School A for 2017

is 230Mary

Assuming

there are 100

places for

Sec 1 in

each school