State Deputy Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee speaking to reporters at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly media room on Tuesday (May 20).
KUCHING: Students at Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS) scored above the international average in the Year Nine Cambridge checkpoint exams, says Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee.
The state Deputy Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister said 99 students from YSISS Petra Jaya took the exam last year in English, Mathematics, and Science.
YSISS students achieved an average score of 32 in English and 39 in both Mathematics and Science, exceeding the international averages of 25 for English and 31 for Mathematics and Science.
"The results are very good. Through this exam, we can gauge our standards compared to international students," he said at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (May 20).
The Cambridge checkpoint grading scale ranges from 0 to 50, with performance bands from basic (1-10) to outstanding (41-50). Year Nine is equivalent to Form Three.
Dr Annuar then added to his earlier response to Iskandar Turkee (GPS-Jepak), who had asked about YSISS students' achievements in the Cambridge exam.
In addition to overall scores, students were graded on various topics in each subject, including biology, chemistry, and physics in Science, and algebra and geometry in Mathematics.
"Our students also scored above the international average for each topic. Again, this is very good," he said.
In response to Iskandar earlier, Dr Annuar said the state government plans to build a new YSISS in Bintulu, in the Jepak new township area.
The school will use the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) syllabus to ensure education quality.
"The effectiveness of teaching and learning will be assessed periodically through a monitoring and feedback mechanism based on Cambridge University's standards," he added.
Currently, there are three Yayasan Sarawak international secondary schools in the state, located in Petra Jaya, 12th Mile Kuching-Serian Road, and Sibu.
