THE Ministry of Education (MOE) is sticking to its guns over the way marks are awarded for Project Work, an A-level subject mired in controversy.

To parents and students concerned about the disparate grades awarded as a result of the subject being marked internally by junior college teachers, an MOE spokesman made it clear that these teachers follow marking guidelines common to the schools.

'As the subject has stood up to rigorous consistency, there are currently no plans for any change to it,' she said.

It was the number of As awarded - and not awarded - that upset parents and students when results were released two weeks ago.

At Temasek Junior College, for instance, 87 per cent of the students earned distinctions, a giant leap from 7 per cent last year. Yishun Junior College had a similarly disparate number of distinctions year-on-year.

There was also a big difference in the number of As scored across junior colleges: Serangoon Junior College handed out distinctions to only 7 per cent of its students, against Hwa Chong Institution's 98 per cent.

The outcry arises out of the subject making up 10 per cent of local universities' admission criteria. Parents, worried the difference in grading standards could hurt their children's chances of entering university, are taking issue with the subject being marked and moderated internally by each school's own teachers before external moderation.

Mr Ong Soon Yam, 57, a sales manager with a son in a junior college, wrote to The Straits Times saying: 'Where is the impartiality? A JC could be having fewer As because it has high standards and is strict in marking. It distorts the real competency and ability of students.'

He wanted to know how MOE was going to ensure that the assessment reflected a student's real competency.

The Straits Times received more than 15 letters and calls from parents, teachers and students on the issue; other disgruntled students have been venting their frustrations in blogs and online forums.

They suggest omitting the subject for university admission or letting teachers from other schools grade the projects.

Project Work, introduced five years ago, involves putting together a written report and a project file and doing an oral presentation on one of two broad topics given by MOE. Last year's topics were 'Groundbreakers' and 'Entertainment'.

Students work in teams of four or five for the project. Individual reports that make up the project file are done through the year; the written report and presentation are due at the year end.

Moderation takes place at two levels - within each school by the school's moderator, and by an external panel.

Raffles Junior College student Wong Xin Ying, 17, who scored an A for the subject, pointed out that some schools get students to polish drafts of their reports till they become worthy of As, while others leave it up to the students.

The MOE spokesman said Project Work builds oral presentation skills and teamwork, which 'greatly enrich and diversify the A-level curriculum'.

She further noted that the quality of projects has improved over the years, with schools sharing best practices.

'MOE has also been active in offering assistance in terms of customised training sessions. Schools have also encouraged students to be more creative and thoughtful in their choice of topics to pursue,' she added.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Apr 25, 2008.