Correlation between Students' PSLE Performance and Secondary School Results

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Education (Schools) whether there is a correlation between students' PSLE performances and secondary school results.

Mr Ng Chee Meng: A student who has built a stronger academic foundation at a lower level will be better prepared to access and acquire new knowledge at a higher level. Hence, students' academic performance in secondary school is positively correlated with that in primary school, including their Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) performance.

However, the academic performance of students is simultaneously also affected by many other complex factors. These include student motivation, peer influence, and the support from home, schools and the broader community. Altogether these other factors contribute more to a student's secondary school academic performance than what he or she scored in PSLE four or five years before.