First batch of Year 4 pupils set for Malaysia’s new Learning Matrix test this Oct

PUTRAJAYA, July 5 — Around 400,000 Year 4 pupils are expected to sit for the Year 4 Learning Matrix, the first cohort of the new assessment system, scheduled over three days from Oct 6 to 8.

Education Ministry Examinations Board (LP) director Ab Aziz Mamat said the assessment will be conducted simultaneously nationwide, with each subject tested in a written paper lasting one hour and 15 minutes.

He said four core subjects – Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics and Science, as well as Chinese or Tamil for national-type schools – will be assessed.

“For pupils with special learning needs in mainstream schools, additional time of 30 to 60 minutes will be provided,” he told Bernama.

He said schools are responsible for registering all Year 4 pupils to ensure adequate preparation of question papers and to avoid any candidate being left out.

Ab Aziz said the assessment instruments are developed by the LP together with teachers involved in classroom teaching, based on the Curriculum and Assessment Standard Document covering Year 1 to Year 4 content.

He said the papers include objective and subjective questions of varying formats and difficulty levels, designed to assess knowledge, application, problem-solving, reasoning and Higher Order Thinking Skills.

He added that international assessment frameworks such as the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, and the Programme for International Student Assessment were also taken into account to align pupils with global standards.

“To ensure public confidence, the assessment is centrally administered by the LP.

“LP will coordinate the printing of question papers, which will then be distributed to secure storage facilities nationwide. This ensures all schools receive the same question papers right up to the examination centres,” he said.

Ab Aziz said pupils under the Dual Language Programme will receive bilingual papers for Science and Mathematics, while others will sit for papers in the Malay language.

On marking, he said scripts will be assessed by pupils’ own subject teachers based on marking schemes provided by the LP, with moderation and verification processes in place to ensure assessment standards are maintained.

“This allows teachers to better understand their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses while marking the scripts,” he said.

He added that the grading and scoring system will follow that of the Final Academic Session Examination, but the results will not be used for entry into fully residential schools, MARA Junior Science Colleges or other specialised institutions, which will continue to use the Special School Entry Assessment.

In January, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the govt would introduce a new assessment approach under the Malaysia Learning Matrix as part of the National Education Blueprint 2026-2035, beginning with Year 4 pupils in 2026 and Form Three students in 2027. — Bernama