81.3% score at least five passes in 2012 GCE 'O' Levels

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Results of the 2012 Singapore—Cambridge GCE O—Level Examination were released on Thursday with 81.3 per cent having scored five or more passes.

It was slightly lower than the 81.9 per cent for the 2011 examination.

About 37,200 candidates took the examination, including about 3,000 private candidates.

Amid the increased concerns over the extreme pressure stemming from the Primary School Leaving Examination, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has stopped its practice of announcing the top—scoring students whenever it releases the results of national examinations.

The O—Level results released to the media on Thursday focused on the performance of the whole cohort.

This is the first time in many years that a top scorer in the O—level exam has not been named.

Instead, schools all over Singapore are recognising the efforts of many of their students who have had to overcome challenges to rise to the occasion.

Chung Cheng High School (Main) principal Pang Choon How, said: "We are looking at not just the academic, we are also emphasising that it is the effort that really counts. We are looking really at exemplary character and holistic education that we hope that we will be able to inspire them to carry on for the rest of their lives."