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The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia is commonly known as the Malaysian certificate of education. This is the national examination that can be taken by all the fifth year secondary students in Malaysia. The qualification is equivalent to the eleventh grade education in Americas K-12 education system. This system of education is set and examined by the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate. This Syndicate is also known as Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia. The SPM exam is equivalent to O-level and is the second last degree of public examination at the secondary school level. This is a compulsory form of education before the entry into the tertiary education system.
The last level of public examination at secondary school is Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia. This is equivalent to the A-level. Other forms of pre-university study in Malaysia is foundation study, matriculation, A-level, to name a few of them.
The History of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia
The SPM is similar to the British GCSE. This examination has given the Malaysians to carry on their studies till the pre-university level. Earlier this examination was coordinated by the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (UNCLES).This syndicate is still relevant as it advises about the standards to the Malaysian Education Syndicate. The UNCLES and the national examination board separately grade the English paper. The grades are stated on the statement slip. One finds the examination boards grade listed on the actual certificate. The minimum requirement for obtaining a certification is history and Malay language.
Age to Take the Examination
One aspiring to take the exam can do so at the age of 17. However, the students who take pre-secondary school class would have to take the exam when they get 18 years of age. In the earlier years, the pupils who passed the Penilaian Tahap Satu (PTS) successfully at the Primary Three and wanted to skip a year of the Primary education appeared in the SPM. They could do so at the age of 16. But this system was discontinued in 2000. Most of the students who are home schooled choose to take the SPM when they complete their secondary education.
The Main Subjects of the Examination
The syndicate has made Malay language (Bahasa Malaysia), English (Bahasa inggeris), Islamic studies, moral studies, history science and math reading compulsory for the students. The Islamic studies subject is compulsory for the Muslim candidates. And the moral studies is compulsory for the non-Muslim candidates. Science is common and compulsory for all the students. Candidates are allowed to choose their elective subjects in respect to these subjects. The elective subjects can be categorized into four main types. They are as follows:
Arts And Health- Music education, visual arts education, and sports science knowledge.
Language And Literature- Malay literature, English literature, Chinese language, Arabic language(advanced), Chinese, Tamil, Iban, Arabic language for communication, English for science and technology, Chinese literature, Tamil literature, French language and Punjabi language.
Technical And Vocational- Agricultural science, home economics, engineering drawing, mechanical engineering studies, invention, food management, fashion design, engineering technology, domestic constructions, automobile servicing, etc.
Science and Mathematics- additional Mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, additional science, information and communication, and applied science.
Social Science And Religion- Business, entrepreneurial studies, principles of accounting, basic economics, Islamic worldviews, AL-Quran and As-Sunnah education, bible knowledge, etc.
The Examination Mode and the Results
The medium of instruction for both teachers and students is English. The students, however, can choose between English or Malay as the medium for their communication. The evaluation of the exam is done on the basis of the exam. The exam commences around the month of November and lasts for more than a period of three weeks. The results are announced in the form of grades. No rankings are awarded to the students. The toppers are sometimes given scholarships for the continuation of the exams.
Adilah, graduated from Malaysia University and is a social activist. He focuses on various areas including education and takes notes on measure which could help in the overall pattern of studying. Recently he is registered with MyPrivateTutor Malaysia and has gained reputation in his field.
