More than 14,000 writing NGSA this week

SOME 14,000 GRADE SIX STUDENTS IN THE 11 EDUCATION DISTRICTS are set to
write the annual National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) tests over two days beginning this
Wednesday.
“To help our pupils prepare for the examination, each pupil was given a study package
containing social studies and science notes, worksheets for the four subjects, past papers from the
last five years and 12 textbooks on the four subject areas of English, Mathematics, Science and
Social Studies,” the Education Ministry said in a press release.
The 14,000 NGSA students will write English papers One and Two in the morning and the two
science papers in the afternoon.
On Thursday, the candidates will take the two parts of the mathematics exams in the morning
and Social Studies papers one and two in the afternoon.
The MOE press release has assured adequate safety measures and guidelines are in place due to
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the safe and incident-free-writing of this year’s
examinations. The measures include sanitising and washing of candidates’ hands before entering
all examination buildings; that they wear recommended face masks; observing and maintaining
physical distancing at all times; and the cleaning and sanitizing of buildings and furniture.
All candidates must be clad either in their respective school uniforms or in modest clothing with
little or no writing, pictures and ordiagrams that would encourage cheating.
There will be a break for lunch between the morning or afternoon exam sessions for lunch.
Students must return 15 minutes before the scheduled beginning of exams in the afternoon.
Students are allowed a bottle of water or suitable liquid with them into the examination room as
long as the labels do not have information likely to help students answer questions in the four
subject areas.

The ministry has expanded the examination centres by 33 this year in the 11 districts (the
10 Administrative Regions plus Georgetown) because of the pandemic to guarantee
candidates’ safety.