Goodbye Equations! O Level, A Level, And Intermediate Syllabi Undergo Cuts To Make Up For Lost Teaching Time
MATSEC has made a number of cuts to O Level, Intermediate, and A Level Syllabi for the 2021 examination sessions to mitigate for the loss in teaching time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The syllabi cuts are part of a number of measures recommended by panels representing school sectors and stake holders. Other mitigation measures include changes in the coursework component and in the assessment of subjects.
A number of O Level subjects, such as Mathematics, Religious Knowledge, and Maltese will see a significant number of changes in subject content – mostly in the form of syllabi cuts.
Other subjects, such as A Level English, will undergo changes in their exam papers. The A Level English exam in 2021, for example, will not include an oral section and will provide students with an additional question in the poetry section of Paper 1.
The full list of changes can be viewed right here.
Whilst lessons continued online following the closure of schools last March, the amendments to these syllabi come off as an admission from the government that online teaching could not truly compensate for face-to-face education.
COVID-19 guidelines for primary and secondary schools were announced last week by Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri. Having said that, guidelines for Sixth Forms, University, MCAST, and Kindergarten are yet to be communicated to parents and students.