Academic Publications

The first book to explore the development of Singapore's much-talked-about education and examination system, this volume juxtaposes examinations with its immediate context of education and wider context of politics, economy and society.

The study covers three broad historical periods: Examinations in Singapore from 1891 to 1945; The Post-War Years from 1946 to the 1970s; and Charting Our Destiny from the 1980s to 2007. In the British period up to 1941, the local examinations were conducted by the vernacular schools, and external examinations by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. There was a lack of systematic effort to establish a uniform system of education and examinations.

During the Japanese Occupation, examinations were conducted by the Japanese authorities and, unexpectedly, the Cambridge examinations continued in the Sime Road Camp.

In the post-war period and particularly after Singapore was granted self-government, the establishment of a national education system was followed by the emergence of national examinations: the Primary School Leaving Examinations and the Singapore-Cambridge GCE N/O/A Levels for every school-going child in Singapore.

Thereafter, the nature of national examinations evolved with the changing needs of education and the nation. At the turn of the century, with the Ministry of Education's decision to take greater control of examinations, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board was established, to oversee new developments in examinations. (Description from WorldScientific.com)

You can purchase the book from World Scientific.

This is a collection of essays on topics in  educational assessment written by the staff-members of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB). The essays are organised broadly around 3 central themes:

• Assessment concerns in Singapore schools

• Best practices in assessment

• Development of assessment in Singapore

There are a total of 26 essays in this book.

You can purchase the e-book by completing this form.

Staff members of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) continue their efforts to pen and share their perspectives on assessment issues to build up assessment expertise and promote good assessment practices in schools in Assessment in Singapore: Volume 2 - Strategies and Methods for Classroom Practice.

The essays are organised broadly around three themes:

• Curriculum and Assessment

• e-Assessment

• Principles, Strategies and Practices of Assessment

There are a total of 20 essays in this book.

You can purchase the e-book by completing this form.

In Assessment in Singapore: Volume 3 - Concepts and Tools for Classroom Assessment, assessment specialists of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) translated popular courses and seminars which they have conducted into essays to broaden the reach to more educators.

The essays in this book fall under two broad themes:

• Concepts of assessment

• Tools for assessment

There are a total of 14 essays in the book.

You can purchase the e-book by completing this form.

Assessment in Singapore: Volume 4 - Getting Ready for the 2020s encapsulates new assessment concepts and methods developed by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) under the leadership of their newly-appointed Chief Executive, Mr Yue Lip Sin.

The first chapter explicates the fundamentals of assessment system - the definition of standards-referenced assessment and what it constitutes. It is followed by a series of chapters on the assessment concept of the C3R framework that could be useful for educators to hold professional conversations on item demands for various subjects and some generic assessment topics.

The remaining chapters will keep you informed of SEAB's latest developments involving the use of technologies in assessment.

There are a total of 18 essays in this book.

The e-book can be purchased by completing this form.