The 2026 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination will be held on Sunday (Aug. 9), with arrangements in place to conduct the examination at 2,723 centres across the country, Commissioner General of Examinations A.K.S. Indika Kumari Liyanage said.
A total of 294,089 candidates have applied for the examination, including candidates sitting in both Sinhala and Tamil mediums. The Department of Examinations has also established 488 coordinating centres and 32 regional collection centres.
The examination will begin at 9.30 a.m., and parents have been requested to ensure that children arrive at their assigned examination centres at least one hour before the start.
The second question paper will be conducted first, from 9.30 a.m. to 10.45 a.m. Following a short break, the first question paper will be held from 11 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.
Individual admission cards have not been issued to candidates. Instead, attendance sheets containing examination numbers and the examination timetable have already been sent to school principals, with candidates informed of their respective examination numbers.
The Commissioner General said only class teachers will be permitted to accompany children into the examination premises to help them locate their assigned seats. Parents will not be allowed inside examination centres, including during the break, and may collect their children only after the examination concludes.
Candidates have been advised to carefully read the instructions on the question papers and accurately record their examination numbers, as errors could create difficulties when issuing results.
Mobile phones, smartwatches and other electronic devices, as well as notes and other unauthorised material, are prohibited inside examination halls. Candidates may take pens, pencils and erasers, while correction fluid should not be brought into the examination hall. Water may be carried in a transparent bottle.
Parents have also been advised to provide any refreshments required for the break before children enter the examination centre, as they will not be permitted to enter during the examination.
Meanwhile, all tuition classes and other activities related to the examination have been prohibited from midnight on Aug. 5 until the examination concludes. The prohibition also covers the publication or promotion of predicted questions and examination-related material through print or electronic media.
The Commissioner General wished all candidates success and urged them to remain calm, carefully read the questions and follow the instructions provided. (Newswire)