Matriculation Examination Regulations, 2013

L.N. 133 of 2013

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Matriculation Examination Regulations, 2013

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon him by articles 74 (5) and 75

(6) of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has

promulgated the following regulations made by the Senate of the University of Malta

by virtue of the powers conferred upon it by articles 75 (3) and 79 (b) of the said

Citation and Interpretation

(1) These regulations may be cited as the Matriculation Examination

Regulations, 2013.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires –

“the Certificate” means the Matriculation Certificate;

“the Examination” means the Matriculation Examination; and

“the MATSEC Board” means the Matriculation and Secondary Education

Certificate Examinations Board.

(3) The MATSEC Board retains to itself the interpretation of the regulations

and syllabuses relating to its examinations.

Applicability

(1) These regulations shall apply to the examinations held from 1 st

September, 2012 onwards.

(2) The Examination shall also be subject to the Conduct of the Matriculation

and Secondary Education Certificate Examinations Regulations, 2013.

Levels and Sessions of the Examination

(1) The Examination shall be held at two levels: Advanced (AM) Level and

Intermediate (IM) Level.

(2) There shall be two sessions of the Examination: the First Session shall

be held during the period April to June, and the Second Session shall be held in

September of each year.

Subjects of the Examination

(1) The Examination is offered in a wide range of subjects as follows

Group l: Maltese, Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Russian,

Spanish;

Group 2: Accounting, Classical Studies*, Economics, Geography, History, Marketing,

Philosophy, Psychology* (as from 2014), Religious Knowledge, Sociology;

Group 3: Applied Mathematics (Mechanics), Biology, Chemistry, Environmental

Science*, Physics, Pure Mathematics;

Group 4: Art, Computing, Engineering Drawing, Graphical Communication,

Home Economics and Human Ecology, Information Technology; Music; Physical

Education* (as from 2014); Theatre and Performance*;

Group 5: Systems of Knowledge*.

* offered at Intermediate Level only

(2) No subject may be taken at both Advanced and Intermediate Levels, and

SEC Levels in the same session of examinations.

(3) In the Second Session candidates shall be allowed to sit for a maximum

of six subjects as follows: one subject at Advanced Level and a maximum of five

subjects at Intermediate Level restricted to one subject from each of Groups 1, 2, 3,

4 and 5.

Award of the Certificate

(1) To qualify for the Certificate, candidates must pass the examinations

taken within a period of five years from the first sitting of any examination offered

within the Examination.

(2) The Certificate shall be awarded to candidates who

(a) sit for

(i) one subject chosen from each of Groups 1, 2, 3 and 5 and two

other subjects chosen from Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 indicated in regulation 4; and

(ii) two of the six subjects must be at Advanced Level, three other

subjects at Intermediate Level and the subject in Group 5; and

(b) obtain

(i) a pass in at least one of the subjects offered from each of Groups

1, 2 and 3, and a pass in the subject in Group 5; and

(ii) a minimum of 44 grade points as indicated in paragraph (5) of

this regulation.

(3) The following restrictions apply for the award of the Certificate

(a) No subject may be presented at both Advanced and Intermediate Levels;

(b) Not more than two of Accounting, Economics, and Marketing may be

presented;

(c) Environmental Science may not be presented with IM and AM Biology,

Chemistry, or Physics;

(d) Computing may not be presented with Information Technology;

(e) Engineering Drawing may not be presented with Graphical

Communication

(At Intermediate Level the two subjects become one: Engineering Drawing and

Graphical Communication); and

(f) Classical Studies may not be presented with Latin or Greek.

(4) Candidates who satisfy all the criteria in this regulation shall be awarded

the Certificate on the basis of the best results obtained. The Certificate shall be issued

once only and it shall indicate that the candidate has satisfied the criteria for the

award. Candidates shall also receive a transcript of the results obtained in individual

subjects as established in regulation 6 below.

(5) Grade points shall be awarded for all subjects passed, up to a total of

100 grade points, as follows

Advanced Level

Intermediate Level

Grade A - 30 grade points

Grade A - 10 grade points

Grade B - 24 grade points

Grade B - 8 grade points

Grade C - 18 grade points

Grade C - 6 grade points

Grade D - 12 grade points

Grade D - 4 grade points

Grade E - 6 grade points

Grade E - 2 grade points.

Results

(1) The results obtained in the individual subjects shall be given as grades

A, B, C, D, and E in descending order of merit. F indicates Fail and ‘abs’ indicates

Absent for the examination.

(2) The results sent to candidates shall show the subjects in which a pass

grade had been awarded as well as the subjects in which the standard required for the

lowest grade was not reached.

(3) The MATSEC Board shall issue certificates for each session showing

the subjects in which a pass grade has been awarded.

(4) An authenticated copy of the results may be obtained from the MATSEC

Board against a fee as determined by the University.

Registration

(1) Registration for the examinations online or on the appropriate application

form and accompanied by the relevant fee, must be made by the closing date as

published in the notice for registration. Applications submitted after the closing date

but by the published date for late applications shall be accepted if an additional fee

is paid.

(2) Applications for registration for the First and Second Sessions at a later

date may be accepted at the Registrar’s discretion against the payment of a further

additional fee.

(3) Alterations to the application form may only be made by the candidates

subject to the same conditions and additional fees applicable for late registration.

(4) Private candidates must submit their project proposals as specified in the

syllabus.

Enquiries upon Results

The marking of papers and the results shall be final and binding on all

candidates and the MATSEC Board shall not, except in its absolute discretion,

enter into correspondence about results with candidates or their parents or any other

person.

Candidates with Special Needs

(1) Candidates with special needs may be given the option to be exempted

from being examined in a particular component of the examination, such as an oral

or a practical examination. When candidates accept the option and their work is pro-

rated to compensate for the missing component, their Certificate shall be endorsed as

follows

‘Special arrangements were made to enable the candidate to be assessed in this

subject. Details may be obtained from the Registrar.’

(2) Such certificates shall only be issued as a last resort when ways

cannot be found of supporting candidates with special needs to satisfy examination

requirements.

(3) Applications requesting special arrangements shall be made on the

appropriate form, within the date stipulated by the MATSEC Board, and must be

endorsed by the Head of the candidate’s school and supported by appropriate medical

or other professional evidence issued within the period/periods specified in the

Guidelines to MATSEC Examinations Access Arrangements - 2011 published by the

Access – Disability Support Committee and approved by the Senate.

Coursework

(1) All coursework is to be available at the candidates’ schools for

moderation by the Markers’ Panel.

(2) The school assessments must reach the MATSEC Support Unit by the

date specified by the MATSEC Board.

(3) Private candidates are required to submit their coursework as

established by the MATSEC Board, with a dated endorsement showing where it was

carried out, by the date specified by the MATSEC Board.

(4) Candidates may be called for an interview relating to their

coursework.

(5) Coursework assessment marks may also be retained for subsequent

sessions of the Examination for a period of up to five years, but the candidates may,

at their option, present new or revised coursework.

Oral/Aural Components of the Examination

Oral/aural examinations shall be held in both the First and the Second

Sessions of the Examination.

Examination Work

(1) Candidates are expected to bear in mind the necessity for good

expression and orderly presentation in their examination answers.

(2) All work submitted in connection with the Examination, including

written work and coursework, shall remain the property of the MATSEC Board, but

may be returned to the candidates at the discretion of the MATSEC Board.

Structure of Examination Papers

Each Advanced and Intermediate Matriculation examination has its own

particular structure.

Examination Materials

(1) No texts or dictionaries are permitted in the examination room unless

specifically indicated in the syllabus.

(2) The use of non-programmable electronic calculators is permitted in

Mathematics, science subjects, and related subjects, unless indicated otherwise in

the syllabus.

(3) A booklet with mathematical formulae shall be supplied by the

MATSEC Board where appropriate.

Revision of Examination Scripts

(1) In terms of the Conduct of the Matriculation and Secondary

Certificate Examinations Regulations, 2013, candidates who are not satisfied with

the grade awarded to them in any of the subjects for which they sat, may request a

revision of their examination scripts, within the period specified by the MATSEC

Board and against a fee as determined by the University.

(2) The revised result shall be final.

Language of Examination

Candidates are required to answer in the language the questions are set,

unless otherwise specified in the examination paper.

Conduct during the Examination

(1) Candidates shall not be allowed into an examination room after the first

half hour of the examination, and they shall not be allowed to leave the examination

room, temporarily or permanently, during the first half hour and during the last quarter

of an hour of an examination.

(2) Mobile phones, books, note-books, and any other unauthorized aids to

the examination (including electronic aids) must be left outside the examination room

or delivered to the invigilator before the examination questions are distributed.

(3) Candidates shall be provided with one or more examination booklets,

which must be filled in accordance with the directions printed on the cover of the

booklet. No part of an examination booklet may be torn off, and no examination

booklet or part thereof may be taken outside the examination room.

(4) When an index number is used, candidates must not write their name

on any part of the examination booklet or make any mark thereon calculated to

disclose their identity to a marker.

(5) Candidates caught cheating, or attempting to cheat, during an

examination or in any way caught taking, or attempting to take, an unfair advantage

over other candidates shall be subject to disciplinary procedures as established in the

Conduct of the Matriculation and Secondary Certificate Examinations Regulations,

2013. Repeal

The Matriculation Certificate Examination Regulations, 2005, published

as Legal Notice 189 of 2005, shall be deemed to cease to be in force as from 31st

August 2012.

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