Weighted assessments (WAs) versus Mid-Year-Examinations

Since 2019, Singapore schools have been phasing out mid year examinations in favor of weighted assessments in the hopes to decrease student stress. The implementation of end year examinations still continue to stay in Singaporean education. For Integrated Programme students, this can mean a lack of a chance to do timed practice for their end of year exam, and without a ten year series as a guide, it can prove to be quite difficult.

From the table above, it is clear that the WA format helps in spreading the marks across the year, and the MYE format focuses more on big exams every two terms. While spreading marks across the year helps in reducing temporary stress by exam fatigue, it can also result in a lack of a long, timed practice for the end of year exam, as well as serve as a checkpoint for students to realize that they need to catch up in their studies.

WAs also test very little topics, but during the end of year, all topics are combined together and there are inter-topical questions which test more than one topic at once. Students doing WAs often examinate the topics as a standalone instead of understanding how they can relate to another.

What can we do to mitigate this?

• Individual timed practices using past year papers
• By obtaining revision packages from school, we can select enough questions to make up a final year exam level of weightage and timing
• Time is to be split based on a ratio of marks allocated v.s. time allocated. If its a 2h paper worth 80 marks, it will be around 2/3 of a mark per minute, so 2 marks every 3 minutes should be the rough gauge on how much time you should spend on questions
• Skipping some questions first is important, students often use weighted assessment methods of solving which is designed for short questions, not long questions
• Marks in weighted assessment are far more significant than end of year, but the inverse is true for end of year, so some marks have to be sacrificed for a better overall grade

The Eclat Solution:

• In our classroom preparation for end of year exams, we implement all the above points
• Our classes are formatted in such a way that students are monitored and expected to stick to time frames
• Guidance is provided at every point with annotation of questions as well as individualized marking
• Mock Mid Year Examinations are given during the June holiday period for students who struggle with timing their papers
• Past Year Integrated Programme school questions are sourced and provided at no further charges
• Our more than 1 decade experience in teaching Integrated Programme allows us to predict, extrapolate and guide students

Why did MOE abolish MYEs and cap WAs?

MOE’s Learn for Life reforms announced in September 2018 set a hard limit of “no more than one WA per subject per school term” from P3 to S4/5 and removed MYEs in phases to free up curriculum time and lower exam stress. [1] This removal was fully extended to all primary and secondary levels by 2023[2] and to JC / MI students from 2024[3].

Policy timeline

MOE emphasises that WAs can be short tests, practicals, presentations or projects, giving teachers richer formative data while still counting 5–20 % toward the annual grade. [4], [5]

How IP schools weight and schedule WAs

*HCI caps combined WA weight at 30 % and assigns the remaining 70 % to the Promotional Exam.

Pattern: Lower IP (Y1-4) usually run four WAs a year, while upper IP / JC runs one Block Test + Promo/Prelim, aligning with MOE's cap.

Key points for parents & students

• Expect variety. WA formats span timed papers, science practicals, oral presentations and group projects; mastery therefore requires breadth, not just pen-and-paper speed. [4]
• Steady beats cramming. Because each WA contributes 10-20 % of the final mark, missing or under-preparing for a single task can dent the overall grade more than an individual MYE question ever did. [5]
• Use WA feedback loops. Schools provide rubrics and comments after each WA; building a reflection log helps close skill gaps before the next term. [4]
• Track the WA calendar. Most IP schools publish term schedules well in advance—plotting them against CCA competitions prevents last-minute clashes.
• Simulate exam stamina. Long-form practice papers (e.g. our June “Mock MYE”) remain crucial for building endurance for EOY or Promo exams even though the official mid-year sits no longer exist. [6]

Practical checklist to bridge WA ➜ EOY gap

1. Curate a termly timed-paper bank. Assemble practice sets that aggregate topics progressively so students feel the ramp-up from WA bite-sized tasks to full-length papers.
2. Adopt a WA-style pacing rule. Train students to allocate ≈ 1 mark : 1.5 minutes in practice—mirrors MOE guidance and typical WA timing. [5]
3. Rotate study modes. Pair quiz-style flash drills with presentation rehearsals and practical write-ups to mirror multi-modal WA demands. [4]
4. Guard wellbeing. Four WAs across eight subjects can still spike stress; schedule downtime after each WA week. [9]

References for Further Reading

[1] Learn For Life – Preparing Our Students To Excel Beyond Exam Results | MOE

[2] Removal of mid-year exams will help nurture joy for learning — MOE

[3] Fourth content-based A-level subject to be dropped from university admissions score

[4] Weighted Assessments in Singapore Primary and Secondary Schools | The Learning Lab

[5] Assessment Plan and Policy

[6] 📄 Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Integrated Programme — Course Outlines 2024-2025 (PDF)

[7] College eHandbook — Assessment Structure & Promotional Criteria

[8] Weighted Assessment (WA) Schedule

[9] Budget debate: No more mid-year exams for all primary and secondary school students from next year