Wondering which secondary schools your child can enter? Or which would be most suitable for their academic abilities? Browse through the 2023 PSLE cut-off points of secondary schools below to help you make a wise decision for your secondary school selection!
How are cut-off points calculated?
The cut-off point of a school is the score of the lowest-scoring student who was admitted into the school for that year. The score is NOT an entry requirement set by the school, which means that occasionally, students with poorer scores than the COP can still have a chance at entering the school.
As a result, the COP of a school can vary from year to year, depending on factors such as:
- The overall performance of students in the PSLE.
- The number of places available in each secondary school.
- The demand for places in the school
How is the PSLE score calculated?
Gone are the days of PSLE T-scores. Currently, the PSLE score is calculated based on Achievement Levels (AL). Each subject is given an AL from 1 to 8, with 1 being the highest band of scores (more than 90 marks). The PSLE aggregate score is the sum of the AL scores for all 4 subjects (English, Math, Science, and Mother Tongue).
In short, smaller is better when it comes to AL scores – and the smaller the cut-off point, the more competitive (or high-performing) the school is.
How should the COP information be used?
Knowing the COP of Secondary schools helps parents and students make more informed decisions in selecting their secondary school. If you have a rough idea of your AL score (or already received your PSLE results), you can compare them to the secondary school COPs and shortlist the schools which you are likely to be able to enter.
It is always recommended to diversify your school options and choose secondary schools with a range of COPs, just in case you don’t get your top choice.
PSLE COP of Secondary Schools (2024 Intake)
Below, you can browse the list of COPs for secondary schools in Singapore for the 2023 PSLE and 2024 intake of students. Take note that this article omits the 2023 COP for Integrated Programme schools, as these have been covered in an earlier article.
For Special Assistant Plan (SAP) schools, the letter in the bracket indicates the Higher Chinese score (D=Distinction, M=merit, P=pass).
Most schools admit students across three banding groups, but some only take in students in selected groups. Group 1, 2 and 3 corresponds to the old streaming system of Normal (Technical), Normal (Academic), and Express, respectively. Browse our earlier article to find out how the full subject based banding runs in secondary school.
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Going from Primary School to Secondary School is a big transition for your child, and selecting their secondary school is just the first step. Your child will have to adapt to a new school environment, including new teachers, classmates, subjects, and more.
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