What is Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate?

Pacific senior Secondary Certificate or PSSC in short, is an examination awarded by the South Pacific Board for EducationalAssessment to the students in the Pacific. Specifically the countries that are presenting candidates to the examination are Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Nauru. The examination is taken at the end of year 12 in all countries using the examination except in Samoa where the examination is taken in year 13.

The main features of the certificate are:

An emphasis on satisfactory completion of the approved course of study;

Assessment of student's performance throughout each course using methods approved by SPBEA;

The award of grades which recognize a student's achievement in each course completed, and

A system of moderation which provides for standards to be comparable across all schools and countries.

How are the results of the examination reported?

PSSC grades are reported on a nine point scale. Grade 1 represents an excellent level of achievement. Grade 9 represents a low level of achievement. The back of the certificate describes the grades. There is no pass grade in PSSC. All students who satisfactorily complete the course, that is, fulfill the course requirements receive agrade. The approximate proportion of grades awarded in the region at each level is also shown at the back of the certificate.

Who can enroll for pssc?

Students who are studying in year 12 in Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Tuvalu or Nauru or students who are studying in year 13 in Samoa are eligible to enroll for PSSC. A student must be attending a school that has been approved to present candidates to the examination. At the present out-of-school students are not eligible to enroll because all students who are enrolled for PSSC course are required to complete a certain proportion of their course work under a supervision of their teachers.

How many subjects must a student take?

A student can take any number of subjects that timetabling in their school can allow. A student may take one subject or two. It is recommended that students tale no more than six subjects in one examination year.

Can a student repeat the examination if the student is not satisfied with his or her results in the first examination?

Students are permitted to re-enroll in the PSSC if they wish. Results however, cannot be accumulated. When a student re-enrolls again in PSSC the student will have to redo all the course work requirements as well as sit the examination.

Does a student pay a fee to sit pssc?

Students are required to pay a registration and paper fee in order to sit the examination. SPBEA will provide current registration and paper fees if requested.

What can a student gain on a successful completion of PSSC?

PSSC holders usually go on to do the Foundation year at the University of the South Pacific, the Preparatory Year at the National University of Samoa or New Zealand Bursary. Many students also leave the school system at this stage to find employment