While some of the loss of students during the secondary years may also be attributed to affordability
and access, what mainly impacts on retention during these years is the increasingly selective
nature of the examination system. By grade 11, when students sit for the capstone Basic Education
High School Examinations, most secondary students have left school because they have not been
able to pass the succession of examinations leading up to the completion of grade 11. Given that it
is rare for more than one-half of candidates for the Basic Education High School Examinations to
achieve an overall pass grade, the success rate of students who commence a secondary education
programme is indeed relatively small. However, MOE has used the Continuous Assessment System
at the basic education sector.