Handwriting will not lower the score: what awaits students in grades 2–4 in Kazakhstan from September 23
Tengrinews.kz – From September 23 to 30, Kazakhstan’s schools will hold the first period of intermediate assessment for students in grades 2–4. The Ministry of Education explained what assignments schoolchildren will have to complete and how much time will be allotted for them.
What will be assessed
In the 2026/27 academic year, formative and intermediate assessment are being used in parallel in grades 2–4. They are conducted during the learning process and complement each other.
Intermediate assessment is conducted after completed sections of the curriculum. The format of the work depends on the subject.
In Kazakh or Russian language classes, schoolchildren will have to write a dictation and complete reading literacy tasks. Literacy and understanding of the text’s content will be assessed.
In literary reading, students will write either a retelling or an essay, as well as complete reading literacy tasks. This will assess their understanding of the text, ability to identify the main idea and express their own thoughts.
In mathematics, schoolchildren will complete a test. Their calculation skills, understanding of the problem statement, choice of solution method and ability to justify the answer will be assessed.
40 minutes and up to 16 points
Students will be given 40 minutes to complete one assignment. The maximum score depends on the grade:
grade 2 — 12 points;grade 3 — 14 points;grade 4 — 16 points.
“Formative assessment continues throughout the entire quarter. A teacher must assess each student in at least 30 percent of the lessons held, covering at least 50 percent of learning objectives. The results are assessed on a 10-point scale,” the Ministry of Education said.
Handwriting will not lower the score
A separate rule is noted that may be important for parents of primary school students: handwriting itself is not grounds for lowering a score if calligraphy is not included as a learning objective.
At the same time, no point-based assessment is conducted in grade 1.