KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — A total of 874 candidates scored a perfect 4.0 in cumulative grade point average (CGPA) in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) 2021, a slight increase compared with 741 candidates in 2020.

Malaysian Examinations Council (MPM) chairman Prof Datuk Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said of the total, 584 candidates (66.82 per cent) were from the B40 group.

He said that overall, the national CGPA for the 2021 exam has increased by 0.01 points to 2.79, from 2.78 recorded in 2020.

"Based on a comparison of the overall CGPA between urban and rural candidates since 2013, it was found that this is the first time there is no difference in achievement between urban and rural candidates; both obtained a CGPA of 2.79 in STPM 2021,” he said when announcing the examination results of STPM 2021 here today.

MPM chief executive Adnan Husin said one of the contributing factors was the scheduling of the examination after completing 20 weeks of face-to-face classes; after that students have time for virtual learning, compared with the previous year.

"There was a long space for both urban and rural students to learn the subjects they sat for,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ekhwan said that the number of candidates who got 5A and 4A in the STPM 2021 examination also recorded an increase, with 36 candidates obtaining 5A, compared with 23 in the previous year, while 860 candidates scored 4A, compared with 744 in STPM 2020.

"The percentage of STPM 2021 candidates who obtained a full pass in five and four subjects compared with STPM 2020 has increased by 0.73 per cent, from 72.97 in 2020 to 73.70 per cent in 2021.

He said that a total of 42,369 candidates registered to sit the STPM 2021 examination, with the attendance of 40,926 candidates.

He also announced the list of the best candidates in the STPM 2021 examination, including the candidates with special needs and the Orang Asli category, who will receive plaques and certificates from MPM in recognition of their efforts to achieve excellent results.

Candidates can check their results at http://stpm.mpm.edu.my/stpmK or via short messaging service by typing STPM, IC number and index number and sending to 68886, beginning today. — Bernama