Assessment to test capabilities in five subjects

MALAYSIAN students won 190 gold medals at the award ceremony for the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) 2019.

UNSW Global Pty Limited Australasian sales manager Michael Cooper presented the winners with their medals and congratulated them on their success.

Organised by Educational Assessment & Testing Services Sdn. Bhd. (EATS) UNSW Global (Australia), ICAS is an assessment programme with participating countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India and South Africa.

The competition acts as an avenue for schools, students and parents to assess their real capabilities in five subjects tested – namely Digital Technologies, Science, Mathematics, English and Writing.

ICAS 2019 saw more than 28,000 tests taken in Malaysia alone, with 190 gold medals won by Malaysian students. This year’s competition produced three triple gold medal winners.

They are Gan Lih Ying (Year Four) – Sri Kuala Lumpur International School (Primary) in English, Mathematics and Writing; Chan Shao Yong (Form Three) – Pusat Tuisyen Olimpik Jaya in English, Mathematics and Science; and Eng Yi Jun (Form Five) – Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur (International) in English, Mathematics and Science.

Fourteen other students were double gold medal winners. Apart from providing an academic competition which allows high-achieving students to test their skills at international level, ICAS also provides valuable diagnostic information that enables students, schools and parents to evaluate academic performance and achievement.

The ICAS is different from the usual public examinations in that candidates are not tested on particular curriculum topics, but more on their intellectual and critical thinking skills in the relevant subjects.

Students who sit for the assessment benefit from the test as the ICAS allows for the identification of their strengths and comparison of their achievements. At the same time, the students are able to monitor their progress from year to year if they take the tests in consecutive years.

The Education Ministry has given its full support to ICAS by awarding co-curricular marks to participants.