The National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) concluded on Thursday with varying reactions from pupils; some claiming it was challenging, while others said it was quite simple.
The two-day examination covered four subject areas – Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and English Language. However, pupils breathed a sigh of relief at the end of day two, with the hopes that when the results are released, they would have achieved their desired secondary school.
Guyana Times visited a few locations where mixed reactions were shared as persons exited the examination room. Over at St Margaret’s Primary, Harry Cox stated the he was pleased with his performance over the past two days and looks forward to some time to relax.
“It was challenging but I think I did exceptionally well. Social Studies, Science and Maths were a bit challenging. I think I did alright,” he stated.
Jaron Sookram stated that he aspires for a place at the Bishops’ High School. According to him, the examinations were easy because he put a lot of hours into studying.
Students of St Margaret’s Primary after all of the exams were completed
“The exam was easy because hard work pays off. Some of the preparations I made were waking up early like 05:00h to revise and staying up around 11:00h,” Sookram explained.
Meanwhile, Kenesha Marshall said she cried at the commencement of the first subject but sported a huge smile after exiting on the last day.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), the English was easy and the Science was hard and today (Thursday), the Mathematics was easy and Social Studies was hard. I was so scared that I cried the night before,” Marshall stated, adding that she is hoping for placement at Saint Stanislaus College.
Another colleague, Surendra Persaud, told this publication, “The exams went fairly well. We had one or two hard questions but I think I passed.”
Children from the St Agnes Primary School also related that some subjects were challenging.
Kaitlyn La Fleur posited, “It was a little bit hard but I tried my best.”
Some students said they plan to engage in all the recreational activities which they would have sacrificed over the past months, while others looked forward to the Easter holiday to fly their kites.
Education Minister Nicolette Henry and Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson visited a few schools around the city – Ketley Primary, St Stephen’s Primary and St Gabriel’s Primary – after the first examination.
This year saw an increase in candidates from 14,551 to 14,715. This examination is key, since the results would determine which secondary institution these students would be placed.
Prior to this, the students had to write the National Grades Two and Four Assessments back in 2012 and 2014 respectively. A percentage of the marks from all three assessments will be calculated to determine the overall performance of each student.
