MR TAN Sze-Tong questioned the rationale behind his daughter having to sit for open-book exams in Social Education, Music and Art in her Primary 1 year-end examinations, and suggested that the school replace them with continual assessment in his letter, 'Why so many exams in Primary 1?' (Oct 28).

All Primary 1 students sit for year-end examinations in three core subjects namely, English, Mother Tongue Language and Mathematics. Some schools, however, might choose to assess their pupils in other areas so as to obtain a holistic understanding of their students' strengths and development needs.

Assessment is an integral part of a child's learning process as it provides feedback to the teacher, the child and parents on the child's performance and level of understanding. Schools decide on the type and frequency of assessments for their students, taking into consideration the learning needs and abilities of the students.

Mr Tan raised the concern of heavy reliance on examinations to assess students. We would like to explain that there are many forms of assessment and these are also meant for various purposes. For example, assessment could be for developmental purposes, to help teachers to plan and pace their lessons accordingly. Schools generally employ both formal and informal modes of assessment, which are integral aspects of teaching and learning.

We thank Mr Tan for his feedback and hope his discussion with the school will provide a clearer picture of the assessment framework and how his child can be helped to enjoy school and learning. We would also like to encourage parents to continue to provide feedback to schools, and work with them to provide a better school experience for our children.

Wong Siew Hoong
Director, Schools
Ministry of Education

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 5 Nov, 2008.