90.6% pass 2012 GCE ’A’ Level exam

SINGAPORE: The percentage of school students obtaining GCE ’A’ Level passes for 2012 fell marginally — by 0.2 per cent, compared to the year before.

90.6 per cent of the cohort obtained at least three H2 passes with a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry.

School candidates received their results from 2:30pm on Friday.

Private candidates will receive their results by post.

They may also access their results through the SEAB website at

www.seab.gov.sg.

At Hwa Chong Institution, there were five pairs of twins receiving their ’A’ Level results on Friday afternoon.

One pair said having a twin sometimes means double power.

Ang Jia Xi, said of her twin Ang Jia Wei: "We didn’t do the same subjects, she took Biology, and I took Physics, she took Geography and I took Economics, so we didn’t really share much in terms of notes. I think what we helped each other in is the moral support because you know, you have to do better than her — friendly competition."

Jia Wei added: "It’s like having someone who’s there, going through very similar things as you are. I think we like to talk to each other and debate about issues together, so that helps us to sharpen our way of thinking and to really consider both sides of an issue."

They say good things come in pairs, and such is true for Jia Xi and Jia Wei, who got eight and seven distinctions each.

The twins will be separated for the first time in their lives, now that Jia Xi is heading abroad on a government scholarship.

Jia Xi said: "We’ve been in the same class and the same school since kindergarten, so I think this opportunity to develop in our own ways will be good as well."

Hwa Chong said this year’s results is its best in five years, with more than 60 per cent obtaining three or more distinctions.

Hwa Chong is one of several schools that have decided not to highlight the number of perfect scorers of nine distinctions in the cohort. This follows the Education Ministry’s move away from focusing solely on academic results.

For Raffles Institution, it is the first time the school has produced 10 perfect scorers with nine distinctions.

Many students who have good grades also held leadership positions in their co—curricular activities while contributing to community service.

Aloysius Lim from Millennia Institute has a rare form of genetic vision loss, which makes it difficult for him to read.

He reads with a bubble magnifier and uses a magnifier CCTV during exams and for home study.

Despite the odds, Aloysius has consistently done well in class and participated actively in school events.

For the ’A’ Levels, examiners gave him extra time to complete his papers and he scored A, B and D for his three H2 subjects.

He said: "Writing on the foolscap, sometimes I will write under the line, and sometimes I need more time to study. Whenever I feel like giving up, I just think of my parents, how they work hard and encourage me."

— CNA/ck/xq