Junior colleges will no longer share detailed academic results with their A-level cohorts
This decision to stop sharing grades-related A-level data is part of a shift towards focusing on students' holistic development, said school leaders. PHOTO: NANYANG JUNIOR COLLEGE
SINGAPORE – From 2025, junior colleges (JCs) will no longer reveal to students how their cohorts fared in the A-level examination.
This joint decision by the principals of all 17 JCs and Millennia Institute offering the A levels is meant to support the education system's move to reduce over-emphasis on grades, and focus on students' holistic development, said Mr Aaron Loh, principal of Raffles Institution, in an e-mail reply in response to queries.
This means that students who collected their A-level exam results on Feb 21 were not shown any grades-related data during their school briefings, such as the percentage of distinctions by subject or the number of students with at least three H2 distinctions.
In previous years, schools would share how the cohort performed across different subjects, as well as the number of top scorers, or put up such information on their websites.
This move comes after the International Baccalaureate (IB) stopped releasing data from May 2023 on the number of IB students with perfect scores of 45.
The Switzerland-based IB organisation had said in 2024 that this was to discourage the use of assessment results for comparisons among students, schools or communities.
Mr Loh said that over the years, schools here have already cut down on the data from detailed results that is shared with students, parents and the public.
Mr Pang Choon How, principal of Nanyang Junior College, said the school values the holistic growth of students.PHOTO: NANYANG JUNIOR COLLEGE
In moving further away from sharing numbers altogether, Mr Loh said: "This is to signal that we value our students' holistic development rather than any one-dimensional measure of achievement, and that we want to celebrate their journey as individuals and as a graduating cohort."
In a written response to queries from ST, Mr Pang Choon How, principal of Nanyang Junior College, said that instead of sharing performance-related data with students during the briefing prior to the collection of the A-level results, the school will share "cohort-wide experiences and how they have grown and contributed collectively in holistic domains that the college is proud of".
In doing so, Mr Pang said the school aims to show that it values the holistic growth of students.
"In addition to congratulating students for their hard work and achievements, we will be highlighting some of the distinctive stories depicting resilience, service to the community and the grit to overcome challenging circumstances," he said.
A total of 10,889 candidates sat the 2024 A-level examination and received their results on Feb 21.
Of the cohort, 10,255, or 94.2 per cent, attained at least 3 H2 passes, with a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry.
In a statement, the Education Ministry said this is comparable to the performance of A-level candidates in previous years.
Mr Aaron Loh, principal of Raffles Institution, said schools have cut down on the detailed data they share with students and parents.PHOTO: RAFFLES INSTITUTION
Ms Danelle Kaylee Bacomo, 18, who collected her results at National Junior College, said she supports the move to hold back grade-related statistics as there is less pressure to compare herself with her peers.
"I will be more stressed out waiting to see my name appear on the screen as one of the students who did well, even if I didn't expect it. Plus it's natural to wonder if you're part of that percentage who got a distinction for a particular subject," she said.
Besides, if she is curious about her friends' grades, she could just approach them to ask how they did, she added.
Others like Mr Kayden See, 18, who collected his A-level results at Eunoia Junior College, said he is disappointed that he will not know how his school performed in the exam and how it fared against other schools.
"Students are usually interested in the median scores and how many scored 90 RP (rank points). This information can either give you affirmation that you have done well, or provide you with the motivation you need to improve," he said, adding that withholding such information will not aid in holistic development.
Rank point is the grading system for A-level students, ranging from 0 to 90.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in an Instagram post on Feb 21 that he was encouraged to know that all JC principals had come together to focus on holistic development, instead of publishing statistics on the A-level results.
"This sends a clear signal about how our schools value a student's overall growth, rather than just narrow, static definitions of success," said Mr Chan.
- Elisha Tushara is a correspondent at The Straits Times, specialising in Singapore's education landscape.
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