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The Insight to
SPM 2021
English Marking
Scheme
Alia 16 March 2021

7 minutes to read

In early 2020, the Malaysia Ministry of

Education (MOE) has introduced a new

format for SPM 2021 examination. The new

format is concurrent to the introduction of

new SPM subject packages of Science,

Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

(STEM), as well as arts and humanities to all

form four students, starting in 2020.

When I looked at the instrument type for SPM

English 2021 outline, only one paper which is

the Listening test will be marked by the

Lembaga Pentaksiran Malaysia (LPM) or

external markers. Meanwhile, all the other 3

papers will be marked internally by the

school teachers.

This is a piece of good news as your teachers

might give you tips and tricks to answer the

questions. So, you’ll only need to focus more

during class and answer according to how

the teacher taught you.

The weightage for all papers or I can say, skills

(Writing, Reading, Listening and Speaking) is

up to 25%. The marks will then be added up

for an overall grade, which is similar to MUET,

TOEFL & IELTS.

Read more on the latest SPM 2021 Format.

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CEFR Marking Scale For SPM

English 2021

Previously, we used the grading system using

the letter A for the advanced learner;

followed by A-, B+, B- and so on to

distinguish between their levels of

proficiency. However, since the new format is

adapted from The Common European

Framework of Reference for Languages

(CEFR), the grading will follow the CEFR

Measuring system too.

ASPIRATIONALTARGETS
UNIVERSITY

2025
POST-
SECONDARY

SECONDARY

PRIMARY

PRESCHOOL

Movingtowards
A1 B1 B2 B2/C1
ENGUISHPROFICIENCYLEVELFORENGLISHLANGUAGETEACHERS:C1

Malaysia English Language Education reformation road

map for the year 2015−2025 (Source: MOE)

Based on the Malaysia Ministry of Education

(MOE), the aspirational target for SPM leavers

would be at level B2 where they are

equipped with adequate English for further

career enhancement, walking towards the

real world.

At level B1, students should be able to

understand the main point when talking

about familiar matters. They should also be

able to communicate in English when

needed, such as when encountering English

tourists which requires them to speak of any

local places of interest or the description of

foods, events, culture and can express their

brief opinions.

Meanwhile, if the SPM leavers are able to

score at level B2, their ability to understand

complex sentences and advanced topics is

higher. They can comfortably communicate

with any native speaker.

CEFRGlobalScale

Descriptors
LanguageuserLevel(Therearealsodetailed'CanDo'statementsfordifferentlanguageskills,
grammarandvocabulary)
Canunderstandwitheasevirtuallyeverythingheardorread.Cansummarise
informationfromdifferentspokenandwrittensources,reconstructing
C2 argumentsandaccountsinacoherentpresentation.Canexpresshim/herself

spontaneously,veryfluentlyandprecisely,differentiatingfinershadesof
meaningeveninmorecomplexsituations.
PROFICIENT
USER Canunderstandawiderangeofdemanding,longertexts,andrecognise
implicitmeaning.Canexpresshim/herselffluentlyandspontaneously
withoutmuchobvioussearchingforexpressions.Canuselanguageflexibly
C1
andeffectivelyforsocial,academicandprofessionalpurposes.Canproduce
clear,well-structured,detailedtextoncomplexsubjects,showingcontrolled
useoforganisationalpatterns,connectorsandcohesivedevices.
Canunderstandthemainideasofcomplextextonbothconcreteand
abstracttopics,includingtechnicaldiscussionsinhis/herfieldof
specialisation.Caninteractwithadegreeoffluencyandspontaneitythat
B2 makesregularinteractionwithnativespeakersquitepossiblewithoutstrain
foreitherparty.Canproduceclear,detailedtextonawiderangeofsubjects
andexplainaviewpointonatopicalissuegivingtheadvantagesand
INDEPENDENT
disadvantagesofvariousoptions.
USER
Canunderstandthemainpointsofclearstandardinputonfamiliarmatters
regularlyencounteredinwork,school,leisure,etc.Candealwithmost
B1
situationslikelytoarisewhilsttravellinginanareawherethelanguageis
spoken.Canproducesimpleconnectedtextontopicswhicharefamiliaror
ofpersonalinterest.Candescribeexperiencesandevents,dreams,hopes&
ambitionsandbrieflygivereasonsandexplanationsforopinionsandplans.
Canunderstandsentencesandfrequentlyusedexpressionsrelatedtoareas
ofmostimmediaterelevance(e.g.verybasicpersonalandfamily
information,shopping,localgeography,employment).Cancommunicatein
A2 simpleandroutinetasksrequiringasimpleanddirectexchangeof
informationonfamiliarandroutinematters.Candescribeinsimpleterms
aspectsofhis/herbackground,immediateenvironmentandmattersinareas
BASIC
ofimmediateneed.
USER
Canunderstandandusefamiliareverydayexpressionsandverybasic
phrasesaimedatthesatisfactionofneedsofaconcretetype.Canintroduce
him/herselfandothersandcanaskandanswerquestionsaboutpersonal
A1
detailssuchaswherehe/shelives,peoplehe/sheknowsandthingshe/she
has.Caninteractinasimplewayprovidedtheotherpersontalksslowlyand
clearlyandispreparedtohelp.

CEFR Grading for SPM will be up to level B1 – B2

(Source: MOE)

Let us see how is the marking breakdown for

SPM English paper 2021.

Marking Scheme for SPM

Paper 1 - Reading

Paper 1 English SPM will test your reading and

the use of English. It is almost similar to the

Paper 2 formats prior to 2020. The total mark

for this paper is 40 marks. The time allocated

for paper 1 is 90 minutes. The paper will be

divided into 5 parts. Each correct answer is

awarded 1 mark.

Part 1 -  There are 8 questions to answer

in this part. The question will be on short
texts taken from books and magazines,
where you’ll be tested on your English
understanding. (8 Marks)

Part 2 – This part is pretty easy to score.

You should try to get all 10 answers
correct. You can find these types of
questions in all English Tests. You will be
tested on grammar and vocabulary. (10
Marks)

Part 3 – Here is where you’ll need to

read a longer essay and answer 8
questions related to the text. You will be
evaluated on your reading
comprehension. (8 Marks)

Part 4 –There are 6 correct sentences

over 8 choices needed to be filled in the
gap to ensure the paragraph is
correctly structured. (6 Marks)

Part 5 – The last part will evaluate your

understanding of the English Language.
You’ll be needed to select 4 paragraphs
to fit in the statements given. Then you’ll
need to find information from the text
to correctly construct a sentence. (8
Marks) 

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Marking Scheme for SPM

Paper 2 - Essay

The essay and writing paper will have 60

marks in total. However, the total weightage

is still at 25% in the overall SPM English paper.

The overall time allocated for paper 2 is 90

minutes. This paper has 3 parts.

Part 1 – Writing a short note or email in

less than 80 words. Here the
accumulated marks are 20.

Part 2 – Directed writing in 125−150

words with a total of 20 marks.

Part 3 – There will be 3 questions on

descriptive writing. You’ll need to
choose 1 essay to write in 200−250
words. The total mark to get here is 20.

The scores are calculated based on several

criteria as follow:-

Task Achievement 

You will be needed to answer all tasks

according to the question. You should always

highlight the key answer and support it with

any proof as well as give a definite opinion,

especially on descriptive writing at Part 3.

English Coherence and

Cohesion

The structure of your essay should be well

organized with paragraphs that contain the

key point. Link your sentences and cohesive

devices wherever possible –

 thus, therefore, in contract etc.

English Vocabulary and

Resources

You’ll need to show a wide range of

vocabulary by using a more complex word in

structured sentences. REMEMBER, you need

to avoid spelling errors and word formation.

English Grammar Accuracy

Use the correct tenses all the way through

your essays. DON’T overlook the

punctuation mistakes too!

Check out how Superprof decoding SPM

Essay Paper for you.

Marking Scheme for SPM

Paper 3 – Speaking

Now, we have come to the shortest test

duration that you’ll need to sit in. Yet, this is

going to be the most nerve-wracking exam

for most Malaysian. Why?

Because you will need to SPEAK!

Don't worry, you’ll just need to speak for a

total of 12 minutes only! Yeah, 12 minutes is

nothing. You can always speak with your

friends, girlfriend, and boyfriend for hours

either face-to-face or on the phone.

Doing revision on SPM English Examination Format

regularly will help to boost your confidence when you
go and sit for the real examination. (Source:Pixabay)

This test aims to evaluate your fluency as well

as your level of command in the English

language. To be frank, you will need to sit in

the test for about 24 minutes as this will be

done in pairs.

This test will be carried out internally.

Therefore, you’ll be more comfortable

conversing with your teacher and one of your

friends as a speaking partner. The overall

mark for SPM Paper 3 test is 24, meanwhile,

the weightage of the test is 25%.

So here is the breakdown of the test.

Part 1 –   This part is very easy, you’ll be

asked a general question. You’ll need to
answer 4 simple questions within 3−4
minutes. There will be 2 phases, where
at the first phase, the question can be
as simple as, “What is your name?” or
any two questions that require you to
introduce yourself. For the second
phase, the examiner might ask another
2 questions about yourself or your
family.

Part 2 –  You’ll receive a random booklet

for any topics and there will be few
questions to answer. The assessor will
give you 20 seconds to prepare. You
need to answer the questions within 1
minute.

Part 3 – The last part is where you’ll need

to make a conversation with your
partner for 3 minutes. For the first 2
minutes, you’ll need to have a
discussion with your partner and
another 1 minute to make your stand or
state a conclusion.

The marking scheme for the speaking test will

refer to the CEFR Global scale.

Marking Scheme for SPM

Paper 4 – Listening

For the listening test, there will be 30

questions and each correct answer will be

awarded 1 mark. As I said at the beginning,

only paper 4 for the SPM English Listening

test will be marked by an external examiner.

This test is divided into 4 parts which will take

an overall weightage of 25%. You’ll be tested

in your English understanding and how well

you can adapt English in your everyday

situation.

Part 1 – Listen to people talking in 7

di#erent situations and answer 7
questions. (7 Marks)

Part 2 – There are 8 questions where

you’ll need to answer according to a
conversation. (8 Marks)

Part 3 – At this part, you’ll need to listen

to 5 di#erent short extracts and choose
answers related to the text. (5 Marks)

Part 4 – Here you’ll be tested on both

your listening and spelling skills. You’ll
need to write 10 words where the
information is missing from the texts.
(10 Marks)

All 5 parts will total up to 30 marks!

To sum up, the total marks for SPM 2021

Examination and weightage for each paper

are as follows:-

Test Total Total

Weightage
Paper Questions Marks

Reading 40 40 25%

Writing 3 60 25%

Speaking 3 24 25%

Listening 30 30 25%

The weightage combination of all papers will

give out 100%

Since the new SPM English format has just

been introduced in 2020, there won’t be any

past years' SPM paper available for you to

refer to, yet. SPM 2021 candidates will be the

first batch to sit for it.

Find good peers to walk through the SPM Final Year

journey together with lots of study group and
discussion sessions (Source: Unsplash)

However, you don’t need to get panicked as

the latest format is the adapted version from

CEFR, whereby, the format is similar to

Cambridge English Exam, Malaysia University

English Test, and IELTS. Therefore, you can

always take a look at the exercise book or

take past years' questions from the test I

have just listed.

There might be a little hiccup in the test as

this is natural for every new format

introduction. Even, Thomas Edison tweaked

his invention and developed several

improvements to give us an e$cient electric

lightbulb. So, we should not easily give up on

something new. Everything will improve over

time.

Superprof has compiled the past year's SPM

paper for you to refer to.

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and students

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Alia

Alia Jamaludin is known as a passionate

environmentalist and animal lover. By being both
educator and writer, she can reach out her
positive thought to almost every being on this
planet.

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vee August 2021

hi. probably you would like to look back at

the time limitation for speaking test. i think
there is typo error. tq.

Reply

valeria October 2021

Thank you for reading !

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