1. Why introduce Subject-Based Banding?
To recognise the different abilities of students
Provide more flexibility in subject combinations for students with strengths and abilities that vary across subjects
Every child is unique, with different aptitudes, capabilities and talents. Subject-based Banding was introduced to recognise this by providing more flexibility in subject combinations for students with strengths and abilities that vary across subjects. Introduced as a refinement to the streaming process, Subject-based Banding aims to help every child realise his potential.

2. What Subject-Based Banding means for your child
Greater flexibility in subject combinations
Your child has the choice to take a combination of standard and foundation subjects, depending on his strengths
Subject-based Banding means greater flexibility for your child by giving him the choice to take a combination of standard and foundation subjects, depending on his strengths. For example, if he is strong in English and Mother Tongue but very weak in Mathematics and Science, he may choose to take the first two subjects at the standard level and the others at the foundation level. This will help him focus and improve on the subjects that he is strong in while building up the fundamentals in the subjects that he is very weak in.

3. What are the choices available?
If your child (for P4 Exam)
Your child may be recommended to take
Passes all 4 subjects and performs very well in MTL
4 standard subjects + Higher Mother Tongue Language
Passes all 4 subjects
4 standard subjects
Passes 3 subjects
Passes 2 subjects or less
4 standard subjects; or
3 standard subjects + 1 other foundation subject; or
2 standard subjects+ 2 other foundation subjects; or
1 standard subject + 3 other foundation subjects; or
4 foundation subjects
How do we know what combination your child should take? The school-based Primary 4 examinations will tell us your child’s academic ability in the various subjects.
If your child ….. (according to the text in the table)

4. How does Subject-Based Banding Work?
[At P4]
School recommends subject combination, based on P4 exam results. Parents indicate preferred combination.
[At P5]
Student takes subject combination chosen by parents
Let’s now look at the decision process. There are basically two major decision points. After the P4 exams, the school will recommend a subject combination based on the results. You make the decision at the end of this year on what your child will take in Primary 5.
The school will monitor your child’s performance in Primary 5 and decide at the end of the year what combination best suits your child.
If a student who takes 1 or more foundation subjects does very well in them, the school may decide that he can take his strong subjects at the standard level in Primary 6.
If a student who takes standard subjects shows difficulty coping, at the end of Primary 5, the school may decide that it would be better for him to take 1 or more subjects at foundation level in Primary 6.
All other students will continue the same subject combination in Primary 6.
So in Primary 6, students will take the subject combination decided by the school.
At the end of the year, they sit for the PSLE.

5. How does Subject-Based Banding Work?
[End of P5]
Student who takes standard subjects and has difficulty coping
All other students
School may allow him to take 1 or more subjects at Foundation level in P6
School will allow them to continue the same subject combination in P6
[At P6]
Student takes subject combination decided by school
Let’s now look at the decision process. There are basically two major decision points. After the P4 exams, the school will recommend a subject combination based on the results. You make the decision at the end of this year on what your child will take in Primary 5.
The school will monitor your child’s performance in Primary 5 and decide at the end of the year what combination best suits your child.
If a student who takes 1 or more foundation subjects does very well in them, the school may decide that he can take his strong subjects at the standard level in Primary 6.
If a student who takes standard subjects shows difficulty coping, at the end of Primary 5, the school may decide that it would be better for him to take 1 or more subjects at foundation level in Primary 6.
All other students will continue the same subject combination in Primary 6.
So in Primary 6, students will take the subject combination decided by the school.
At the end of the year, they sit for the PSLE.
[End of P6]
Student sits for Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE)

6. Subject-based Banding and Secondary School admission
Progression to secondary level depends on PSLE Score.
The scoring system is not new
Different expectations of standard and foundation subjects will be taken into account when the PSLE score is calculated
Offering weaker subjects at foundation level is not a disadvantage.
Your child will be able to focus on building up strong fundamentals in the weaker subjects
Progression to secondary level depends on your child’s PSLE score. The different expectations of standard and foundation subjects will be taken into account when your child’s PSLE score is calculated. Previously, pupils from EM3 stream would mostly enter the Normal (Technical) course at secondary level. With Subject-based Banding, these pupils, if they have strengths in some areas, are able to offer at least one subject at the standard level. If they excel in these subjects, they will have the opportunity to pursue higher-level options at secondary school.
Offering weaker subjects at the foundation level is not a disadvantage to your child. It enables him to focus on building up strong fundamentals in these subjects and better prepares him for progression to secondary school.
For Principal’s information and discretionary use only
How would Subject-based Banding affect a child’s chances for the different secondary school courses - Express, Normal (Academic), Normal (Technical).
If a student takes all standard subjects, the chances are exactly the same as in the previous system. Depending on how well he does at the PSLE, he will be posted to a course suitable for him i.e. Special / Express, Normal (Academic), Normal (Technical).
If a student takes only 3 examinable foundation subjects because he is generally weaker in most of his subjects, he is likely to go to Normal (Technical) course unless he does exceptionally well, in which case he may qualify for Normal (Academic) course. This is the same as previous years.
If a student takes one or two standard subjects as is now possible with Subject-Based Banding, compared to someone who takes only foundation subjects, his chances of qualifying for Normal (Academic) course will be higher if he does well in his PSLE.
Offering the weaker subjects at the foundation level would not disadvantage students, as doing so would allow them to focus on building up strong fundamentals in these subjects and prepare better for secondary school 6

7. PSLE SCORING & S1 Posting From 2021
UPDATES on
PSLE SCORING & S1 Posting From 2021
IT’S PART OF A BIGGER STORY
© Ministry of education, communication and engagement group, 2019
2019 Briefing for P4 parents

8. overview Re-cap from 2016 [New] 2019 How PSLE Scoring Works
How S1 Posting Works
[New] 2019
familiarising Students and Parents with the new system and guiding them in Making Subject Choices
Presentation of results in Achievement Levels
Scoring for Foundation Subjects
Eligibility for Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) in Secondary Schools
Indicative AL Cut-Off Points (COPs)
Talking Point
For this presentation, we will first re-cap the changes that were announced in 2016, before explaining the announcements that were made in July 2019.

9. The PSLE changes are Part of a bigger story
Over the years, we have been fine-tuning the education system to help our students discover and develop their strengths and interests, while moving away from an over-emphasis on academic results.
Our PSLE scoring changes aim to:
Reduce fine differentiation at a young age
Recognise students’ level of achievement, regardless of how their peers have done
Talking Points
Over the years, MOE has been moving away from an over-emphasis on academic results towards a broad-based, well-rounded education.
Recently, we removed school-based assessments for P1-2 students, and reduced the assessment load for other levels, to free up time for holistic development, self discovery and learning.
At the secondary level, we introduced the Applied Learning and Learning for Life Programmes. Schools have their own distinctive programmes which provide opportunities for students to apply the skills and knowledge that they learnt in the classroom in other contexts.
At COS 2019, MOE also announced the implementation of Full Subject-Based Banding by 2024, which will allows students to customise their secondary education by taking subjects at different levels according to their aptitude and strengths. Students will not be defined by the course that they enter based on their PSLE Score.
The PSLE changes from 2021 are a step in the same direction. Our changes aim to:
Reduce fine differentiation at a young age based on exam scores; and
Recognise a student’s level of achievement regardless of how his/her peers have done.
This will allow students to focus on their own learning and develop their potential, rather than comparing themselves to their peers.

10. Recap from 2016
HOW PSLE SCORING WORKS

11. From T-score to wider scoring bands
Recap from 2016
From T-score to wider scoring bands
Reduces fine differentiation of students
Students with similar scores in each subject will be grouped into wider bands measured in 8 ALs.
(b) Reflects a student’s individual level of achievement
Unlike the current T-score, the students’ AL for each subject will reflect their level of achievement, rather than how they have performed relative to their peers. AL
Raw Mark Range 1
≥ 90 2
85 – 89 3
80 – 84 4
75 – 79 5
65 – 74 6
45 – 64 7
20 – 44 8
< 20
Talking Points
Currently, our students have T-scores (Transformed Scores), which shows how a student has done compared to his or her peers. The total PSLE score is the sum of each subject’s T-score.
How is T-score calculated: For each subject (English, Math, Science, MTL), the actual marks that a student scores on the exam, or the raw score, are transformed into a T-score. This T-score shows how a student has done compared to his or her peers.
T-Score & Sec 1 Posting: The subject letter grades (A*, A, B,C) are not used to determine Sec 1 posting outcomes. Rather, the T-score Aggregate, determines Sec 1 posting.
Features of T-score aggregate:
First, it finely differentiates students. A student with a score of 231 and a student with a score of 230 may be equally ready for secondary school, and it may not be educationally meaningful to differentiate so finely between the two.
Second, it reflects how well a student has done compared to his peers. A child who did well might receive a relatively low T-score Aggregate just because his peers did better. This could create unhealthy competition among students.
While the T-score system has served us well in the past and continues to be a fair and transparent system today, these two features do not support our longer-term goal of promoting holistic education and moving away from an over-emphasis on academic results.
Under the new PSLE Scoring system, students will no longer be finely differentiated from each other. Instead, students with similar scores will be grouped into the same Achievement Level (AL). There will be 8 ALs, with AL 1 being the best.
Each AL will span a range of raw marks, and students with similar raw scores in each subject will be grouped into the same AL. The student’s AL will reflect his own level of achievement. This means that once he meets the learning objectives of the curriculum, he will receive the AL, regardless of how his peers have performed.
Why 8 ALs?
It offers a good balance - Reduces fine differentiation of students, and provides some differentiation to give parents and educators a gauge of a student’s progress at the end of primary school, and match students to suitable academic programmes in secondary schools.
Reference Raw Mark Range for each AL - Set based on the learning objectives of the curriculum, and reflect educationally meaningful differences that enable schools to better guide students' secondary school journeys.
Uneven Raw Mark Ranges across ALs - At the top ALs, the ranges are narrower as the PSLE is designed to show what students can do – on average, about half of the students will score AL4 or better.
Unlike the current T-score, the students’ AL for each subject will reflect their level of achievement, rather than how they have performed relative to their peers.

12. 26-30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA
Recap from 2016
4 SUBJECT ALs WILL BE ADDED
TO FORM THE PSLE SCORE
The PSLE Score replaces the T-score aggregate.
The PSLE Score ranges from 4 to 32, with 4 being the best.
Students will be placed in secondary school courses based on their PSLE score – Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical).
ENGLISH
MOTHER TONGUE
MATHEMATICS
SCIENCE
AL3
AL2
AL1
PSLE SCORE: 8
Placement
Outcome
PSLE SCORE
EXPRESS
4 – 20
EXPRESS /
N(A) OPTION
21 – 22
N(A)
23 – 24
N(A) / N(T) option 25
N(T)
26-30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA
Talking Points
The ALs of the four subjects will be added to form the PSLE Score.
The PSLE Score will replace the T-score Aggregate.
It will range from 4 to 32, with 4 being the best.
This PSLE AL Score will determine which secondary school course they are placed in, and will serve as a gauge to guide them in making secondary school choices.
The PSLE Score will be used to place students into appropriate courses in secondary school, so they can learn at a pace comfortable to them.
The PSLE Scores for the different courses are indicated in the table on the right.
[NEW] From 2024, all Secondary 1 students will be taking subjects at the G1, G2 or G3 level, based on their PSLE scores in the respective subjects.

13. Recap from 2016
HOW s1 Posting WORKS

14. CHOICE ORDER Of schools will matter more
Recap from 2016
CHOICE ORDER Of schools will matter more
Academic merit, i.e. the PSLE Score, remains the first criterion for secondary school posting.
If two students with the same PSLE Score vie for a place in a school, the following tie-breakers will be used:
CITIZENSHIP
CHOICE ORDER OF SCHOOLS
COMPUTERISED BALLOTING
(NEW)
Talking Points
How S1 posting will work in the new system:
Academic merit, or the PSLE Score, will continue to be used as the first criterion for posting.
But thereafter, if there were two students with the same PSLE Score vying for one place in a school, we will apply three tie-breakers. This is because there will be more students with the same PSLE score. The tie-breaker are used in the following order:
First, citizenship.
Second -- and this is where the change is -- choice order of schools will now matter.
Between two students with the same PSLE Score, the student who placed a school higher in his choice order will get priority.
Why choice order matters:
With the broader AL scoring bands, more students will have the same PSLE Score. Schools will also be less differentiated based on cut-off points. Students can choose from a wider range of schools of a similar academic profile and pick those that are a good educational fit for them.
Recognise that families have a range of different considerations when choosing secondary schools. This includes the schools’ ethos, culture, programmes and CCAs, as well as home-school distance.
Third, computerised balloting will be the last tie-breaker.
I would like to assure you that based on simulated data, we expect that about 9 in 10 students would not have to undergo balloting. This is because balloting only kicks in after the PSLE Score, and after earlier tie breakers like choice order are exhausted.
How S1 Posting works today
T-score Aggregate is the first criterion for posting –
Students are arranged by T-score Aggregates. Starting from the student with the highest T-score Aggregate, we post that student based on his choice order of schools.
If all the places in the student’s first-choice school have been filled, we will try to post the student to his second-choice school. This process continues until the student is posted to a school.
However, between two students with the same T-score Aggregate, choice order does not matter – all else being equal, a student who places a school as his first choice has the same chance of getting into that school as another student who places the school as his sixth choice.

15. Choosing secondary schools
Recap from 2016
Choosing secondary schools
Parents and students should consider the student’s strengths and interests and make school choices based on the school’s unique culture, ethos and programmes
Parents and students can find out more about secondary schools’ distinctive programmes through MOE’s SchoolFinder tool, secondary schools’ websites and open houses.
MOE SchoolFinder Tool
Talking Points
To guide parents and students in choosing schools:
We will provide parents and students with information about the profile of each school, including its culture, learning environment, unique programmes and CCAs.
Parents and students can refer to the MOE’s SchoolFinder tool (can be accessed through the QR code), check out the schools’ websites or visit the schools during their open houses.
Parents should consider their child’s personality, learning style, strengths and interests in choosing secondary schools.

16. USE OF HCL for admission INTO SAP SCHOOLS

17. students’ HCL grades give posting advantage for sap schools
Recap from 2016
students’ HCL grades give posting advantage for sap schools
Currently, for admission to SAP schools, students are awarded bonus T-score points based on their HCL grade:
3 points for Distinction
2 points for Merit
1 point for Pass
Talking Points
In the current system, students receive bonus T-score points, based on their HCL grade, when applying to SAP schools:
3 points for Distinction;
2 points for Merit; and
1 point for Pass.

18. Recap from 2016
This HCL posting advantage for entry To SAP schools will continue
PSLE
Score 7 8D 8M 8P 8 9D
Students will be ranked taking into account their performance in HCL.
Their HCL performance will be indicated in their PSLE Score.
This posting advantage applies before the tie-breakers for S1 posting. 8
Distinction
merit
pass
No HCL 9 7
No hcl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
Talking Points
In the new system, students applying to SAP schools will continue to receive a posting advantage based on their HCL grades at the PSLE. This advantage applies before the tie-breakers for S1 Posting that we discussed earlier.
On this slide, you see six students in descending order of posting priority
The student with a PSLE Score of 7 will be posted first
The student with a PSLE Score of 9 will only be posted after all the students with PSLE Scores of 8 or better
Among students with the same PSLE Score of 8, students with a better grade in HCL will be given priority for S1 Posting.

19. 2019 UPDATES:
familiarising Students and Parents with the new system and guiding them in Making Subject Choices

20. Presentation of results in Achievement Levels

21. Presentation of results in ALs
Starting from the 2020 P5 cohort, schools will present school-based examination results of P5 and P6 students in ALs.
2020 P6 students will not be affected, nor will P1 to P4 students.
This will help familiarise students and parents with the new AL scoring system
Update from “Grade” to “AL”
New Field to compute “Total AL Score”
Talking Points
The Holistic Development Profile (HDP) captures a student’s development, progress and learning in school, throughout the year.
There will be some changes to the HDP for P5 students from 2020 and P6 students from 2021, to help parents and students familiarise themselves with the new system:
Instead of grades (A*, A, B, C, D, E, U), students will see their results in terms of Achievement Levels (ALs).
The Overall AL score will also be displayed.
Schools have the option of displaying the raw marks beside the AL, as some parents and students may find it useful to have a better understanding of the students’ performance.
This reflection of ALs will only take place for the affected 2021 PSLE Cohort onwards, i.e. when they are in P5 in 2020, and P6 in 2021.
It will not affect the students in P6 in 2019 and 2020 to avoid confusion, as they will sit for their PSLE under the exiting T-score system.
It does not affect other levels as P3 to P4 results remain in form of broader achievement bands (Band 1-4), as the purpose is to indicate their grasp of the subject, rather than readiness for secondary school.

22. Subject-based Banding (Primary)
Offering Different Subject Combinations

23. Subject-BASED Banding (Primary)
Subject-based Banding (Primary) provides greater flexibility for students by offering them the option of Standard and Foundation Subjects, depending on their strengths. This will allow students to focus on and stretch their potential in the subjects they are strong in while building up the fundamentals in the subject they need more support in.
The new PSLE scoring system will not change the considerations for deciding on a student’s subject combination.
Schools will continue to recommend based on the following:
Student’s aptitude, motivation and performance in each subject;
Student’s ability to cope with a particular subject combination; and
Whether the subject combination focuses sufficiently on literacy and numeracy, and facilitates the student’s articulation to secondary school and beyond.
Offering subjects at Foundation level is not a disadvantage to the students. It enables them to focus on building up strong fundamentals in these subjects and better prepares them for progression to secondary school.
[For SL’s information] The updates in the “Criteria for Student Progression from Primary to Pre-U” document will be indicated in red for easy reference. 19

24. Updates on Mother Tongue Language (MTL)-Exemption
Updates on implementation of the PSLE SCORING & S1 Posting
Updates on Mother Tongue Language (MTL)-Exemption
© Ministry of education, communication and engagement group, 2019
2019 Briefing for P4 parents

25. Scoring for MTL-EXEMPT AND Students STUDYING AN Asian language/ foreign language (AsL/FL) in lieu of AN MTL

26. Scoring for MTL-exempt AND AsL/FL students
For students who are exempted from MTL or take an AsL/FL in lieu of an official MTL, their PSLE result slip will only reflect the three subjects they have taken.
However, for the purposes of Secondary 1 posting, these students will need an assigned MTL score so that they have a PSLE score comprising four subjects
To determine the assigned MTL score, reference is made to MTL scores of other students who have achieved similar scores in English, Mathematics, and Science.
This is the same approach taken in today’s T-score system.

27. Scoring for MTL-exempt AND AsL/FL students
In reviewing the score assignment for these students under the new PSLE scoring system, we needed to strike a balance between:
Acknowledging that students have valid reasons for seeking MTL exemption or taking an AsL/FL, and
Ensuring some parity between scoring for exemption, Foundation and Standard MTL.

28. Scoring for MTL-exempt AND AsL/FL students
Under the new scoring system, the assigned MTL score will :
Take reference from peers with similar scores for English, Mathematics and Science;
While maintaining parity of treatment with students who take Foundation MTL (who will score between AL 6 to 8).
Hence, students will receive an assigned MTL score between AL 6 to 8 in PSLE.
Talking Points
In the AL standards-referenced system, parity is achieved by referencing the range of PSLE Scores that Foundation MTL students can achieve, i.e. AL 6 to 8.

29. Scoring for foundation LEVEL subjects

30. Foundation Subjects graded in 5 bands today
Under the current PSLE grading system, Foundation subjects are graded in 5 scoring bands from Grade 1 to U.
Current System
Grade
Raw Mark Range 1
85 – 100 2
70 – 84 3
50 – 69 4
30 – 49 U
< 30
Talking Points
Currently, Foundation subjects are graded in 5 scoring bands.

31. AL Reflected on Result Slip
Foundation LEVEL SUBJECT grades TO be less finely differentiated
Under the new AL system, to reduce fine differentiation among students, Foundation subject grades will be graded in 3 scoring bands from AL A to C.
Like Standard subject ALs, the Foundation subject ALs will reflect a student’s level of achievement, rather than how they have performed relative to their peers.
Foundation Level
AL Reflected on Result Slip
Foundation Raw
Mark Range A
75 – 100 B
30 – 74 C
< 30
Talking Points
Under the new AL system, Foundation subjects will be graded from AL A to AL C, with a corresponding raw mark range as shown.
A different AL nomenclature is used from the AL1 to AL8 used for Standard level subjects, to provide references for achievements at Foundation level.
The AL raw mark ranges for Foundation subjects were set based on the learning objectives of the curriculum, so that schools can better guide the students’ education journey.
This was mapped from the existing Grade 1 to U for Foundation level subjects.
AL A is mapped to AL 6 (Standard level raw mark range 45-64) based on the existing Grade 1, and it takes in account a student’s readiness for that subject’s N(A) curriculum under SBB(Sec)
Students who are likely to score AL 6 or better should be offered to take the subject at a Standard level, so as to be well-prepared for the Express or N(A) curriculum for it.

32. Foundation LEVEL SUBJECT grades
For the purpose of S1 posting, Foundation level AL A to AL C will be mapped to AL 6 to AL 8 of Standard level subjects respectively, to derive a student’s overall PSLE Score.
Similar to the current PSLE scoring system, this mapping is based on the learning and assessment load of the subjects, and informs students of their readiness to access the curriculum at the secondary level.
Foundation Level
AL Reflected on Result Slip
Foundation Raw
Mark Range
Equivalent
Standard
Subject AL
Standard Raw Mark Range A
75 – 100 6
45-64 B
30 – 74 7
20-44 C
< 30 8
<20
Talking Points
However, for the purpose of computing the overall PSLE Score for S1 posting, Foundation subject grades will be mapped to Standard level AL 6 to AL 8.
This is similar to the current PSLE scoring system, and is a fair representation of the learning and assessment load at the Foundation level.

33. SCORING OF foundation SUBJECTS for s1 posting
A student’s PSLE Score is the sum of the four AL scores across his/her Standard and Foundation subjects.
Students taking Foundation subjects are eligible for the Express Course, as long as they meet the course placement criteria.
With Full Subject-based Banding in secondary schools, students may also take subjects at a higher level for those that they are strong in.
ENGLISH
FOUNDATION MOTHER TONGUE
FOUNDATION MATHEMATICS
SCIENCE
AL3
ALB
AL5
PSLE SCORE: 22
PLACEMENT OUTCOME
PSLE SCORE
EXPRESS
4 – 20
EXPRESS / N(A) option
21 – 22
N(A)
23 – 24
N(A) / N(T) option 25
N(T)
26 – 30, with AL7 or better in both EL and MA
Talking Points
For students offering a mix of Standard and Foundation level subjects, their PSLE Scores will be the sum of the AL scores of all Standard and Foundation subjects they are taking.
For example, if a student receives the following grades for his subjects: English Language (AL3), Foundation Mother Tongue (AL B), Foundation Mathematics (AL B) and Science (AL5), his total PSLE Score would be = 22.
Students taking Foundation subjects may still be eligible for the Express course if they do well in other subjects.

34. Eligibility for SECONDARY SCHOOL higher mother tongue language (HMTL)

35. ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL HMTL
Eligibility for HMTL in Secondary schools
The eligibility criteria for taking HMTL is intended to ensure that students can cope with the higher academic load, and takes reference from the current criteria.
ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL HMTL
PSLE Score of 8 or better OR
(ii) PSLE Score of 9 to 14 inclusive; and attain
AL1 / AL2 in MTL or
Distinction / Merit in HMTL  
Talking Points
The eligibility criteria for Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) is retained to ensure that students who pursue HMTL can cope with the demands of all subjects taken.
The criteria are set at fixed PSLE Scores, so that parents and students have a clear gauge on whether they could offer HMTL in secondary school.
If a student develops interest in MTL later on during secondary school, secondary schools will still have the flexibility to allow such students to take HMTL, if they are able to cope with the additional academic load.
[For GPC Briefing ONLY]
Eligibility under the current system:
Top 10% of PSLE Cohort; or
Top 11-30% of PSLE cohort; and
A* in MTL or
Distinction / Merit in HMTL
Eligibility under the new scoring system:
PSLE Score of 8 or better (~ Top 10%); or
PSLE Score of 9 to 14 inclusive (~ Top 11-30%); and
AL1 / AL2 in MTL or
Distinction / Merit in HMTL  
For students who do not meet the above criteria, secondary schools will continue to have the flexibility to offer HMTL to students, if they are assessed to have high ability and interest in MTL and are able to take HMTL without affecting their performance in other subjects.

36. INDICATIVE AL CUT-OFF POINTS (COPs)

37. INDICATIVE COPs
To support parents and students in making informed secondary school choices, MOE will provide information on each school’s indicative COP in AL terms in the first half of 2021.
These AL COPs will be derived from the PSLE scores and choice patterns of the 2020 S1 posting exercise.
This is sufficient time for the 2021 PSLE cohort to make their secondary school choices and choose to apply for DSA (Sec) if they wish.
Talking Points
To support parents and students in making informed secondary school choices, MOE will provide information on each school’s indicative COP in AL terms in the first half of 2021.
These AL Cut-Off Points will be derived from the PSLE Scores and choice patterns of the 2020 S1 posting exercise.
Hence it can only be provided in 2021.
There will be sufficient time for the affected cohort to make their secondary school choices, and choose to apply for DSA (Secondary) if they wish. DSA (Sec) applications open in May each year.

38. In summary
familiarising Students and Parents with the new system and guiding them in Making Subject Choices
2019
Primary 4
2020
Primary 5
2021
Primary 6
Scoring for Foundation level subjects – to guide students and parents on whether to take Foundation level subjects at PSLE
School Results in Achievement Levels (ALs) – to familiarize students and parents to the new system
Release of Indicative AL COPs – to guide students and parents in making school choices
Talking Points
To sum up, the updates in 2019 are meant to guide students and parents in making an informed decision on subject choices at the end of the P4 year, as well as to familiarise themselves with the AL system starting from P5, and in making school choices after P6.
Eligibility for Secondary School HMTL – to guide students and parents on whether to take HMTL at PSLE

39. Thank you!