Fewer students scored A+ and A- in this year's SPM

Fewer students scored A+ and A-  in this year's Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

This was caused by the new question format, which required a different way of thinking, used in the exam. Students who focused on lessons and knowledge had a higher chance of securing excellent results.

According to the report 11,289 or 2.6% of the 455,839 candidates who sat for the SPM examination last year obtained the A grade in all the subjects they took, down from the 13,970 in 2013.

Out of the 11,289 students who got perfect results, 9,438 of them were candidates from schools under the ministry, while 2,078 were not from schools under the ministry.

This year's National Average Grade (GPN) is 5.08 whereas in 2013 it was 4.93, down 0.15. A smaller GPN value corresponds to a better performance.

A total of 455,839 candidates sat for the SPM examination last year between November 3 and December 3, fewer by 14,556 or 3.1% from the previous year.