Students completes first day of P.S.E.

This morning thousands of standard six students got dressed as usual and set off for school. But instead of making their way to their usual classes, they went to a high school to sit the first part of their Primary School Examination. News Five’s Jose Sanchez has a report on how the day went for both the students and education officials.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Today primary school students were not in regular classes because they were sitting Day one of the Primary School Examination for 2009. There are six thousand, eight hundred and fifty-six registered candidates for the P.S.E., three hundred more than last year.

Yvonne Davis, Principal Education Officer, M.O.E.
“The children are sitting the exam in about twenty-seven centers across the country, all six districts. This number also includes what we consider to be private candidates and these are students who are not normally in regular classroom situations but they have enrolled themselves in alternative institutions and have also applied to sit the exams.”

Yvonne Davis, Principal Education Officer in the Ministry of Education says the day went like clockwork with the only setback being absentee students.

Yvonne Davis
“I have been getting, since the test started this morning. We’ve been getting calls from the Centers, mostly about children who did not show up. We had a number of students absent for whatever reason. Some reasons were given; for example we had some children showing up with chicken pox; we had children for no reason at all showing up; we had some children who were late because of the public transport system. I want to say to those who did not go to the exam center to write the exam that they have not yet completely forfeited their chance, because there is still day two. And so if you missed day one, you still can go and sit the test for day two.”

“We continue to test the same content and skills. So the material that is being tested this year was also being tested last year in terms of the content. So that in preparing for the P.S.E., most teachers would have a copy of the blue print or the table of specifications which specifies exactly what the test is about and what the areas tested are. That has not changed; it has not changed for ten years now because this is the tenth y ear of the P.S.E. The material should be very familiar to both teachers and students.”

Jose Sanchez
“What area would you say students normally do well on?”

Yvonne Davis
“This first day, I think from what I can remember, I think the writing, the multiple choice paper for English, they normally do pretty good on. The challenge on the first day is the writing paper, which contains a letter and a composition and I think that’s where the challenge is for day one. But the multiple choice papers, English and Science multiple choice, they normally do well on.”

And some of the students we found at the end of day one agree that the writing section was a bit challenging.

Jose Sanchez
“Tell me how the P.S.E went for you today.”

Christopher Vasquez, Student
“It went very well actually. Some of the questions were kind of challenging, especially for the English part. I’m not very good in English but I managed to get through it. At the beginning of the exam, I felt very nervous but I got over it.”

Jose Sanchez
“What part of the English… was it the writing that was most challenging for you?”

Christopher Vasquez
“The writing, letter writing and the composition writing.”

Jose Sanchez
“How was the other exam?”

Christopher Vasquez
“Science? That was very easy because that is one of my favorite subject, so I passed through that very quickly.”

Arian Canul, Student
“Again, like my friend, it was pretty nerve wrecking but they prepared at our school really well and we got through it. The English was alright, I managed to get through the story writing and the letter writing. The multiple choice was, yeah, ok and the Science again, one of my teacher prepared us really well. So we managed to get through that too.”

Jose Sanchez
“So you think that you are both ready for day two next month?”

Arian Canul.
“I think—well, we have like a month and a half, so I guess we can prepare in that time.”

Jose Sanchez
“And you?”

Christopher Vasquez
“I think we could be ready for day two in a month and a half.”

Devon Gladden, Student
“I wasn’t really nervous but the exam was a bit challenging.”

Jose Sanchez
“What part was hard for you?”

Devon Gladden
“The Science and the Composition Writing.”

Jose Sanchez
“And any part you felt you did well on?”

Devon Gladden
“The English, and the multiple choice—the English, the Letter Writing and the multiple choice.”

Jose Sanchez
“Some people found the letter writing hard, how come it’s easy for you?”

Devon Gladden
“Our teacher told us the inside address and basically cemented in our heads and inside address and soh”

Jose Sanchez
“So when it came to your writing it was very easy for you?”

Devon Gladden
“Yes.”

Jose Sanchez
“Emerson how was the exam?”

Emerson Garcia, Student
“It was kinda hard but most of the problems, I know it. I do my best for this, soh.”

Jose Sanchez
“Which particular section you thought you did well on?”

Emerson Garcia
“In Science.”

Jose Sanchez
“In the Science?”

Emerson Garcia
“Yes.”

Jose Sanchez
“What part was challenging?”

Emerson Garcia
“Because in a question, they ask you, “what type of drug is the most dangerous?” That was kinda rough for me.”

Ebony White, Student
“It went good, good.”

Jose Sanchez
“What part was easy, what part was hard?”

Ebony White
“The Creative Creating mih easy and the English was hard.”

Jose Sanchez
“What about the English was challenging for you?”

Ebony White
“Which part?”

Jose Sanchez
“Yeah, what about the English was challenging?”

Ebony White
“The whole thing.”

Ebony White
“How did you think you did?”

Ebony White
“Good.”

Jose Sanchez
“James how was the exam?”

James Thomson, Student
“It was easy.”

Jose Sanchez
“What part was easy for you?”

James Thomson
“The science.”

Jose Sanchez
“You enjoy science?”

James Thomson
“Yes sir.”

Jose Sanchez
“What about the science was easy—how about the English?”

James Thomson
“The English mih challenging.”

Jose Sanchez
“Multiple choice or writing?”

James Thomson
“The two ah dehn; di multiple choice and writing.”

Imani Brandon, Student
“It went good but the creative writing was easy and everything but the science, come to the part weh mi kinda difficult but the light-switch was complicated to me, I noh know bout the rest.”

Jose Sanchez
“So you think you’re ready for day two?”

Imani Brandon
“Yes.”

Jose Sanchez
“So you thought you did well?”

Imani Brandon
“I think so.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.