SPM 2015 Results: Lower than SPM 2014

(Photo from themalaysiantimes.com.my; cover image from thestar.com.my)

Education director-general Khair Mohamad Yusof was quick to defend, saying that the drop in students who received excellent results and decline in GPN "is not a significant shortcoming" and still within the permitted range of 3%. 

Speaking in a press conference in Putrajaya today, he said to smaller number of candidates who took the exam was the reasons for the result. A total of 440,682 students sat in 2015, as compared to 455,839 of 2014. He also said that questions this year are tough, "testing the students’ cognitive ability and require creative thinking, compared with the questions set before.”

Khair urged to focus on the way teachers instruct and how the students study. “I believe each state will carry out an analysis and evaluate whether the teachers’ instructional methods were in accordance with the requirements of the curriculum, assessment and the extent to which students had mastered the questions given," he added. 

On the other hand, the achievment gap between urban and rural areas candidates have narrowed from 0.55 in 2014 to 0.50 this year. In addition, seven candidates with special needs got excellent results.  

Candidates can check their results by typing SPM identity card number index number to 15888. Results are available from 10am on March 3 to midnight on March 9.