The end of the school year is a stressful time for students who have to take end-of-year exams and, in some cases, ministry exams. This time of year can also be tough on parents, who of course want to see their children succeed. To help you understand the differences between end-of-year exams and ministry exams, we have put together a comparison table summarizing the key characteristics of these exams.
Over the course of their school career, your child will undergo a variety of assessments, some of which take place at the end of the school year. They can take the following forms:
These assessments allow teachers to evaluate whether students have mastered the competencies in the school curriculum. In addition to end-of-year exams, which are designed by the school team, students in certain grades must take standardized assessments given by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur. The table below breaks down the main differences between these two assessment types.
| FAQ | End-of-Year Exams | Ministry Exams |
|---|---|---|
| What subjects are assessed? | All subjects may be assessed. |
Only certain subjects are assessed. This article features a complete list of ministry exam subjects by grade level. |
|
In what grades are the exams given? |
Exams may be given at all grade levels. |
Students only have to take ministry exams in Grades 4 and 6 and Secondary II, IV, and V. |
| Where do students take the exams? |
Students take their exams at school. |
Students take their exams at school. |
|
Who designs the exams? |
They are designed by the school. |
They are designed by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, but distributed by academic organizations. |
| Who marks them? |
They are always marked by the student’s teacher. |
It depends on the exam. Some exams, such as the Secondary V French exam, are marked by the ministry itself. Other exams are marked by teachers according to the uniform marking gri |
| How is the exam content determined? |
The school determines the exam content based on the learning progression. |
The exams are standardized, so the content is the same for all schools. The purpose of the exams is to evaluate whether certain curriculum requirements have been met. |
| Do all students have to take the exams? |
Students may be exempted from exams at the teacher’s discretion. |
Ministry exams are compulsory for all students. |
|
How are exam dates determined? |
Exam dates are set by the teacher or by the school. |
Exam dates are set by the ministry, and all students take the exams on the same date. |
|
Can students retake an exam if they fail? |
Exams can be retaken at the school’s discretion. |
If your child fails, a note to this effect will appear in their report card. The note will explain your child’s options, which may include repeating the year or retaking the exam. Retakes take place in August or January. There are also remedial courses for students in Secondary II to V who have failed certain subjects. |
|
If my child has an individualized education plan, will they be able to receive accommodations? |
L’école a la responsabilité d’appliquer les mesures d’adaptation convenues dans le plan d’intervention. | L’école a la responsabilité d’appliquer les mesures d’adaptation convenues dans le plan d’intervention. Toutefois, ces mesures d’adaptation ne doivent pas entraîner une modification des critères d’évaluation ou du programme de formation. |
Two groups of students at the same grade level, but from different schools, could have identical end-of-year exam marks, but show a wide variation in ministry exam results. To ensure fairness, the ministry carries out a process known as moderation.
Moderation involves comparing the school marks of a specific group of students with the ministry exam marks of that same group of students. This comparison is made for every group of students in every school and is used to calculate the students’ final marks, which are adjusted based on their performance on the ministry exam.
As a result, a student’s school mark may go up, remain the same, or go down, but they will retain the position they had in the group before the marks were adjusted. For example, if multiple students in the same school group receive ministry exam marks that are significantly lower than the marks they got from their teacher during the school year, their school marks will be lowered, and vice versa.
The goal of this process is to ensure that every student is assessed fairly, as different teachers have different marking criteria. Moderation corrects for both over-marking and under-marking.
Alloprof’s resources can help your child prepare for both end-of-year exams and ministry exams. Here are a few examples: