2021 is the first year that the Ministry of Education’s new PSLE scoring system kicks in! Here’s your go-to guide on all you need to know about how it works.
Buh-bye, A* – AL 1 is the new best possible subject score
Subjects will be graded based on 8 Achievement Levels (ALs), with AL 1 being the best possible score, and AL 8 being the lowest.
The AL for each subject reflects a student’s own level of achievement instead of his or her relative performance compared to peers. Check out the scoring range for each AL below:
What about Foundation Students?
Students who take Foundation level subjects will receive 1 of 3 possible grades for each subject – AL A, AL B or AL C, which will be considered equivalent to AL 6, AL 7 and AL 8 of Standard level subjects respectively to determine a student’s PSLE Score for Secondary 1 posting (we’ll cover how that’s done in a bit!). That’s because Foundation level subject curricula are subsets of the Standard level subject curricula . It also reflects the relevant assessment load at the Foundation level versus the Standard level. We’ve prepared a comparison table to make it clearer for you:
No more T-Scores – PSLE Score calculation made simple
From 2021 onwards, simply add up the ALs across the 4 subjects – a total PSLE Score of 4 is the best, although it can go all the way to 32.
Students who score at least 30 with an AL 7 or better in both English Language and Mathematics will be admitted to a secondary school.
Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical)?
Check out the PSLE Score range needed for each type of secondary school course below!
Meet School Choice Order – the newest tie-breaker
With the use of wider scoring bands under the new system, 3 tie-breakers will be used in cases where students have the same PSLE Score:
- Citizenship
- *NEW* School choice order
- Computerised balloting
This means if 2 students have the same PSLE Scores and citizenship status, but there is only 1 spot left in their preferred secondary school, the student who ranked the school higher will be offered the position.
It’s really important to do some desktop research on secondary school websites and visit the Open Houses to make an informed decision when ranking the order of preferred schools!
Any benefits of taking Higher Chinese Language?
Apart from appreciating the language better and deepening one’s language abilities?
Yes – it can increase a student’s chance to enter a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school!
Before any tie-breakers are applied, should Higher Chinese Language (HCL) students with the same PSLE Score vie for limited spots in the same SAP school, those with higher HCL grades (Distinction being the best, followed by Merit then Pass) will be given a place ahead of others.
What’s needed to take Higher Mother Tongue Language in secondary school
A student can take Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) in secondary school if he or she scores a total PSLE Score of 8 or better, or attains a PSLE Score of 9 to 14 – including an AL 1 or AL 2 in Mother Tongue Language, or at least Merit in HMTL.
Similar to existing practice, secondary schools will continue to have the flexibility to provide students who do not meet the above criteria opportunities to learn HMTL if they are assessed to have high ability and interest in MTL, and can learn HMTL without affecting the performance of their other school subjects.
Now that you know how PSLE works, do you have a game plan to prepare your child to excel in his or her first education milestone in the remaining few months?
Join our upcoming hour-long free webinar on Saturday, 23 Jan 2021 10am by Math Master Teacher Jason to dig deep into the secrets of PSLE Math and learn about:
- How to prepare your P6 child for PSLE Math within 8 months
- An in-depth breakdown of PSLE Math curriculum and important topics
- How to give your child a head start to do well in PSLE Math
- Commonly made mistakes that can be easily avoided
- Effective study strategies with Think Academy
- Think Academy’s PSLE Head Start Programme
Sign up today at bit.ly/PSLE-webinar-23jan21
– everyone’s welcome!
PLUS Join Our Facebook Community of PSLE Parents to Ask PSLE Math Questions, Discuss Answers and Get Exclusive Learning Resources
