A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Full SBB

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Full SBB

Singapore’s secondary schools are no longer using the old Express / Normal (Academic) / Normal (Technical) labels. From the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort onwards, every child enters secondary school under Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB), and by 2026 parents will only see the new system — Posting Groups and subject levels G1, G2 and G3 — in school letters, reports and portals. If you grew up in the old streaming system, this feels unfamiliar. This guide explains, in parent language, what Full SBB is, what to look out for, and how to support your child. Official explanation here: Full SBB — MOE. (Ministry of Education)

1. What Full SBB Is Trying to Do

Full SBB is MOE’s way of saying: “Your child should learn each subject at the level that fits them — not be locked into one stream for every subject.” Instead of putting 12-year-olds into three fixed tracks for four years, schools now place them in mixed form classes and let them take each subject at G1, G2 or G3 depending on strength, interest and pace. MOE explains it this way: “we are moving towards a secondary school education where students learn each subject at the level that best caters to their overall strengths” — see the MOE page here: About Full SBB. (Ministry of Education)

In other words, Full SBB is not “another name for streaming.” It is intentionally less rigid and more customisable. Your child can be strong in English and take it at the highest level, but take Math at a slower level at the same time. That was almost impossible under the old system. (Lil’ but Mighty)

2. Posting Groups: PG1, PG2 and PG3

Under Full SBB, your child is first posted to a secondary school using Posting Groups (PG1, PG2, PG3). These posting groups take the place of “Express”, “NA” and “NT” for admission, but MOE is very clear: the posting group should not define your child’s whole four-year journey. The posting group is just the entry point. Read the MOE page on posting groups here: Schools offering Full SBB. (Ministry of Education)

A simple way to read it:

  • PG3 → child generally ready to take most subjects at G3 (Express-equivalent)
  • PG2 → child generally ready to take most subjects at G2, but can take some at G3
  • PG1 → child generally ready to take most subjects at G1, but can be offered G2 in subjects they are strong in

Several school and tuition sites summarise it this way, e.g. What is SBB in Secondary Schools? and What is Subject-Based Banding?. (blog.mindstretcher.com)

So if you see “Your child is admitted under PG2”, don’t panic. It only tells you the starting level for most subjects, not the ceiling.

3. Subject Levels: G1, G2, G3

This is the part parents must understand best.

  • G3 → mapped from Express standard
  • G2 → mapped from Normal (Academic) standard
  • G1 → mapped from Normal (Technical) standard

This mapping is described clearly here: Full SBB: G1, G2, G3 explained and in MOE’s FAQ here: Full SBB FAQ. (thelearninglab.com.sg)

Your child can take different subjects at different levels at the same time. Example:

  • English — G3
  • Mathematics — G2
  • Science — G2
  • Mother Tongue — G3
  • Humanities (from Sec 2) — higher level if the school offers and child is keen

This flexibility is the main benefit of Full SBB. It recognises that most teens are not the same across every subject.

4. Mixed Form Classes and the “Common Curriculum”

Parents sometimes worry: “If my child is PG2, will he/she be separated from PG3 classmates and labelled?” Under Full SBB, no — schools now build mixed form classes. Your child will spend around one-third of curriculum time learning together with classmates of different strengths in six common curriculum subjects: Art, Character & Citizenship Education, Design & Technology, Food & Consumer Education, Music and PE. This is written here: Secondary school experience under Full SBB. (Ministry of Education)

Why is this important for you? Because it means:

  1. Socially, your child still grows up with a full class
  2. Academically, your child will move in and out of different groups for subjects like English, Math, Science
  3. The school can timetable different subject levels without splitting friendships completely

So when your child says, “I am going to another classroom for English,” that’s normal.

5. Moving Up (and Sometimes Down) in Full SBB

One powerful feature of Full SBB is later upward movement. If your child starts Sec 1 taking English at G2, but scores very well and shows strong attitude, the school can offer English at G3 either in Sec 1 (later part of the year) or Sec 2. This possibility is stated in MOE’s FAQ: students can take subjects at a more or less demanding level based on eligibility, interest, and ability to cope. (Ministry of Education)

This is especially important for Punggol families whose children matured slightly later, or were busy with sports/arts during PSLE, or simply got nervous and scored a little lower. Full SBB keeps the door open.

On the other hand, if your child is struggling badly at G3 (e.g. English or Math), the school may recommend taking it at G2 to protect confidence and core learning. This is not a “demotion” — it is a recalibration so that the child can still meet post-secondary requirements later. The Straits Times covered this angle here: Flexibility to learn according to own pace and strengths. (The Straits Times)

6. What Happens at the End — SEC / O-Level / N-Level?

MOE has already said that as Full SBB becomes the norm, Singapore will move towards a common certificate called the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) to replace today’s separate O- and N-Level certificates. Parents can read early explanations here: 5 Important Facts Every Parent Should Know About Full SBB and the 2025–2026 tuition explainer here: Understanding Full SBB and tuition strategy. (superstarteacher.com.sg)

The key point: your child’s certificate will list subjects and the level (G1/G2/G3) they were taken at. This is fairer to students who are very strong in some subjects but needed time for others.

7. So… What Should Parents Actually Watch?

a) Subject level in English and Math
These two drive many post-secondary options. If your child can maintain English at G3 and Math at G2/G3, a lot of doors stay open. Check MOE’s FAQ on pathways here: Full SBB FAQ (Post-secondary). (Ministry of Education)

b) Chances to take Humanities at higher level in Sec 2
Under Full SBB, students can take Geography, History or Literature at a more demanding level from Sec 2 if they are doing well. This is where good English and reading habits matter. See MOE’s note here: About Full SBB — Humanities at Sec 2. (Ministry of Education)

c) School’s experience
All schools must do Full SBB by 2026, but some started in 2020 (pilot 28 schools) and are very smooth by now. If your child is entering Sec 1 in 2026, ask the school: “How do you support students who want to try a higher subject level?” Schools like Queenstown Sec, Guangyang Sec and others have public pages showing how they do it. (guangyangsec.moe.edu.sg)

d) Timetable load
Because your child can take subjects at higher levels, the total load can become heavy. Talk to the school and the tutor before taking too many subjects at G3.

8. Where Tuition Fits In (Punggol Context)

Full SBB gives flexibility, but flexibility only helps if your child can actually cope at the higher level. That is why many Punggol families still send their children for subject-specific tuition — especially English, Mathematics and Science — even after Full SBB. A small-group tutor can:

  1. Teach to the exact G-level (G1/G2/G3) instead of teaching a “class average”
  2. Prepare for level-up — if the school says “your child may be offered Math at a more demanding level next semester”, tuition can pre-teach the topics
  3. Build exam formats early — for English, this means writing, comprehension, summary and oral; for Math, this means model → algebra → problem solving
  4. Explain the system to parents — many Punggol parents simply want to know, “Is my child okay to move up?”

You can see how we position this for secondary English here: Punggol Secondary English Tuition (Sec 1–4) — Comprehensive Guide to Success and for Mathematics here: Punggol Mathematics Tuition — Secondary (G3 and G2). Our main site with all programmes is here: https://edukatesingapore.com/. (edufirst.com.sg)

Because our Punggol centre runs in 3-pax small groups, the tutor can give accurate, level-specific feedback: “Your child is doing G2 English work easily now, you can talk to the school about G3 next year.” That is how parents actually use Full SBB. Contact us for our Secondary Tuition here:

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9. FAQs for Parents

Q1. My child was posted to PG2. Is this the same as ‘Normal (Academic)’?
Not quite. PG2 is mapped from NA, but under Full SBB your child can still take some subjects at G3 straightaway (usually English, Math, Science, MTL if PSLE was strong). And they study every day with classmates from other posting groups. (Ministry of Education)

Q2. Can my child move from G2 to G3 later?
Yes. Schools will look at exam results, teacher’s feedback, motivation and overall workload. Many students in 2024–2025 have already done this — MOE’s FAQ says students can take subjects at a more or less demanding level during their journey. (Ministry of Education)

Q3. Does Full SBB affect junior college / poly / ITE entry?
Entry is still based on subjects taken and grades achieved. MOE states that “eligibility for post-secondary pathways will be determined by subject and subject level combinations, rather than which Posting Group they entered with.” So yes — keeping English and Math strong is still important. (Ministry of Education)

Q4. Is this the same in every secondary school?
The rules are the same nationwide, but schools with earlier Full SBB experience may have smoother timetables and more Humanities-at-higher-level options. Check the school’s own Full SBB info page or ask during Sec 1 parent briefing. (WRITERS AT WORK)

Q5. Where can I read a parent-friendly version?
Try these:

10. The Simple Way to Explain It to Your Child

You can tell your Sec 1/2 child this:

“Last time, students were sorted into Express, NA, NT and they had to stay there. Now, you will study in a mixed class and take each subject at the level that’s right for you. If you do well, you can try a higher level. If you need more time, you can learn at a level that helps you understand better. This is called Full SBB.”

That is, in one paragraph, the spirit of MOE’s change. And once parents understand that spirit, it becomes much easier to plan tuition, pick subjects, and talk to teachers.

For Punggol families who want to use this flexibility — to move English or Math up to G3, or to keep a child confident in a mixed-ability class — our 3-student lessons near Punggol MRT are designed for exactly this Full SBB era. You can read more or book a consultation at eduKatePunggol.com.

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