Once the pathway is clear, compare schools using either the focused shortlist or the complete tier guide.
The old Express / Normal (Academic) / Normal (Technical) streams are gone. Each subject is taken at one of three levels, chosen subject by subject:
The PSLE Score sets the starting levels (PG3 → mostly G3, PG2 → mostly G2, PG1 → mostly G1), but a strong PSLE AL in an individual subject lets a child start that subject one level higher — and levels can be adjusted upward during Sec 1–2 based on results. A typical mixed profile: G3 Maths, G3 Science, G2 English, G2 Mother Tongue. Form classes mix students across posting groups.
Everyone now sits the national exam at the end of Sec 4 — the old 5th year (Sec 5 for N(A) students to retake O-Levels) is no longer the standard route.
One certificate lists every subject with its level and grade (e.g. “Mathematics (G3): A2”). The 2026 graduating cohort is the last to sit the separate GCE O-Level / N-Level exams; the first SEC sitting is 2027.
Most students are on the SEC track (the focus of this poster) — but three other kinds of secondary school exist:
The specialised schools are bets on a vocation: powerful if the child’s talent and interest hold to 17–18, but the school is shaped entirely around the specialism. NUS High is the most self-contained — its diploma is neither the SEC, A-Levels nor IB, though it is well accepted by local and overseas universities (especially for STEM).
Around mid Sec 2, students pick their Sec 3–4 subject combination — not à la carte, but by ranking pre-built combinations (“bundles”) offered by their school. Every bundle contains the fixed core; the elective slots are what differ:
| Total load | Make-up | Who typically takes it |
|---|---|---|
| 6 subjects | core 5 + 1 elective | more common for G2/G1-heavy combinations |
| 7–8 subjects | core 5 + Add Math + 1–2 electives | the standard load for mostly-G3 students |
| 9 subjects | e.g. triple science + Add Math + full humanities | needs strong Sec 2 results and school approval |
| Example bundle | On top of English + Mother Tongue + Maths |
|---|---|
| Triple Science | Physics + Chemistry + Biology + Add Math + Combined Humanities |
| Double Science | Physics + Chemistry + Add Math + Combined Humanities + 1 elective |
| Science / Humanities mix | Combined Science + Combined Humanities + full Geography/History/Literature + Add Math |
| Applied | Combined Science + Combined Humanities + POA / D&T / Computing |
Illustrative only — each school publishes its own menu, limited by its teachers and timetable.
There is no single grade scale — each G level keeps the scale of the exam it replaced. Fewer points = better; shaded rows are below the pass mark. Mark ranges are the conventional benchmarks — SEAB does not publish official boundaries and results are moderated, so they can shift a little year to year.
| Grade | ≈ Marks | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 75–100 | 1 |
| A2 | 70–74 | 2 |
| B3 | 65–69 | 3 |
| B4 | 60–64 | 4 |
| C5 | 55–59 | 5 |
| C6 | 50–54 | 6 |
| D7 | 45–49 | 7 |
| E8 | 40–44 | 8 |
| F9 | < 40 | 9 |
| Grade | ≈ Marks | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75–100 | 1 |
| 2 | 70–74 | 2 |
| 3 | 65–69 | 3 |
| 4 | 60–64 | 4 |
| 5 | 50–59 | 5 |
| 6 | tbc | 6 |
| Grade | ≈ Marks | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 75–100 | 1 |
| B | 70–74 | 2 |
| C | 60–69 | 3 |
| D | 50–59 | 4 |
| E | < 50 | 5 |
Points and aggregates: every admission aggregate (L1R4, ELR2B2, ELMAB3) is simply the sum of point values of the counted subjects — so lower totals are better, and a perfect L1R4 is 5 points (five A1s). Mixing levels in one aggregate: grades are mapped downward only (a G3 grade converts to its G2 equivalent, G2 to G1 — e.g. G3 A1 → G2 Grade 1). This is used for poly and ITE admission. A G2 grade is never inflated up to a G3 grade — which is why JC admission needs actual G3 subjects.
Structurally it is the same game as PSLE (grades → points → aggregate → cut-offs). What changes is where on the mark scale the sorting happens — because the papers are pitched very differently:
| PSLE | SEC at G3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Papers pitched | gentle — many students score 75+ | hard — 75+ is genuinely uncommon in most subjects |
| Where marks cluster | 75–100 | roughly 40–75 |
| So the fine bands sit… | at the top: 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 | in the middle: 5-mark steps from 40 to 75 |
| Top grade | AL1 = 90+ | A1 = ≈75+ — scoring 75 is the top of the scale |
| What counts | all 4 subjects, always | best qualifying 5 of ~7 — one bad paper can drop out of the aggregate |
And you don’t need 75s to reach JC. Work the aggregate backwards: JC eligibility (L1R4 ≤ 16) ≈ an average of B3 per subject (65–69 marks); a mid-table JC cut-off of ≈10 ≈ A2 average (70–74); only the top JCs (cut-offs ≈3–6) effectively demand near-straight A1s. Compare PSLE, where a top school required 90+ in every subject — at the SEC, a student scoring 68 in everything qualifies for JC.
Aggregates are computed from the certificate; lower is better. This is the first admissions cycle for the SEC cohort.
| Slot | What fills it | Level required (2028 on) |
|---|---|---|
| EL | English Language | G3 |
| R1, R2 | 2 “Relevant” subjects — each poly course publishes its own allowed list (e.g. Maths + a science for engineering), so the same student can have a different ELR2B2 per course | G3 |
| B1 | Best-scoring remaining subject | G3 |
| B2 | 2nd best-scoring remaining subject | G2 or G3 — the one flexible slot |
So 4 of the 5 must be G3; only one “Best” slot may be a G2 subject. Students with all 5 at G3 have their lower B subject mapped down to its G2 equivalent, so they are not disadvantaged. On top of the aggregate (≤ 26), each course sets minimum entry requirements — e.g. engineering needs specific grades in Maths and a science — so one weak required subject can rule out a course even when the total qualifies.
| Slot | What fills it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EL | English Language | always counted |
| MA | Mathematics | always counted |
| B1–B3 | 3 best-scoring other subjects | for PFP, some course groups require the “Best” subjects to come from a relevant list |
Same idea as ELR2B2 but anchored on English + Maths — the two subjects these programmes lean on hardest. It is computed at the G2 benchmark: G2 grades count directly, and G3 grades are mapped down to their G2 equivalents. The bar differs by destination: PFP needs ≈12 points or better (plus subject minimums per course group), while direct entry to Higher Nitec Year 2 needs ≤ 19. Lower is better, as always.
Rule of thumb: a JC-bound child should keep at least 5 subjects (including English) at G3 — a student with only 4 G3 subjects cannot form an L1R4, no matter how strong their G2 grades are. Under L1R4 each counted subject is 20% of the aggregate, so lifting the weakest counted subject one grade matters more than perfecting the strongest.