By Leow Si Wan

This year was no different, as similar gripes were made after some papers, especially Mathematics.

But when the results were released yesterday, something else which occurs every year happened: The parents who complained realised that their fears were unfounded.

Many who wrote in earlier and were contacted by The Straits Times yesterday said their children had scored A* and A grades.

Schools contacted also said their performance this year was comparable to that of previous years.

Some, such as Jurong Primary, South View Primary and Radin Mas Primary, even showed a slight improvement of between 2 per cent and 4 per cent in the overall number of passes for the Maths paper.

Tampines Primary's pass rate shot up by almost 15 per cent, while Jiemin Primary said the number of quality passes - A* and A grades - for the paper rose 10 per cent.

When contacted, the Ministry of Education said the performance this year is generally comparable to that of previous years.

So, have parents overreacted again?

Radin Mas principal Lee Lai Yong said: 'While it is natural for parents to worry about their children, they should rest assured that the kids are well prepared by the school, which uses a variety of methods to guide them.'

Tampines Primary principal Wong Bin Eng said the school's good results showed that pupils are capable of handling the paper.

Other principals interviewed said parents should recognise the value of challenging papers, because they allow for clearer differentiation. This gives rise to changes in teaching strategies so all pupils, whether they are excelling or falling behind, can benefit.

Some parents, however, remain unconvinced.

Mr Martin Lee and Madam T. Heng, who had earlier complained that the Maths paper was too tough, are not budging, although their children turned in sparkling results for Maths.

Mr Lee's son scored an A for Maths, while Madam Heng's son gained an A*.

Said Madam Heng: 'I still think the paper was very tricky. My son did not even have time to check the paper.'

Meanwhile, pupils such as Cheryl Chong from Maha Bodhi School were relieved that they did well in a paper they feared the worst for.

The 12-year-old said she was very worried after the Maths exam, but forced herself to concentrate on the other papers.

'I was very worried that I couldn't score an A grade for Maths because the questions were tedious and complicated,' she said.

Her results slip yesterday proved that she need not have worried.

She got an A* for maths, pulled in an aggregate score of 272 and emerged as her school's top student.

'I am just very happy that my worries were unfounded,' she said.

Will the Maths experience this year put paid to similar complaints at next year's PSLE?

Not likely, said principals such as Mrs Chandrika Mano of Jiemin Primary.

'Out of concern, parents may not see the big picture, and may therefore worry about their kids who are not able to answer certain questions. But please trust that we will prepare the child for the paper to the best of his ability,' she said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.