To be promoted to Secondary 1, students must have a mastery of Bahasa Melayu from Level 4 to Level 6, otherwise they will need to be enrolled in preparatory classes.
As the Ministry of Education (MOE) has abolished the Primary Six Proficiency Test (UPSR), the MOE will use the student’s mastery of Malay to determine whether the student will be promoted to Junior Secondary 1 or will need to be enrolled in a preparatory class.
For students with a school-based assessment of Malay proficiency between Level 1 and Level 3, they will be required to take the UPLBM. Those who pass the test are allowed to proceed to Secondary 1, while those who do not are required to enter the preparatory classes.
In previous years, the Ministry of Education (MOE) determined whether a student could be promoted to Secondary 1 based on their performance in Malay in the Primary 6 Proficiency Test (UPSR). At that time, students could also use their Grade 4 to Grade 6 Malay results to appeal or apply, and once the Ministry deemed that the student had sufficient ability, it would recommend the student to proceed to Junior Secondary 1.
It is understood that after the implementation of the new assessment system this year, the number of students in preparatory classes has decreased. In 2017 there were 14.96% of Hua Tam elementary school students in the preparatory class, in 2018 there were 13.51%, in 2019 there were 12.97%, in 2020 there were 13.33% and in 2021 12.90%.
