Do you know? Under Singapore’s Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB), a student’s original Posting Group, current academic subject levels, school teaching groups and future national examination subjects are not interchangeable. One simple family record can prevent many avoidable errors: buying the wrong books, selecting a practice paper for the wrong G-level, assuming a Mathematics upgrade automatically changes Science, or telling a future tutor that the child is simply “PG2” when their subjects are mixed.
Call it a Full SBB Subject Passport: a private, one-page table of the student’s actual subjects, current G1/G2/G3 levels, school-confirmed changes, materials and next review points. It is a home organisation tool, not a new official MOE certificate or a substitute for the school’s records. Keep it private and update it whenever the school issues a formal subject-level decision.
This guide shows how parents can build that record in a notebook or spreadsheet, use it to coordinate school and tuition, and prepare for the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) from 2027 without inventing syllabus codes for a child’s future examination cohort.
First, understand the four different kinds of information
| Label | What it actually describes | What parents should not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Posting Group 1, 2 or 3 | Original Secondary 1 school-posting category | That every subject must keep this equivalent level |
| G1, G2 or G3 for a named subject | The current approved curriculum level for that particular academic subject | That a classmate or sibling has the same level |
| School teaching group and timetable | Where and when the student is supposed to attend a class | That a portal delay is itself a new subject-level decision |
| 2027 onward SEC subject and code | A school-registered national examination subject and level for the applicable cohort | That a lower-secondary textbook or practice paper counts as registration |
The national framework allows eligible pupils to offer different subjects at different levels. MOE’s Full SBB overview explains the distinction between Posting Groups and subject-level flexibility. The school’s actual communications tell the family what applies to their child.
The printable Full SBB Subject Passport template
Use one row per actual school subject. Write “awaiting school confirmation” rather than guessing at an uncertain field. The table below is a fictional example for a lower-secondary student. It must not be copied as if it described a real child’s confirmed programme.
| Subject | Current G-level | Official confirmation | Current focus / next check |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | G1 (illustrative) | School timetable and subject record | Reading comprehension; review at next school conference |
| Mathematics | G3 (illustrative) | Accepted school MDL offer | Algebra bridging and receiving teacher’s chapter sequence |
| Science | G2 (illustrative) | School subject list | Graphs, investigations and interpretation of data |
| Mother Tongue Language | School-confirmed level | School subject record | Language practice and any school-specific programme |
| Humanities / other subjects | Check year-specific school offering | School booklet and class timetable | Identify examinable subjects where applicable |
A blank personal version can have these columns: school year; subject name; G-level; effective date; form or teaching group; evidence of school approval; required books; upcoming assessment; teacher advice; next review date. Keep the subject’s status specific. If the child takes both G1 and G3 subjects, do not write “G2 student” as a shortcut.
Step 1: Fill it using the most authoritative evidence
- Begin with the latest school subject list or timetable for the correct year and pupil.
- Check any later subject-specific offer or change notice for English, Mathematics, Science and Mother Tongue.
- Record the date and result of any formally accepted MDL or LDL offer.
- Where the school portal and formal offer disagree, ask the school to confirm the effective level and class.
- Record elective-subject combinations only after the school allocates them; a ranked preference is not an approved entry.
The passport should not include a child’s identity card number, medical details or other confidential data. For household use, a simple local copy with only the fields needed for learning is usually enough. Avoid sharing an identifiable full school record publicly or with unrelated providers.
Step 2: Keep the source and the date beside each decision
A record that says “G3 Science” without a date can become misleading after a school review. Add a short note such as “confirmed by school email in Term 2” or “effective from Term 3, according to the acceptance letter.” If the teacher recommends an MDL trial but formal placement has not been confirmed, write “proposed” rather than “active”.
Keep dated confirmation records in a private folder that is easy to retrieve. Do not forward a complete child profile to a tutor when the tutor only needs the subject, level, relevant syllabus and examples of homework errors.
Step 3: Match each subject to its books and learning plan
A G3 Mathematics offer does not automatically require replacement G3 books for the child’s other subjects. The passport should list the exact textbook or workbook required by the school, with its edition or ISBN if relevant. A parent can then give a tutor the correct G-level, chapters studied and two or three diagnostic questions instead of asking for a generic “Express maths worksheet”.
For example, if the school moves the child from G2 to G3 Mathematics, add the new effective date, the receiving teacher’s topic sequence and the bridging targets. The mid-year Mathematics bridge explains how to map missing algebra and graph concepts. If Science changes instead, the lower-secondary Science bridge focuses on fair tests, variables, evidence and data.
Step 4: Review progress without falsely comparing marks
A 75% mark at G2 and a 60% mark at G3 are not automatically comparable measures of the same difficulty. The demands and assessment content differ. Record useful information beside the grade: which syllabus was tested, which topics were taught, the question types, recurring errors and how independently the student performed. This gives parents and teachers a more accurate account of readiness than a single arrow showing that the percentage went down.
A productive monthly review might ask: Which mistakes have stopped recurring? Which new concept can the learner explain without hints? Is the workload sustainable alongside sleep, school and CCA? What did the school say about the next review window? Do not turn the passport into a daily public ranking against classmates.
Step 5: Add future SEC information only when it becomes relevant
Starting from the 2027 graduating cohort, the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) records subjects and individual G-levels. SEAB confirms that school candidates register through their schools. It also publishes different G1, G2 and G3 grading structures. Therefore a lower-secondary child should not be assigned a national examination code solely because a commercial workbook happens to display one.
When Secondary 3/4 subject registration approaches, the family may add a separate examination column for official subject title, level, examination year and school-confirmed code. Look up the applicable year using SEAB’s SEC explanation and SEAB’s syllabus directory. Verify subject and code with the school. A 2027 subject listing is not a guarantee that every identical code remains unchanged in later examination years.
An example of how one family’s record changes over time
| Decision point | What the family updates | What remains separate |
|---|---|---|
| Before Secondary 1 starts | Original Posting Group and initial subject levels confirmed by school | Preferred tuition resources are not official placements |
| After accepting G3 Mathematics | Mathematics G-level, effective date, materials, receiving teacher | English, Science and other subjects stay at their existing confirmed levels unless separately changed |
| During Secondary 2 reviews | School feedback and the next offered subject-level decision | One strong weighted assessment alone does not rewrite enrolment |
| After Secondary 3 subject allocation | Only the actual school-approved combination and taught syllabus | The first-choice or appealed elective is not assumed to be approved |
| Before SEC registration | School-confirmed examination subjects, G-levels and codes | The original Posting Group is not copied as the exam level |
Five common mistakes this simple tool helps prevent
- Ordering one uniform set of G-level textbooks when the child’s current subjects are mixed.
- Mistaking a draft subject-combination preference for a final school allocation.
- Using historical N- or O-Level codes without checking the current SEC examination-year syllabus.
- Assuming a change in G3 Mathematics upgrades G2 Science at the same time.
- Relying on old report-card percentages without noting differences in question demand, syllabus and teaching group.
Do you know? Frequently asked parent questions
Is a Subject Passport a document the school must sign?
No. It is a family-created organiser, not a compulsory national form. The school remains the authoritative source for formal placement, subject-level change, progression and examination registration.
Do I need to put all school assessment marks on it?
Not necessarily. For a one-page record, the subject, level, current topics and key learning gaps are often enough. Keep the complete confidential results slip with the original school record rather than copying every personal detail into an informal shared sheet.
Can my child have G1 English and G3 Mathematics in the same record?
The Full SBB framework permits mixed subject-level learning when eligibility and school approval allow. There is no reason to force all recorded rows to match one label. See the separate G3 Mathematics with G1 English parent explanation for the relevant qualifications.
When should parents update the passport?
Whenever the school issues a confirmed change, after an annual subject list is updated, when the teaching group or material changes, and when an examination-year registration becomes official. Avoid changing a field because a friend received a different timetable or the child took a more demanding practice test.
Should I send a full copy to every tuition centre?
Share only the minimum relevant educational information, such as subject, level, current chapter and a non-sensitive example of the child’s work. Protect personal records and avoid unnecessary distribution.
The point is better learning, not more administration
The unchanged eduKateSG Secondary 1 Mathematics Clementi three-student tutorial reference shows the value of clear algebra explanations, close observation and targeted corrections. The Subject Passport helps a family make that kind of tutoring coherent with the school-confirmed level rather than asking a tutor to guess from the child’s Posting Group.
For practical next steps, review what to do when the wrong G-level textbook was purchased, how Full SBB examinable subjects are counted and the school’s most recent notices. A record is only useful if it is accurate, private and simple enough to maintain. The goal is for parents and students to spend less time untangling labels and more time understanding what to learn next.