The Matsec Board said today that it will apply a 5% compensation on the marks attained in the Italian Sec exam listening comprehension following complaints by candidates about poor sound quality.component of the exam in Malta.

Candidates can also resit if they wish. 

In a statement this evening, MATSEC explained that the Italian SEC examination consists of four components. The modules carry the following marks:

Listening comprehension – 21%; the oral part- 14%; reading module – 20% and written paper – 45%.

In a bid to obtain a clear indication of the candidates’ performance in the listening comprehension section, the Matsec Board said it had instructed markers to correct a representative sample of the papers amounting to 25% of the cohort of students that sat for the examination.

This ensured that the resulting performance was indicative of the overall general performance of students in the listening comprehension component, including Gozitan students.

The marks registered by the sample compared very well with the marks registered in 2015 and 2016.

"Despite these findings, Matsec has decided to apply a 5% compensation on the marks attained in this component of the exam in Malta," the board said. 

It said it was confident that this correctional computation would ensure that no student was disadvantaged as a result of the sound quality of the Italian listening comprehension.

Should candidates still like to re-take this component, a special session will be held on Friday 26th May. Students who opt for such a resit will do so on the understanding that the mark obtained in this sitting will replace the original mark.

All students who sat for the Italian listening comprehension SEC exam will be receiving an e-mail with the details. Those planning on re-taking the component need to apply, free of charge, at the Matsec offices on the 20th, 21st, 24th or 25th April 2017 during normal office hours.

Gozitan candidates are to apply at the Examinations Centre in Victoria on the same dates.

Matsec said it has ascertained that the sound system used for the Spanish and German listening comprehensions was satisfactory and the circumstances do not warrant the application of special considerations.

A copy of the full report of the investigation can be downloaded from the MATSEC website at the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/313308/SECItalianLC_report.pdf 

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.