New

 The Maiden Attempt

 The exam season is on again. 

Teachers are trained for times like these; invigilation and marking.

Today something new was introduced in the History paper; an open book test.

 The latest stipulation is that everyone must pass the paper to qualify for a full certificate in the SPM public exam. History has been given the same status as the Bahasa Melayu paper and made mandatory to pass.

Added to this is another new feature in paper 3; an open book test.

 Students are allowed to bring in own reading materials such as text book, revision book, magazines or any other notes relevant to the paper.

It is indeed a major change from the norm though it may be common in higher learning institutions.

 I remember sitting for a couple of papers in the university and I personally think it is a challenge to be able to discern the right material for the question. Skill is needed to pick right facts . In most cases,an  open book test has questions of the higher order category  and you need to be trained for such attempts.

 No wonder the students for once did not seem to be able to finish on time and did the teachers a favour by not passing up early. They were occupied through the 3 hours without quitting ! It was a refreshing change.

 When I asked the History chief about the students' responses, she told me that she has yet to make a conclusion. The students are definitely new to this form of assessment and let's hope that it will help them pass. Or is it going to prove otherwise?

History; dreaded by many but has been made ,mandatory to pass.

May the best be with them.