The Ministry of Education advises that all is in place to facilitate the sitting of the Grade Four Literacy Test on Tuesday June 30 by 58,125 students.

On Wednesday July 1, some 43,127 students will sit the Grade Four Numeracy Test. The candidates for both examinations include 14,998 repeaters.

SOME 21,223 FEMALES AND 21,904 MALES WILL SIT THE NUMERACY TEST IN 1470 CENTRES ACROSS THE ISLAND, WHILE 25,641 FEMALES AND 32,484 MALES WILL SIT THE LITERACY EXAMINATION IN 1650 CENTRES.

The Literacy Test will constitute three sections. Part A is Word Recognition and is marked out of a total of 40 marks. Part B is Reading Comprehension and is marked out of a total of 30 marks and section three is the Writing Task, which has tasks one and two. This section of the examination is marked out of a total of eight marks.

The Grade Four Numeracy Test has two papers. Paper one consists of 46 multiple choice items while paper two consists of three open-ended questions.

            The Ministry of Education is making special arrangements to facilitate approximately 253 students with special need to sit the examinations.

Chief Education Officer Dr Grace McLean has noted that teachers are aware that the tests are Curriculum-based and, accordingly, have been preparing students using the National Curriculum. She underscored the importance of students passing the Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Tests in order to become eligible to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test.

 

Reminders to Students

1.     Students should be reminded to listen to the instruction of the Presiding Examiners and act accordingly.

2.     They should also be encouraged to be careful in representing their answers on the bubble sheets provided for Part A and B on the Literacy Test and Paper One for the Numeracy Test; as such mistakes can cause students to lose a mark for a question.

3.     Students are encouraged to answer ALL questions on the examination, as well as manage their time effectively.

4.     On the mornings of both the Literacy and Numeracy examinations, parents must ensure that their children are provided with a warm and fulsome breakfast. All students should get sufficient rest the nights before both examinations.

 

Security of Examination Papers

The Ministry of Education has taken precautionary measures to protect the integrity of the examination. The measures include:

-Unannounced visits to the printing facilities

-Examination papers are stored in a vault

-Packaging of examination materials is done in a sterile area under strict supervision