UPSR

Introduction
• Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah, is a national
examination taken by all students in Malaysia at the
end of their sixth year in primary school before they
leave for secondary school.
• It is prepared and examined by the Malaysian
Examinations Syndicate (Lembaga Peperiksaan
Malaysia)
• Starting from 2016, students in national schools
(sekolah kebangsaan) are required to take six subjects.
Students in Chinese and Tamil national-type schools
(sekolah jenis kebangsaan) are required to take two
additional language subjects, totalling eight subjects.
• Multiple choice questions are tested using a
standardised optical answer sheet that
uses optical mark recognition for detecting
answers.
• This exam annually on September, 4 - 5 days
• The score is calculated based on a bell curve
optical mark recognition
 Grading on a curve
A method of assigning grades designed to yield
a normal distribution among the students in a class
 Subjects
Before 2016 2016 onwards…
5 subjects for SK 6 subjects for SK
7 subjects for SJK 8 subjects for SJK

• Bahasa Malaysia (Comprehension) • Bahasa Malaysia (Comprehension)

• Bahasa Malaysia (Writing)
• Mathematics
• Science
• English (Comprehension + Writing)
• Chinese and Tamil (Comprehension)
• Chinese and Tamil (Writing)
• Bahasa Malaysia (Writing)
• Mathematics
• Science
• English (Comprehension)
• English (Writing)
• Chinese and Tamil (Comprehension)
• Chinese and Tamil (Writing)

 Each of the two Bahasa Malaysia subjects is offered at two different levels: the
harder SK level and the easier SJK level, due to the difference in the Bahasa
Malaysia syllabus taught in SK and SJK. However, SJK students may opt to sit for the
SK paper with permission from their schools.
 Language paper (BM, BI, BC/BT)
Before 2016 2016 onwards…
Paper 1 : multiple choice paper Paper 1 : multiple choice paper
(40 questions) (20 questions + 3
40 x 2.5 = 100 marks comprehensions)
50 x 2 = 100 marks

Paper 2 : 3 questions Paper 2 : 3 questions

Sec A - Fill in the blanks Sec A - Write 5 sentences
Sec B - Write an opinion Sec B - Text completion
Sec C - Write an essay Sec C - Write an essay
50 x 2 = 100 marks 50 x 2 = 100 marks
 Mathematics
The mathematics examination is divided into two papers, paper 1 and paper 2.

Before 2016 2016 onwards

• Paper 1 - 40 multiple choice questions • Paper 1 - 40 multiple choice questions
(40 x 1.5 = 60 marks) (40 marks)
• Paper 2 - 20 questions in total. (40 • Paper 2 - 15 questions in total. (60
marks) marks)
1-5, 1 mark 1-5, 3 mark
6-15, 2 marks 6-10, 4 marks
16-20, 3 marks 11 - 15, 5 marks
Paper 1 + Paper 2 = 100 marks Paper 1 + Paper 2 = 100 marks
Questions that are frequently asked in this exam
are fractions, subtraction, multiplication, division, addition, area and volume, mass,
perimeter, decimal points,average, data, digit numbers, percentage, money, time,
date and duration
 Science
The first batch who took this exam were the candidates sitting for the UPSR year
1997.
The science is divided into two papers, paper 1 and paper 2.

Before 2016 2016 onwards

• Paper 1 - 30 multiple choice questions • Paper 1 - 40 multiple choice
• Paper 2 - 5 subjective questions in questions
total. Each question has 3 to 5 sub- • Paper 2 - 8 subjective questions. Each
questions which carry 1 to 3 marks question has 3 to 5 sub-questions
depending on the question. The total which carry 1 to 3 marks depending
weight that can be given here is 20. on the question. The total weight
that can be given here is 40.
When one adds the score of both When one adds the score of both
papers, that person must multiply it by 2 papers, that person must multiply it by
to get the grand total. 1.25 to get the grand total.
High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
 Examining and result

All objective A council will be

answer sheets called to
After the
are examined by ascertain the The results are
completion of all
computer, and specific marks then printed and
exams, the exam
all subjective for the grade of distributed to
papers will be
answer sheets each subject the education
brought to
are marked by (the standard department of
centres across
professional mark for an 'A' every district.
the country to
examiners. grade is 80 and Usually, the
be evaluated.
After completion above, however, results are
The distribution should the year's announced on
the examination
of papers across cohort perform the last
of all papers, the
all the states can badly, the marks Thursday of the
marks will be
be random or may be lowered school year
registered into
otherwise to 70+ and
an online
system. above for an 'A').
 Grading
Before 2016 2016 onwards

A - 80 ~100 A - 80 ~100
B - 60 ~ 79 B - 65 ~ 79
C - 40 ~ 59 C - 50 ~ 59
D - 20 ~ 39 D - 40 ~ 49
E - 0 ~ 19 E - 0 ~ 39
 2014 UPSR paper leak

• On 10 September 2014, the Examinations Syndicate

had made a statement stating that instead of the
Science paper(018, 028, 038) being sat the next day, it
would be postponed to 30 September. The reason
given for the postponement was due to the fact that
the question paper was leaked on social media.
• A few days later, another statement had been made
saying that the English paper(014) has also been leaked
and will be sat on the same day.
• About a week later, the Education Ministry announced
that the Tamil(036, 037) and Maths (Paper 1(015/1,
025/1, 035/1)) papers were also found to be hacked,
and would be sat on 9 October.
PPSR 2018