Mention the number of 'A's and most people would think of our school examinations like SPRM. SPM or STPM. Parents and students alike would spare no effort nor expense in trying for the most number of 'A's and be the top student of the year in the country. The frenzy to obtain the most number of distinctions led to a crazy record of 17! But the euphoria was short-lived when such top students did not do well in their further studies in universities.
Discerning people would ask about the threshold mark above which a student is awarded an 'A'. To fine-tune this, there are now three sub-classifications: A+, A and A-, if I am not mistaken. Again, we need to know what is the relevant threshold mark for each sub-classification. For comparison purposes, we must be able to compare like with like, and in this case, actual marks are certainly better for this purpose than grades. Despite its limitations, grades serve as a useful benchmark for admissions into colleges and universities. But those institutions with higher standards and higher demand for places, would require further tests of their own to separate the wheat from the chaff.
This morning, we had a good laugh when having breakfast in a so-called 'dirty coffeeshop' (nicknamed by us) in Pusing. A couple who were late phoned us to ask where we were, and my friend had to be specific and referred to it as 'the dirty coffeeshop'! We were not worried that the stall operators and staff could hear him because they are Chinese educated with minimal knowledge of English. But another friend in a later discussion actually mentioned it in Cantonese, 'lah chah' stall and we were worried then!
I was sitting facing a wall, and I could see the notices on it. There was the usual certificate of business registration; a food preparation certificate; a Chinese newspaper write-up; colourful pictures of different dishes on offer; and a 'B' grade in cleaniness certificate issued by Majlis Daerah Kinta Barat! The issuing authority's name tells us that it was issued years ago because it is now known as Majlis Daerah Batu Gajah. We were tickled by the grade given because to us it is still known as the dirty stall.
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Discerning people would ask about the threshold mark above which a student is awarded an 'A'. To fine-tune this, there are now three sub-classifications: A+, A and A-, if I am not mistaken. Again, we need to know what is the relevant threshold mark for each sub-classification. For comparison purposes, we must be able to compare like with like, and in this case, actual marks are certainly better for this purpose than grades. Despite its limitations, grades serve as a useful benchmark for admissions into colleges and universities. But those institutions with higher standards and higher demand for places, would require further tests of their own to separate the wheat from the chaff.
This morning, we had a good laugh when having breakfast in a so-called 'dirty coffeeshop' (nicknamed by us) in Pusing. A couple who were late phoned us to ask where we were, and my friend had to be specific and referred to it as 'the dirty coffeeshop'! We were not worried that the stall operators and staff could hear him because they are Chinese educated with minimal knowledge of English. But another friend in a later discussion actually mentioned it in Cantonese, 'lah chah' stall and we were worried then!
I was sitting facing a wall, and I could see the notices on it. There was the usual certificate of business registration; a food preparation certificate; a Chinese newspaper write-up; colourful pictures of different dishes on offer; and a 'B' grade in cleaniness certificate issued by Majlis Daerah Kinta Barat! The issuing authority's name tells us that it was issued years ago because it is now known as Majlis Daerah Batu Gajah. We were tickled by the grade given because to us it is still known as the dirty stall.
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