By Amelia Tan & Jane Ng

ABOUT 95 per cent of Meridian Junior College (MJC) students scored As in Project Work, making the school this year's top performer in the subject.

The six-year-old school trumped traditional powerhouses Hwa Chong Institution, which has 85per cent distinctions, and Raffles Institution (Junior College), which has 92per cent distinctions.

MJC's results cap its strong performance in the subject in recent years, despite not being among the top-ranked JCs. Last year, 73 per cent of its students scored As and about half did so in 2007.

Its deputy head of project work, Mr David Kwek, attributes the success to the way they 'teach' the subject. 'We inspire creativity in the students by exposing them to exciting trends and interesting things companies are doing,' he said.

MJC student Andrea Ang, 18, who worked on mega structures as a symbol of countries' progress, said being exposed to new creative trends motivated her group mates and her to look at topics from new angles. Her group scored an A.

'I think looking at things in fresh ways gave us an extra edge,' she said.

Project Work, which was introduced six years ago and now makes up 10 per cent of Singapore universities' admission criteria, has been dogged by controversy since it was introduced as an A-level subject because it is marked internally.

It is also moderated in-house by junior college teachers before being sent for external moderation by a panel comprising officers from the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board, and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.

While the in-depth project was introduced to develop students' research, problem-solving, communication and teamwork abilities, some teachers and students question the accuracy of test results.

Last year, Temasek Junior College's results raised eyebrows as 87 per cent of its students scored As, a giant leap from 7 per cent the previous year. This year, half of its students scored an A.

Other junior colleges which posted big improvements include Nanyang JC and St Andrew's JC.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.