Page 967 - SUBSEC October 2017_Neat

25. The members of the Panel reviewed all Sections of the syllabus after examining the comments
and suggestions of the respondents to the questionnaire, and those of the specialists, to indicate
clearly the breadth and depth to which the knowledge and skills in each Section should be covered.
While reviewing all Sections of the syllabus, they ensured that all the issues raised informed the
revision of all aspects of the syllabus and the assessment process. All Specific Objectives were re-
examined to ensure that they were in keeping with the Rationale and to ensure that the focus was on
awareness of essential information technology concepts, principles and approaches. They rewrote the
relevant Specific Objectives, and expanded the guidance given to teachers in the syllabus regarding
the content to be presented, as well as useful Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities.

26. Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities were drafted for each Section of the syllabus to
assist teachers in catering to the different learning styles of students and to stimulate and maintain
interest in the subject area. The Glossaries of Information Technology Concepts and Examination
Terms were also upgraded in the revised syllabus (see details in the syllabus in Appendix III).

PRESENTATION BY THE EXAMINATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OFFICER

27. The Assistant Registrar/Examinations Development and Production (Assistant
Registrar/EDPD) made a presentation to the Panel in which he explained the item development
process as well as the new SBA policy which allows students to engage in group submission of SBA
tasks. He also explained the requirement to develop the Paper 032 as the alternative to the SBA. He
recommended to the Panel that to satisfy the requirements for assessment, items should be
developed in keeping with the Specific Objectives as stated in the syllabus. Rubrics should also be
developed to facilitate the appropriate assessment of all areas. The Assistant Registrar/EDPD advised
the Panel about the importance of the Specimen Papers which served the main purpose of helping to
clarify the assessment specifications for users of the syllabus, and guide the Examining Committee.
Thus all aspects of the Specimen Papers including the items, rubrics and mark schemes must be clear
and of high quality.

DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIMEN PAPERS

28. The Panel, with the guidance of the Assistant Registrar/EDPD, reviewed the format of the
examinations for the syllabus, and clarified the profile dimensions. The Assistant Registrar/EDPD then
guided the Panel in constructing the Specimen Papers, mark schemes and the answer keys in
accordance with the amendments made to the syllabus and in keeping with the Council’s SBA policy
to ensure the psychometric robustness of the examinations, and subsequent reliability of the results.

29. The format and structure of the examination that was developed outlined Paper 01 which
comprises 60 multiple-choice items, 35 items from Sections 1, 2 and 3; 15 items from Sections 4, 5
and 6; and 10 items from Sections 7 and 8. Paper 02 will consist of four compulsory questions drawn
from all areas of the syllabus. Marks will be allocated as follows: 35 marks toward the Theory Profile,
30 marks toward the Productivity Tools Profile and 25 marks toward the Problem-Solving and
Programming Profile. Paper 031, the SBA, which accounts for 25 per cent of the final grade, will
comprise a practical project testing Section 4, Word-Processing and Web Page Design; Section 5,
Spreadsheets; Section 6, Database Management; Section 7, Problem-Solving and Program Design; and
Section 8, Program Implementation. Paper 032, the alternative to the SBA was developed to be a
written exam with questions based on a case study or data response mode, and lends itself to the testing
of the same skills targeted by the SBA. The nature of the SBA task to be assigned, as well as the mark
schemes and rubrics for the papers were adjusted to reflect the changes made to the syllabus and the
structure of the examinations.

9