‘Slight decline’ in overall scores for 2016

THERE was a minor decrease in the overall scores for the Common Entrance Examination 2016, as compared to 2015.

This was revealed by the Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, who announced the results of this examination at a press conference yesterday, at Ministry headquarters.

“This year we had a very, very marginal decline in the overall scores, as compared to last year. It is as if you were doing a poll, you would say that it is within the margin of error.

“Since we are not dealing with polls, we cannot say that. There was a slight decline of 2.12 per cent difference between last year and this year.”

He said that there was also a slight decline in the number of students who would have scored in the higher index of scores – 70 per cent to 100 percent.

“In the range 70 to 100, a total of 909 students or 25.8 per cent scored in this range, as compared to 1017 or 29.2 per cent in 2015. It means that there would have been a slight decline in the numbers scoring in between 70 to 100.”

However, they noted that there was a slight improvement in the number of students who would have scored in the mid-range of scores – 40 to 60 per cent – this year as compared to last year.

“You also have that this year, 1194 students, or 33.8 per cent scored between 40 and 69, compared to 31.3 in 2015. So again, in that mid-tier, 40 and 69, there would have been some improvement in the 11 Plus.”

There was also an improvement in the number of students who would have received scores of 30 per cent or less in the examination, acknowledging that this score of 30 per cent or less has to be improved.

“The base of the exam continues to give us some challenges. We look at students scoring 30 or less in our exam, and you find this year that in 2016, 626 or 17.7 per cent scored less than 30 per cent on the examination paper, as compared to 963, or approximately 27.7 per cent in 2015. It means that the base has shrunk.”

The Minister of Education stressed that it is important to look at the overall picture.

“But we take the totality of the picture and not just segments of that picture. The whole is greater than the sum or parts. That is what we use in education.”