Grades 6-9: 70 marks annual exam alongside learning assessment

30% of the total marks will come from ongoing assessments

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board has introduced new assessment guidelines for sixth to ninth-grade students for the 2024 academic year.

According to an NTCB directive on Wednesday, students will have a three-hour annual exam worth 70 marks, with the remaining 30 marks allocated to learning assessments.

The new guidelines specify that learning assessments and annual exams will be based on the 2022 curriculum textbooks.

Assessment Guidelines

• For grades six to nine, the evaluation will be divided between learning assessments and the annual exam.

• Schools will prepare questions for the annual exam based on sample questions provided, but must not replicate these samples exactly.

• Each subject will be assessed out of 100 marks. Grade Point Average, or GPA, will be calculated based on subject-specific results.

Learning Assessments

• Activities including individual tasks, pair work, and poster presentations will be part of the learning assessments.

• Records of these activities must be kept up-to-date and completed before the annual exams commence.

Annual Exams

• The annual exam will be a written test of 100 marks per subject, following a shortened syllabus.

• Each written exam will last three hours.

• Schools are required to provide necessary exam papers and materials as before.

Grading System

• Scores of 80-100 will receive ‘A+’ or 5 points, 70-79 will get ‘A’ or 4 points, 60-69 will be awarded ‘A-’ or 3.5 points, 50-59 will receive ‘B’ or 3 points, 40-49 will get ‘C’ or 2 points, 33-39 will be given ‘D’ or 1 point, and 0-32 will result in ‘F’ or 0 points.

• A minimum of a ‘D’ grade is required to pass. Students receiving ‘D’ in three or more subjects will not advance to the next grade unless the principal, in consultation with subject teachers, allows special consideration. This option applies only to students of the 2024 academic year.