Over 400,000 students who made up the first cohort of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination (SPM) candidates to sit for their papers in times of the Covid-19 pandemic have achieved the best National Grade Average (GPN) index in the past five years.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin in a special briefing ahead of the official results to be released this morning said the GPN index for SPM 2020 was at 4.80, compared to 4.86 for SPM 2019.

"This (initial) analysis is based on results of first-time candidates who registered to sit for at least six subjects and sat for at least one," he said.