why SEAB- ling

Issue No 02
September 2005
why
SEAB-ling?
After the first issue of SEAB-ling was disseminated, we received many questions on the
name of the newsletter. ‘Why SEAB-ling?’ was the question that many asked. In SEAB, we call
ourselves SEABlings, playing on the similar-sounding word siblings.
EDITOR’S NOTE
But, why SEAB-ling as a name for the newsletter? This is where this note comes in relevant,
not just for our school readers, but also for our very own SEABlings.
Many would not know that the word ling refers to ‘a low-growing Eurasian shrub (Calluna
vulgaris) growing in dense masses and having small evergreen leaves and clusters of small,
bell-shaped pinkish-purple flowers.’ A more common word that is synonymous with ling
would be heather. Also, ling sounds like link, therefore the reason for the name is really this:
We wish our newsletter to be like the ‘link’ (ling), serving as an evergreen interface between
SEAB and our readers or partners, providing the messages in a friendly manner.
Of course, the notion of ‘being together, in a family’ that comes with the similar-sounding
word sibling is also an intention behind this choice of name, for that is the way we see you,
our readers and partners - we are a family! It is our desire that this issue and subsequent
issues of the newsletter will serve as a point of connection between SEAB and you.
In this second issue, we have provided a write-up on ‘How to Prepare a Conducive
Environment for Examinations’. Also, for those interested in the training and
consultancy services we provide, there is a brief write-up on the various training sessions
conducted this year. How SEAB celebrated the recent National Day is also featured. Last but
not least, on the back of the newsletter, the calendar of events from September to December is
presented for easy reference.
We trust you will enjoy reading this issue and we look forward to receiving more comments
and feedback from you.
The SEAB-ling Editorial Team
we Value your
Views
We invite SEAB-ling readers to give us your feedback on this issue. Let us know how to make Seab-ling a publication truly worth reading.
Please write in to: SEAB_Seabling@seab.gov.sg
EDITORIAL TEAM: Connie Tay, Premalatha d/o Parasuraman, Gerard James Ortega, Louis Woon Tien Kim
ADVISORS: Raymond Lim, Toh Poh Guan, Tan Eng Hong
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How To Prepare a
CONDUCIVE Environment for Examinations
“
Whenever I chance upon articles on examinations,
these are usually about how candidates can effectively
prepare for an examination. This article approaches
the subject of examinations from a different and
hopefully more interesting angle, and shifts the focus
to the examination environment.
In thinking about creating a conducive
environment for the conduct of examinations, what comes foremost to mind
is the physical set-up of the examination
centre. Needless to say, this is of paramount importance if the examinations
are to be administered both fairly and
comfortably enough. Yet, our examination personnel also play a vital role, and
to draw a tongue-in-cheek comparison,
they are to the examination environment very much like jungle creatures are
to the jungle, namely part of the same
sacred space in which both work together
indispensably.
Having acknowledged this, let’s now
approach this article with a broader
understanding of what constitutes the
examination setting. Of course, certain
principles are mainstays, particularly if
playing around with them badly affects
the integrity of the examination. The
latter is something any credible
examination board and education system
cannot afford.
Some things that fall
under this category include the actual
physical set-up of the examination centre,
integrity of the examination personnel,
accuracy in the administration of the
examination, professionalism of the
examination personnel and so forth. We
will expound on these points, where
possible, as we go along.
THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL SET-UP OF THE
EXAMINATION CENTRE
As the physical structure of one school is
different from the next, we prefer not to
”
prescribe how exactly an examination
centre should be set up. Rather, we leave
this to the discretion of the Chief Presiding Examiner (CPE) and Presiding Examiner (PE), both of whom will hold a preexamination meeting with the Principal of
the school to discuss how best to arrange
the examination centre set-up.
There is a host of important points to
note regarding the physical set-up of the
examination centre, and these points are
usually made known in detail to the CPEs
and PEs before the examination period.
To give you a flavour of the details, let us
just mention that the CPE and PE should
ensure that the examination centre has a
secure cabinet for storing answer scripts
and that the desks in the examination
centre are arranged in a way that the
centre of each desk is at least 1.2m apart
from the centres of the adjacent desks.
Given that we rather this article not turn
into a manual for the conduct of examinations, especially since there are standard
publications that go into detail on this
topic, let us now turn to other aspects of
conducting examinations.
Before ending off this section, we wish
to remind CPEs and PEs of the need to
ensure that the actual physical set-up of the
examination centre facilitates the examinations without allowing for any possible
breach in examination confidentiality or
cheating.
INTEGRITY OF EXAMINATION
PERSONNEL
In a nutshell, CPEs, PEs, invigilators, and
all other parties involved in the conduct of
the examination should work together to
ensure that there is fairness in the examinations and that candidates are not given
an advantage through dishonest means.
Related to this, examination personnel
should not prompt individual candidates
to check their written answers, as this can
be misinterpreted as giving unfair special
assistance to selected candidates. If such
advice is to be given, it should be done
as a general announcement so that all
candidates will be informed.
Besides this, examination personnel are
reminded that they should not make
remarks or comments which can
demoralise the candidates.
Since examinations cannot be successfully conducted without examination
personnel, we remind examination
personnel of the need to be fair to all
candidates so that no candidate has an
advantage or is disadvantaged.
ACCURACY IN THE ADMINISTRATION
OF THE EXAMINATION
Many examination personnel consider
this aspect self-explanatory; however,
the conduct of examination is unfortuately more complex than many of us realise,
and this gives rise to irregularities each
time one’s guard is let down.
Students taking examinations in a school hall
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How To Prepare a
CONDUCIVE Environment for Examinations
For example, in an invigilator’s haste to get
a latecomer started on her examination
immediately, he may forget that he has
to first read out the instructions specific to
that day’s examination to the candidate.
The instructions are of course available in
the Daily Instructions issued to CPEs and
PEs when they collect the question papers
every examination day.
Imagine an invigilator at the GCE O-Level
Examination who teaches the new English
syllabus in school. This invigilator forgets
that the old English syllabus is still being
taken by some private candidates because
his school stopped teaching that syllabus
two years ago. He thus issues the set of
question papers for the new syllabus to
the private candidates offering the old
syllabus at his examination centre. These
private candidates in turn are too tensed
up to realise the difference and start their
examination straightaway.
When the mistake is discovered halfway,
how does one rectify the problem and
compensate the time and effort lost?
Even if the candidates are later given a
chance to attempt the correct examination for the full duration, would the
candidates be in the right frame of mind
when doing this?
Another permutation of the problem is
that the set of question papers for Paper
2 is absent-mindedly and prematurely
distributed when the examination is for
Paper 1 – how does one undo the breach
in confidentiality now that the candidates
have viewed the Paper 2 questions?
While such incidents may be rare,
candidates would be seriously affected
if the incidents were to occur, and the
examination personnel involved would
also face serious consequences. The
latter would be charged with maladministration. Generally, this will smear the
examination personnel’s performance
records.
stands a good chance of becoming a
source of distraction, which could cause
candidates to lose their concentration
because their gazes are riveted on the
invigilator.
The learning point from these two
hypothetical scenarios is that it is
crucial that the correct question paper
is issued. As an extension of this point,
examination personnel are reminded that
they should be mindful of the start/end
time and the duration of each examination paper, as these may differ across
syllabuses. The proper administration
of the examinations is essential to the
fairness of the examinations.
Another point that deserves special
mention in this section is that examination personnel are not permitted to use
their mobile phones or other communicative devices during the examination and
are advised not to take these into the examination centre.
PROFESSIONALISM OF THE
EXAMINATION PERSONNEL
This section is a light-hearted take on
this matter but contains gems of wisdom
from which everyone can benefit. Before
starting, we would like to thank all
examination personnel for being obliging people who endeavour to put
students at ease during the examinations
so as to optimise their performance. To
their credit, it is with this mindset that
our examination personnel approach
examination duty; yet, sometimes the
small things a person brushes off as
being inconsequential can have farreaching effects.
A case in point may be that of an
invigilator who originally intended to give
aromatic support through soothing scents
but ends up putting on a little too much
perfume, thus becoming distracting to
candidates with keen olfactory senses and a nightmare to candidates with perfume allergies. Similarly, an invigilator
who pushes the limits of fashion styles
While we trust that all examination
personnel will be professional when
conducting examinations, we remind
examination personnel to pay special
attention to the pre-examination briefing conducted at the examination centre
as it will address this point and hopefully give examination personnel greater
insights into how they can enhance their
professionalism when administering the
examinations.
In conclusion, examination personnel have a big part to play in creating a
conducive environment for examinations. We are sure candidates are
grateful to them because they know
that the physical set-up of the examination centre does not miraculously come
together in one big bang. Just remember though that while administering
examination can be a breeze, we must
always remain watchful for the turn in
the wind which signals that a hurricane
is brewing, and react accordingly. If we
don’t, a major irregularity may blow our
way, and with it, we may get swept off
with the storm, wishing that we had been
vigilant when we had the chance.
TRAINING SESSIONS CONDUCTED BY
SEAB IN 2005
SEAB Training and Consultancy started the year with a series of customised
workshops for the staff of ITE’s Examination Service Department and Examination
Systems Department. In April 2005, SEAB Training and Consultancy repositioned
itself as part of SIGMA Assessment Services Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
SEAB, which provides non-national examination related training and consultancy
services. In July 2005, two scheduled talks on assessment were offered to the
public: one on the assessment of English Language and the other on the use of
taxonomies in assessment. In the same month, at the request of an educational
institution, three customised workshops on item-setting were conducted for their
teachers. Other similar workshops and consultancy sessions were also offered to our
partner schools as part of SEAB’s Partner School Programme.
SEAB conducting training on ‘Assessment In Primary Schools
(General Principles)’ to teachers
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SEAB’s
National Day Celebrations
On 8 Aug, SEAB held our National Day celebration. We started the morning with the
National Day Observance Ceremony. This was followed by the issuing of energy packs which we
happily brought along to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The rest of the morning was spent at the
wetland reserve, where we marvelled at the various species of mangroves, mudflats, and animals
present. It was a good time for SEABlings to bond in the midst of the natural scenery of the wetland reserve. Many of us left the place with valuable lessons learnt about the wetland ecosystem.
The afternoon was spent back at the SEAB building. After a scrumptious buffet lunch, we
engaged in the joint recitation of the National Education poem and were challenged by a
‘National Day Quiz’ where various questions on Singapore were posted. As usual, SEABlings rose
to the occasion by giving the correct answers to many of the questions.
SEABlings posing for a group photograph at the entrance
of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
The day’s excitement grew when SEABlings were further challenged by the various games organised for the afternoon – scrabble, table tennis, and
bowling. For SEABlings who preferred non-competitive activities, there was a movie screening in the staff lounge.
All in all, it was a wonderful and joyous occasion as SEABlings celebrated National Day.
We are also pleased to announce that three of our SEABlings have been awarded National Day Awards in 2005.
They are:
The Public Administration Medal (Bronze)
Mr Lee Ah Huat
The Commendation Medal
Mr Sia Kian Teck
The Long Service Medal
Mdm Ang Geok Tin
Mr Lee, Mr Sia and Mdm Ang, OUR HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!
SEABlings catching a glimpse of migratory birds at Sungei
Buloh Wetland Reserve
Calendar of Events
(Sep - Dec 2005)
September
PSLE
14 Sep
16 Sep
O-LEVEL
26 Sep
N-LEVEL
2 Sep
5 - 6 Sep
6 Sep
13 Sep
15 Sep
Make-Up Oral Exams
LC Exams
English Language LC Exam
Written Exams
Mother Tongue LC Exam
Computer Application Practical Exam
Elements of Office Administration Practical Exam
Mother Tongue B Oral Exams
A-LEVEL
26 Sep
Mother Tongue B Oral Exams
October
PSLE
5 - 7, 10 - 11 Oct
18 - 21 Oct
O-LEVEL
3 - 10 Oct
12 - 28 Oct
18 - 27 Oct
24 - 27 Oct
31 Oct - 23 Nov
O-LEVEL
31 Oct - 23 Nov 4 Nov 11 Nov 16 Nov Written Exams
Marking Exercise
Foreign Languages Oral Exams
Asian and Foreign Languages Exams
Science Practical Exams
Music Performing Exams
Written Exams
Written Exams
German LC Exam / Japanese LC Exam
French LC Exam
Mother Tongue B LC Exam
For enquiries, please contact:
PSLE: Miss Tang Kar Tian (tang_kar_tian@seab.gov.sg)
N-Level: Mr Loh Jee Seng (loh_jee_seng@seab.gov.sg)
O-Level: Mr Leonard Low (leonard_low@seab.gov.sg)
A-Level: Mr Wong Tien Han (wong_tien_han@seab.gov.sg)
Training Courses: Mdm Pang Fong Shea (courses@sigma-services.com.sg)
N-LEVEL
3 - 11 Oct
Written Exams
A-LEVEL
3 - 10 Oct
19 - 27 Oct 24 - 27 Oct 31 Oct - 29 Nov
Foreign Languages Oral Exams
Science Practical Exams
Music Performing Exams
Written Exams
November
A-LEVEL
31 Oct - 29 Nov 7 Nov Written Exams
A-Level French LC Exam
A-Level German LC Exam
8 Nov AO-Level French LC Exam
AO-Level German LC Exam
15 Nov 17 Nov Mother Tongue B LC Exam
AO-Level Japanese LC Exam
A-Level Japanese LC Exam
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