Check both your calculator and its cover before packing for an SEC exam. SEAB’s 2026 GCE rules restricted formulae, conversion tables, instructions and handwriting on both. An approved calculator model can still carry an unauthorised note on a slide cover or label.
For the 2027 Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC), check that the paper permits a calculator, the exact model is approved and the device and cover meet the current instructions. Check a spare or borrowed calculator the same way.
- Check the paper’s calculator permission.
- Verify the model and keep its original branding and model number readable.
- Look inside and outside the cover and on the device itself.
- Ask the school or SEAB how to handle markings that cannot be removed.
Check where information can hide
Slide the cover off and look at the back of the device, the underside of the cover and the space between them. Inspect sticky labels and look for old revision reminders. A formula written on a cover for a school practice paper is still there when you pack the device for the national examination.
Check a second-hand calculator or a spare from home even if you have never used it. Pay particular attention to an old sticker with unit conversions or keystroke instructions. Leave the revision copy at home if the current instructions cannot be met.
Handle a permanent marking before you report
The 2026 GCE booklet gave a process for information on a calculator that could not be removed. It called for securely covering it and informing examination personnel. Confirm how the current SEC rules handle your case before relying on that process. Preserve visibility of the original brand and model number for checking.
If the issue is confined to a removable cover, ask whether you can leave it outside the venue. If you have a compliant replacement, check the approval and paper permission before switching. Make sure you know how to use the replacement.
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Distinguish an official marking from a personal note
A manufacturer’s brand or model number serves an identification purpose. A label that contains a formula or conversion serves a different purpose. The 2026 rules separately addressed a sticker supplied with certain calculators for warranty reasons. That provision does not make a student-added formula sticker acceptable.
If you are uncertain about a label, describe it to your school or SEAB before exam day. At the venue, ask the invigilator to check rather than keeping the issue to yourself.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need a SEAB approval sticker?
The 2026 GCE handbook said candidates did not need to obtain one. Check approval against SEAB’s list and the current instructions.
Can I bring a formula sheet tucked into the cover?
Leave your personal formula sheet outside the examination venue. Use reference material supplied or expressly authorised for the paper.
What if a borrowed calculator has handwriting on the back?
Raise the issue in advance and prepare a compliant device under the current rules.