On Monday March 18th, standard six students from across the country sat Part One of the Primary School Examination (P.S.E.).P.S.E. is an important examination since it is a determining factor for admission to many high schools across the country and students prepare for this exam through eight years of their primary school education.The main purpose of the P.S.E. is to measure the achievement levels of students who have completed their primary education in Belize.The P.S.E. consists of four study areas, Science, English, Mathematics and Social Studies. The first part of the examination consisted of Science and English papers.
197 students from both San Pedro Town and Caye Caulker Village registered for the exams, which were sat at The San Pedro High School (SPHS), the assigned examination center for the area.
According toMiriam Pott Codd,the Education Officer for San Pedro Town, of the 197 registered students, 192 sat the exam. There were no private candidates registered this year for the area. Each primary institution from the two cayes sent candidates to sit the exams and among the 192 students that sat the exam, five were special needs candidates.
The students first sat English Paper II, which consisted of the writing section with an allotted time of 80 minutes. English Paper I followed and it comprised of multiple choice questions, with an allotted time of 90 minutes. After a lunchbreak, the students sat the multiple choice Science paper with an allotted time of 75 minutes.
Kaylee Kumul and Dani Hanna, both students from Island Academy, stepped out of the exam room with confidence. “It was easy, [as] we had been preparing for a couple months,” said both girls.
For Erica Cadle, a student from Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School, she has been preparing since being in standard four and is hoping to receive high marks for her school. “It was pretty easy for me, because I like English and Science,” said Cadle.
Jennessa Sierra from San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School (SPRCS) said “Overall it was easy, but I still found a few questions challenging. I still think I will pass very well.” The 12-year-old also said that a high performance is expected on her behalf. Hayley Sankar, also from SPRCS, expressed her excitement in sitting the exams. “I think science was easy, that was a piece of cake. Creative writing was a little challenging, but I still think I will pass,” said Sankar. The SPRCS students have also been planning for the examinations since standard four, and both girls are confident inthe background provided to them while preparing for the P.S.E.
The second part of the PSE will take place on Monday, May 6th, and it will test students in the areas of Mathematics and Social Studies. Best of luck goes all students sitting the P.S.E.
