Important
The UPSR is no longer held. The 2020 sitting was cancelled because of Covid-19, so the last UPSR took place in 2019. On 28 April 2021 Malaysia's Ministry of Education (KPM) abolished it completely from 2021. Year 6 pupils are now assessed in school through classroom-based assessment (Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah, PBD), with no national exam in its place.
Overview
The Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR, Primary School Achievement Test) was the national exam taken by all Malaysian pupils at the end of Year 6, the last year of primary school. It was set by the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (Lembaga Peperiksaan) under the Ministry of Education. It began in 1988, replacing the Standard Five assessment, and its format was last overhauled in 2016.
The Ministry's own UPSR pages are no longer online, so this page relies on news reports and secondary sources and describes the exam as it was.
Exam pattern
The UPSR was usually held in September.
| School type | Papers |
|---|---|
| National schools (SK) | Bahasa Malaysia comprehension, Bahasa Malaysia writing, English comprehension, English writing, Mathematics, Science (6 papers) |
| Chinese national-type schools (SJK(C)) | The 6 papers above plus Chinese comprehension and Chinese writing (8 papers) |
| Tamil national-type schools (SJK(T)) | The 6 papers above plus Tamil comprehension and Tamil writing (8 papers) |
Science was added to the UPSR in 1997, and Mathematics gained subjective (written-answer) questions in 1995.
Marking and results
From 2016, each paper was graded on this scale:
| Grade | Marks |
|---|---|
| A | 80 to 100 |
| B | 65 to 79 |
| C | 50 to 64 |
| D | 40 to 49 |
| E | 0 to 39 (fail) |
Results fed into selection for secondary schools such as full boarding schools, national religious secondary schools (SMKA), MARA Junior Science Colleges and the Royal Military College.
How it ended
15 April 2020: Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin cancelled the 2020 UPSR and PT3 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the ministry would find another way to select pupils for full boarding schools, SMKA, MARA Junior Science Colleges and the Royal Military College.
28 April 2021: the minister announced that the UPSR was abolished completely from 2021 after consultation with more than 1,700 participants, including head teachers, teachers, parent-teacher associations and unions.
The ministry said it would strengthen classroom-based assessment (PBD) as the way pupils are assessed.
FAQs
Is the UPSR still held?
No. It was cancelled in 2020 and abolished from 2021. Primary pupils are now assessed by their own schools through classroom-based assessment (PBD).
When was the last UPSR?
The last UPSR was held in 2019. The 2020 exam was cancelled because of Covid-19, and the exam was abolished in April 2021.