VENDORS who illegally copy and sell past examination papers of top schools in the print or compact disc version are infringing on copyright and intellectual property regulations.

However, they do provide a service for students who are studying for tests and examinations.

Parents who want to see their child excel in the exams do not mind paying a premium for these materials, as they are seen as better than the test papers found in assessment books sold at book stores.

The parents reckon that if their child can handle the questions in the test papers from the top schools here, it means that he or she should be able to meet the standards of these schools.

Since the demand for such materials is so high, the Ministry of Education could perhaps consider stepping in to reprint or reproduce the materials for sale at a reasonable price.

This would be the same as selling past Primary School Leaving Examination papers, and the profits made could be used to assist needy students.

This would not only benefit students in terms of the sharing of quality examination questions from top schools, but it would also stop vendors from selling them illegally at high prices.

Mr Goh Kian Huat