KUCHING: The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2020 examination was indeed a new and unique experience for students due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its disruptive effects on the education sector.
Not only did students have to cope with the pressure of studying for their public examination, they were also forced to quickly adapt to the different circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
Many students also lament the fact that they had to miss out on the experience of finishing their last year of high school physically in their school alongside their teachers and peers, as a significant portion of the schooling year had been shifted to the online platform.
Several students from St Joseph’s Private School (SJPS) have shared a few words on their experience of preparing for their SPM 2020 examination.
CHONG JIA CHERN (8[A+], 1[A], 1[A-])
The constant postponement of the final exam took my confidence and energy away from studying. However, I felt relieved and glad to have passed the exam with flying colours. I thank all my teachers, family and friends. I plan to continue my studies in Singapore, to be an engineer.
SEAN TAN HUAN ZHI (8[A+], 1[A], 1[A-])
It was tough to be self-disciplined and ignore all distractions to revise for SPM. For this, I thank my teachers and also my parents. I am proud of what I have achieved. My hard work has paid off.
LEE KIAN HAO (7[A+], 1[A], 1[A-])
Although online lessons are not as effective and as interactive as physical classes, I still learned a lot. The most challenging part was losing motivation easily partly due to the boring study environment.
STEVE ALASTAIR BETI BERIAK (6[A+], 4[A])
As the SPM kept getting delayed, my motivation continued to drop. The world is too vast to have only one target, so I want to explore more first before deciding on a job. A job you enjoy is also a hobby that brings you money.
DICKSON PHUA LI SHENG (5[A+] 5[A])
The pandemic made me realise how I had taken school for granted. I regret that I did not experience my last year in secondary school, and when the SPM exam kept getting postponed, it almost made me lose hope and give up.
DAPHNE LAI QIAN LING (1[A+], 5[A], 3[A-])
I had so much time to prepare for the SPM. However, it is quite sad that I did not have the chance to attend my last year of high school. It took me some time to get used to online lessons.
KUEK SIN LIN (2[A+], 3[A], 1[A-], 2[B+], 1[B])
I missed going to school as face-to-face teaching is better. During online classes, I tried to focus on the teacher as there were too many distractions at home. I’m quite happy with my results. My ambition is to be an architect.
Jane Paul Yeo (1[A], 1[A-], 5[B+], 2[B])
I was comfortable studying at home. At the same time, I feel sad and lonely because I can’t see my friends. The most challenging aspect of course was the stress of preparing for the SPM.
Carmen Hii Sing Yii (2[A], 1[B+], 2[C+], 2[C], 2[D])
Preparing for the exam was stressful. I’m quite happy with my performance. I will be studying Early Childhood Education as I want to be a kindergarten teacher in the future.
ANDREA WONG YU WERN (2[A], 1[A-], 1[B], 3[C+], 2[C], 1[E])
I actually found it easier to study because of the comfort of home. Online classes were hard to adapt to although teachers allowed students to learn through fun and colourful quizzes.
