The secondary education certificate and matriculation examinations in Malta : a case study

Abstract

This monograph sets out to present a case study of a significant innovation in Malta, the setting up of an indigenous system of examinations at the secondary- school and post-secondary-school levels. It is an important innovation not only in its own right, but also because it is a rare example of a small State setting up its own end-of-cycle certification, rather than using that provided by metropolitan countries such as the United Kingdom or France (Bray, 1998). First, a brief overview is given of those features of the Maltese education system which I consider to be the most relevant to the issue of examinations, since this is the backdrop against which current practices have to be located. This is followed by a description of the methodological strategies employed in writing this account. Details are then provided about the origins and development of the present system of assessment, its functioning and status, as well as about its impact on teaching and learning in Malta.