Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Amendment) Regulations, 2024

B

L.N. 247 of 2024

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Amendment) Regulations, 2024

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 Act

Citation

These regulations may be cited as the Secondary Education Certificate

Examination (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 and shall be read and construed as one

with the Secondary Education Certificate Examination Regulations, 2023, published

as Legal Notice 86 of 2023, hereinafter referred to as “the principal regulations”.

Applicability

These regulations shall apply to the examinations held from January

2027 onwards except for regulation 3 of these regulations which shall apply to

the examinations held from January 2025 onwards and January 2027 onwards, as

applicable, and regulation 26 of these regulations which shall apply to the examinations

held from January 2025 onwards.

Amendment to regulation 4 of the principal regulations

For paragraph (1) of regulation 4 of the principal regulations there

shall be substituted the following

“4. (1) In the Main Session the subjects offered shall be the following

As from January 2025 onwards

Accounting, Agribusiness*, Arabic, Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry,

Chinese, Computing, Core Science, Dance, Design & Technology, Economics,

English Language, English Literature, Engineering Technology*, Environmental

Studies, Ethics, European Studies, Fashion and Textiles*, French, Geography,

German, Graphical Communication, Greek, History, Hairdressing and Beauty*,

Health and Social Care*, Home Economics, Hospitality*, Information Technology*,

Italian, Latin, Maltese, Maltese as a Foreign Language, Mathematics, Media Literacy

Education*, Music, Physical Education, Physics, Religious Knowledge, Retail*,

Social Studies, Spanish and Theatre.

B

And as from January 2027 onwards

Accounting, Agribusiness*, Arabic, Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry,

Chinese, Computing, Dance, Design & Technology, Economics, English Language,

English Literature, Engineering Technology*, Environmental Studies, Ethics,

European Studies, Fashion and Textiles*, French, Geography, German, Graphical

Communication, Greek, History, Health and Social Care*, Home Economics,

Hospitality*, Information Technology*, Italian, Latin, Maltese, Maltese as a Foreign

Language, Mathematics, Media Literacy Education*, Music, Physical Education,

Physics, Religious Knowledge, Social Studies, Spanish and Theatre.”

Amendment to regulation 5 of the principal regulations

For paragraphs (1) and (2) of regulation 5 of the principal regulations

there shall be substituted the following

“5. (1) No subject may be taken concurrently in both the Secondary Education

Certificate Examination and the Matriculation Certificate Examination at Advanced

or Intermediate Level.

(2) Candidates are eligible to register for the Supplementary Session in

any of the subjects in paragraph (2) of regulation 4 only if, in the Main Session of

that same year, they had obtained a Level 2 or lower, or if they were absent in Paper

II, except for Biology, Chemistry and Physics which are regulated by paragraph (3)

of this regulation.”

Amendment to regulation 6 of the principal regulations

For regulation 6 of the principal regulations there shall be substituted the

following

“Structure of the Examination

(1) With the exception of Greek and Latin, candidates may register for the

Examination as school or private candidates. Candidates may only register for Greek

and Latin as private candidates.

(2) With the exception of the subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph

(1) of regulation 4

(a) the Examination in all other subjects shall consist of two papers: Paper

I and Paper II as specified in the respective syllabi;

(b) Paper I for school candidates shall consist of unmoderated school-based

assessment that is to be set and assessed by the school;

B

(c) Paper I for school candidates may be tiered at either levels 1-2-3 or

levels 1-2 according to the respective MATSEC syllabus;

(d) Paper I for private candidates shall be a controlled assessment and shall

mainly focus on the learning outcomes marked in the respective syllabi as suggested

for school-based assessment;

(e) Paper I for private candidates shall be a controlled assessment assessing

Levels 1, 2 and 3 as described in the respective syllabus and set and marked by

MATSEC;

(f) Paper II shall be a controlled assessment set and marked by MATSEC

and is common to school and private candidates;

(g) With the exception of Mathematics, all Paper II controlled assessments

shall be tiered at two levels: levels 1-2 and levels 2-3;

(h) Paper II for Mathematics shall be tiered at three levels: levels 1-2, levels

2-3 and levels 3-3*;

(i) Candidates shall be required to indicate on their application form whether

they wish to sit for their Paper II assessment at levels 1-2 or levels 2-3 or levels 3-3*

(for Mathematics only); and

(j) In the Supplementary Session, only levels 2-3 shall be offered for Paper

II and as indicated in paragraphs (2) and (3) of regulation 5.

(3) In all subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4

(a) the assessment for school candidates shall consist of three components.

Paper I shall consist of unmoderated school-based assessment that is set and assessed

by the school, a coursework component which shall be set and assessed by the school

and moderated by MATSEC and Paper II which shall consist of a controlled assessment

set and marked by MATSEC and is common to school and private candidates;

(b) Paper I, Paper II and the coursework component shall be set at levels

1-2-3; and

(c) Candidates may register as private candidates if they would have

already registered for the same subject in a previous Main Session. In such cases

the candidate’s Paper I mark and coursework mark are transferred from the previous

session.”

B

Amendment to regulation 7 of the principal regulations

6. For paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) of regulation 7 of the principal regulations

there shall be substituted the following

“7. (1) The attainment in Paper I for school candidates, Paper II and an overall

level shall be reported. In all subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of

regulation 4, the coursework mark shall also be reported.

(2) Candidates may qualify for an overall level at Levels 1, 2, or 3, with

Level 3 being the highest level. The level shall be determined by the cumulative score

of candidates in Paper I and Paper II and the coursework component in the subjects

marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4. The results of candidates

who do not achieve at least Level 1 shall not have a level awarded and shall be

reported by ‘NA’ which denotes Not Attained.

(3) Paper I shall carry a weighting of 30% of the final overall level. The

mark achieved by school candidates in Paper I shall be reported out of 30 marks,

with the highest mark being 30 and lowest being 0, denoting that the submitted work

by the candidate was not awarded any marks. The letters ‘np’ shall be reported for

candidates who do not submit any work. With the exception of all subjects marked

with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4, private candidates shall have the

letters ‘PC’ reported representing ‘private candidate’ instead of the score for Paper I.

(4) With the exception of all subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph

(1) of regulation 4, school candidates who would have done their school-based

assessment, or part of, at levels 1-2 and sit for their Paper II at levels 2-3 shall have

their school-based assessment mark weighted at 60% of its value for the computation

of an overall level. In such cases the weighted value shall be reported.”

Paragraphs (4) and (5) of regulation 7 of the principal regulations shall be

renumbered as paragraphs (5) and (6).

Paragraph (6) of regulation 7 of the principal regulations shall be

renumbered as paragraph (7) and shall be substituted by the following

“(7) With the exception of Mathematics and all subjects marked with an

asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4, candidates sitting for Paper II at levels 2-3

may qualify for Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. The results of candidates who do not

obtain at least Grade 7 shall remain unclassified and shall be denoted as U.”

The following paragraph (8) shall be added after paragraph (7) of

regulation 7 of the principal regulations

B

“(8) Candidates sitting for Mathematics Paper II at levels 2-3 may qualify

for Grades 4, 5, 6 or 7, whilst candidates sitting for Mathematics Paper II at levels

3-3* may qualify for Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.”

Paragraphs (7) and (8) of regulation 7 of the principal regulations shall

be renumbered as paragraphs (9) and (10) and shall be substituted by the following

“(9) With the exception of all subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph

(1) of regulation 4, candidates sitting for Paper II at levels 1-2 may qualify for Grades

6, 7 or 8. The results of candidates who do not obtain at least Grade 8 shall remain

unclassified and shall be denoted as U.

(10) Candidates taking the subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1)

of regulation 4 may qualify for Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 for their performance

in Paper II. The results of candidates who do not obtain at least Grade 8 shall remain

unclassified and shall be denoted as U.”

The following paragraph (11) shall be added after paragraph (10) of

regulation 7 of the principal regulations

“(11) In subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4,

the coursework component shall carry a weighting of 30% of the final overall level.

The mark achieved by school candidates in the coursework shall be reported out

of 30 marks, with the highest mark being 30 and lowest being 0, denoting that the

submitted work by the candidate was not awarded any marks. The letters ‘np’ shall be

reported when candidates do not submit any work.”

Paragraphs (9) to (10) of regulation 7 of the principal regulations shall

be renumbered as paragraphs (12) and (13) and shall be substituted by the following

“(12) With the exception of subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph

(1) of regulation 4, candidates are to fulfil the set criteria in Paper I and Paper II to

obtain a level higher than Level 1.

(13) For subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4,

candidates are to attempt all assessment components and fulfil the set criteria in the

coursework component and in Paper II to obtain a level higher than Level 1.”

Amendment to regulation 8 of the principal regulations

For paragraph (2) of regulation 8 of the principal regulations there shall

be substituted the following

“(2) Registration for the Main Session of the Examination, on the appropriate

application form and accompanied by the relevant fee (if applicable), 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 the relevant fee for late registrations is paid.”

B

Paragraphs (5) and (6) of regulation 8 of the principal regulations shall

be deleted.

Paragraphs (7) and (8) of regulation 8 of the principal regulations shall

be renumbered as paragraphs (5) and (6).

For paragraph (5) of regulation 8 of the principal regulations there shall

be substituted the following

“(5) The Executive Director may, at their discretion, accept late applications

for the Supplementary Session after the closing date if an additional fee is paid.”

Amendment to regulation 9 of the principal regulations

For regulation 9 of the principal regulations there shall be substituted

the following

“Enquiries Regarding Results

9. The marking of papers, the assessment of school-based assessments and

coursework, and the results shall be final and binding for all candidates, and the

MATSEC Board shall not, except in its absolute discretion, enter into correspondence

about results with candidates or anyone on their behalf or any other person.”

Amendment to regulation 10 of the principal regulations

Paragraph (2) of regulation 10 of the principal regulations shall be

deleted.

Paragraph (3) of regulation 10 of the principal regulations shall be

renumbered as paragraph (2) and shall be substituted by the following

“(2) Following the review of the examination scripts, the candidate’s result

may be confirmed or upgraded. The revised result shall be final.”

Amendment to regulation 11 of the principal regulations

For paragraphs (1) and (2) of regulation 11 of the principal regulations

there shall be substituted the following

“11. (1) A certificate showing the level obtained in each subject, together

with the criteria for the award of the level as laid down in paragraph (2) of regulation

7, shall be issued once only to candidates who obtain Levels 1, 2 and 3. The certificate

shall also show the attainment mark of Paper I and the grade obtained in the Paper II

in the respective subject/s. In the subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1)

of regulation 4, the certificate shall also show the attainment mark of the coursework

component.

B

(2) With the exception of all subjects marked with an asterisk in

paragraph (1) of regulation 4, for subjects being taken privately, the certificate shall

show the letters ‘PC’ instead of the Paper I mark.”

Amendment to regulation 13 of the principal regulations

For paragraph (5) of regulation 13 of the principal regulations there

shall be substituted the following

“(5) With the exception of all subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph

(1) of regulation 4, school-based assessments shall be set at either levels 1-2 only or

levels 1-2-3. The highest level shall have a larger allocation of marks.”

The following paragraph (6) shall be added after paragraph (5) of

regulation 13 of the principal regulations

“(6) In all subjects marked with an asterisk in paragraph (1) of regulation 4,

school-based assessments shall be set at levels 1-2-3 and shall assess the set criteria.”

Paragraphs (6) to (9) of regulation 13 of the principal regulations shall

be renumbered as paragraphs (7) to (10).

Addition of regulation 14 to the principal regulations

The following regulation 14 shall be added after regulation 13 of the

principal regulations

“Coursework

14. (1) Coursework shall only be accepted from schools approved by the

MATSEC Board.

(2) Coursework shall only be accepted if the coursework is designed

and marked as per MATSEC syllabi and regulations. Fair marking necessitates the

use of marking schemes.

(3) Coursework shall be set at levels 1-2-3.

(4) Coursework shall be marked out of 60 marks each year (Years 9, 10

and 11). The assessment for each year shall contribute 10% to the overall mark and

shall be reported to the MATSEC Board by the school in Year 11. Therefore, each

year shall equally contribute to the final mark of the coursework component.

(5) Coursework must be available for moderation as instructed by

MATSEC.

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

coursework.

(7) The coursework assessment results awarded by the candidates’

schools must reach the MATSEC Board by the date specified by the Board.

(8) Coursework assessment results may be retained for five subsequent

sessions of the Examination unless the respective syllabus states that the set

coursework is no longer valid.

(9) Private candidates shall not be allowed to submit coursework.”

Renumbering of regulations 14 to 19 of the principal regulations

Regulations 14 to 19 of the principal regulations shall be renumbered as

regulations 15 to 20.

Amendment to regulation 15 of the principal regulations

For paragraph (3) of regulation 15 of the principal regulations there shall

be substituted the following

“(3) A Supplementary Session for the oral/aural components shall be made

available to candidates who are marked absent for a justified reason in the Main

Session of the oral/aural examination, provided that they are either covered by a

medical certificate indicating that the examination by the medical professional was

not done later than the day of the assessment and submitted to MATSEC on the day of

the missed examination or they are absent for a reason deemed valid by the MATSEC

Board. Candidates who are absent for the oral/ aural examination in the Main Session

without a valid reason shall not be awarded any marks and shall not be entitled to a

supplementary oral/aural examination.”

Amendment to regulation 16 of the principal regulations

For paragraph (2) of regulation 16 of the principal regulations there

shall be substituted the following

“(2) The use of non-programmable, non-graphical electronic calculators is

permitted unless otherwise specified in the related syllabi. Calculators or devices that

can connect to the internet are not allowed.”

€0.72