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Chinese students in Singapore kept up their record of performing best in the key exams.

Indians emerged on top among the three races in English language in the tests last year, while Chinese students excelled in mathematics and science.

In O-level English language, Malay students passed at a rate of 80.6 per cent pass - down nearly five percentage points down from 2005, and well below the national pass rate of 86.5.

The drop ended nearly a decade of impressive gains for Malays in English tests, including their best performance of 85.1 per cent passing grades in 2005.

Both Indian and Malay results in O-level mathematics were below the national average of 88.4 per cent passing.

The results reflected performances in the Primary School Leaving Examination, the GCE O and A levels.

The lower performances among the Malay students contrasted with the exceptionally good results in 2005, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Masagos Zulkifli told The Straits Times.

"Though there was a slight decline in performance," it was generally similar to 2004, he was quoted as saying.

Singapore's population is predominantly Chinese, but includes 14 per cent Malays and 7 per cent Indians.//DPA