In Singapore, over 700 pupils taking PSLE oral exams experience technical lag
August 21, 2023
Original Article: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/technical-issues-delay-about-700-pupils-taking-psle-mother-tongue-language-oral-exams
About 700 pupils ended their PSLE mother tongue language (MTL) oral exams on Tuesday later than scheduled after some examiners experienced a lag when logging into the online examination system.
When contacted, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said about 17,800 students sat the MTL oral exams on Tuesday, and the lag delayed the ending time of about 4 per cent – or 712 – of the candidates.
The issue was resolved at 9am, SEAB said, adding that the Primary School Leaving Examination English oral exam was not affected.
The MTL oral exams are conducted on Aug 15 and Aug 16, with two sessions per day that begin at 8am and 11am.
To reduce the impact of the delay, SEAB said it deployed more oral examiners to schools with a larger number of pupils. The usual rest breaks were provided for oral examiners, and schools also gave refreshments to the pupils.
“SEAB will work with schools to ensure that this situation is taken into consideration during the assessment of affected pupils’ PSLE MTL oral examinations,” a spokesman added.
A parent, who did not wish to be named, told The Straits Times that his son, a pupil at an established school in the east, was affected by the delay.