Five schools replayed audio tracks at O-level listening exam due to environmental noise

Students sitting the O-level English Language listening exam on Oct 16 took to online discussion board Reddit the same day to express frustration that some schools had replayed parts of the audio tracks.

- Ng Wei Kai

This could give students in those schools an unfair advantage, they said, as they were being assessed on their comprehension of the audio passages.

In response to media queries, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said in a statement on Oct 18 that five schools replayed part of the audio tracks in one or two of their classrooms due to environmental noise, such as bells ringing or heavy vehicles moving, or muffled playback from speakers.

This was out of 140 examination centres where the exam was conducted.

SEAB said examination centres are allowed to replay affected tracks to ensure fair assessment for impacted students, and that examination personnel would assess the impact and determine whether a replay is required.