SPM results, weaknesses to be analysed and improved - Mahdzir

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said, this followed the decline in the overall number of students scoring A+, which stood at only 102 or 1.94 per cent compared to 163 (2.6 per cent) the previous year.

"In the 2016 SPM examination, we also prepared questions which contained 25 per cent HOTS elements which required the candidates to think, analyse and answer. The emphasis on HOTS will be continued and included in the subsequent examinations."

He said this after observing the announcement of 2016 SPM results at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kubang Rotan here today.

HOTS was introduced in the Malaysian education system in 2013.

Meanwhile, Mahdzir said the ministry was satisfied with the overall SPM performance as there was an increase in the National Average Grade (GPN) Index, with 5.10 compared to 5.15 in 2015, he said.

In the 2016 SPM, 8,647 out of 434,535 candidates (2.13 per cent) scored all As (A+, A, A-) compared to 9,721 in 2015.

The minister said he was also thrilled to see that the gap in SPM performance between urban and rural schools had also lessened.

Taking in the example of SMK Kubang Rotan as a rural school in Kuala Kedah, he commended on the improvement of the school's SPM results, recording a 5.34 GPN compared to 6.11 in 2015.

"It reflects major improvement among the students and most importantly in the cooperation between teachers, parents and students," he remarked.