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Information about Full Subject Based Banding for Parents | FullSBB SEC 2027 Grades Certificate and G3 G2 G1 Grade Mapping

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by

eduKate Asia

The new Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) begins in 2027 under Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB). A student receives one SEC that records the individual subjects and G1, G2 or G3 levels actually taken. The certificate is common in name and presentation, but the academic levels and grading scales are still different. Parents must read the subject name, its level and its grade together.

SEAB has confirmed that the first SEC results will be released in January 2028. The grades themselves remain aligned with earlier subject standards: G1 uses A to E, G2 uses 1 to 6, and G3 uses A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8 and 9. Grade mapping from a more demanding subject level to a lower level is used for specified post-secondary aggregate calculations, not as a claim that two examination papers were identical.

  • G1 grade scale: A, B, C, D and E.
  • G2 grade scale: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
  • G3 grade scale: A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8 and 9.
  • Certificate-award threshold: SEAB states that a certificate is awarded with an E8 or better in a G3 subject, grade 5 or better in a G2 subject, or grade D or better in a G1 subject.
  • G3 to G2 conversion: A1–B3 maps to 1; B4–C6 to 2; D7 to 3; E8 to 4; grade 9 to 5.
  • G2 to G1 conversion: grades 1–3 map to A; grade 4 to B; grade 5 to C; grade 6 to D.
  • Actual admissions: not every mapped grade is accepted for every course; the particular JC, Polytechnic, PFP or ITE formula decides what can be used.
  • No direct percentage comparison: a school weighted-assessment score in G2 is not the same as a national SEC grade in G3.

Find the answer you need

What does a common SEC certificate mean?

The SEC replaces the separate GCE N(T), N(A) and O-Level qualifications from 2027 in the relevant national examination framework. It is jointly examined and awarded by SEAB, MOE and Cambridge International Education. Students can take academic subjects at approved levels corresponding to their individual combinations.

The purpose is to acknowledge more varied educational profiles without creating three whole-person streams. A student might have a G3 Mathematics result, G2 English result and another subject at G1. The SEC records these explicitly.

The mistake to avoid is believing that the word “common” makes every subject paper and grade interchangeable. The levels are still separately assessed, and future programmes still apply entry requirements relevant to the knowledge students will need.

Why the original Posting Group is not an examination grade

At Secondary 1 entry, Posting Groups PG1, PG2 and PG3 help organise admission and indicate starting levels for most subjects. After entry, subject-level flexibility allows eligible students to take individual subjects at different G-levels and may permit school-guided adjustments.

The SEC is based on the actual subjects and levels for which the candidate is examined. It is not a transcript that records a single PG label as the whole qualification.

For parents, the useful record is a subject ledger: Mathematics G3, English G2, Science G2, Mother Tongue G3, and so on, according to the actual examination entry. The official school or SEAB results remain authoritative; the ledger simply makes the information easier to use.

How G1 results are graded

G1 subjects have grades A, B, C, D and E. This corresponds broadly to the earlier N(T)-Level grading structure, although candidates now receive the SEC under the new examination name.

A parent should not treat G1 grade A as equivalent to G3 A1 merely because both begin with the letter A. They describe outcomes from different curricula and assessments. A learner can perform well within one subject level while still needing additional teaching to move to a more demanding level.

SEAB’s SEC grading and certification guidance explains the applicable scale and how grades may be mapped when required for progression calculations.

How G2 results are graded

G2 subjects use numeric grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, broadly corresponding to the former N(A)-Level grading structure. The lower number represents a stronger grade on the G2 scale.

G2 grade 2 is not automatically the same as G3 A2. They arise from different examinations. In certain admissions calculations, a G3 grade is mapped onto a G2-equivalent scale, but the mapping is an authorised rule for a particular purpose.

This distinction is particularly important when comparing a child’s school report from an earlier term with a national examination qualification. A percentage from one school assessment cannot simply be converted to a SEC grade by an unofficial chart.

How G3 results are graded

G3 uses grades A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8 and 9. This aligns broadly with the former O-Level assessment standard, now recorded under the SEC qualification.

Parents may recognise the old grading symbols and assume every old school or programme condition can be copied into 2028. That is unwise. The 2028 JC and Polytechnic admission formulas have been revised, and the new PSE changes how eligible applicants consider major post-secondary routes.

The G3 grade itself remains meaningful, but the conditions for using that grade in a particular aggregate or entry requirement are found in the applicable current admission rules.

When is a SEC certificate awarded?

SEAB’s SEC overview explains that the certificate-award threshold is E8 or better in at least one G3 subject, grade 5 or better in a G2 subject, or grade D or better in a G1 subject. This is a minimum threshold for awarding a certificate, not the threshold for admission to a particular post-secondary course.

A candidate might receive a SEC but lack the grade combination needed for a desired Polytechnic diploma or JC route. Conversely, some admission calculations may depend on stronger grades even when a lower-grade subject has been recorded on the certificate.

Parents must keep certification and programme eligibility in separate boxes. A document recognising examined achievement does not guarantee a place in the next programme.

The G3-to-G2 mapping table in plain language

SEAB sets out the following mapping when a more demanding G3 grade must be converted to a G2-equivalent grade for an authorised aggregate: A1, A2 and B3 become grade 1; B4, C5 and C6 become 2; D7 becomes 3; E8 becomes 4; and grade 9 becomes 5.

This mapping can help in a scheme such as the Polytechnic Foundation Programme’s ELMAB3 calculation or the specified G2-equivalent best-subject component of the 2028 Polytechnic Year 1 ELR2B2. The purpose is to compute the formula under the published rule.

It does not turn a student’s official G3 result into a G2 result or imply the student sat two papers. The certificate still records the actual G-level and grade.

How G2 grades map to G1

SEAB also publishes a mapping from G2 to G1 where needed for progression purposes: G2 grades 1, 2 or 3 map to G1 A; G2 grade 4 maps to B; grade 5 maps to C; and grade 6 maps to D. This is used only in an applicable calculation that requires the lower-level comparison.

SEAB explains that where a G3 grade needs to be mapped down to G1, it is first mapped from G3 to G2 and then from G2 to G1. This two-step rule prevents the family from inventing its own direct conversion.

A parent does not need to memorise all mapping tables for everyday learning. Save the official link and use the one required for the student’s actual admission pathway.

What does grade mapping not do?

Mapping does not guarantee every mapped grade is acceptable. For example, Republic Polytechnic’s November 2026 guidance says that G3 grade 9 and G2 grades 5 or 6 cannot be used in its revised 2028 ELR2B2 calculation, even though SEAB provides general mapping rows for different grades.

Mapping does not erase course-specific prerequisites either. A diploma requiring G3 Mathematics is not obliged to accept G2 Mathematics merely because a student has a strong G2 grade. And JC L1R4 continues to require five G3 subjects rather than accepting the Polytechnic’s one-G2 formula.

These are the most common sources of confusion: parents discover a conversion chart and then apply it to every future route. The correct order is to identify the destination and its formula first, then apply the authorised mapping only where permitted.

A worked example for PFP calculation

Consider a fictional candidate with G3 English B4, G3 Mathematics B3, G2 Science 2, G2 Humanities 3 and G3 Mother Tongue C5. Under the SEAB G3-to-G2 mapping, English B4 becomes G2 grade 2, Mathematics B3 becomes grade 1 and Mother Tongue C5 becomes grade 2.

If these are all eligible subjects in a valid PFP ELMAB3 calculation, the G2-equivalent sum would be English 2 + Mathematics 1 + Science 2 + Humanities 3 + Mother Tongue 2 = 10. The general PFP headline threshold from 2028 is a raw ELMAB3 of 12 or better, but the student must also meet subject-specific cluster requirements.

The example is an arithmetic illustration, not a qualification ruling. The actual course’s eligible subjects and minimum grades must be verified, and competition for places remains.

A different example for Polytechnic Year 1

A candidate with four eligible G3 subjects and a fifth eligible G2 subject may fit the new Polytechnic Year 1 ELR2B2 structure. The fifth best subject is calculated on the G2-equivalent scale, while the other four remain at G3. This formula is different from the all-G2-equivalent calculation for PFP.

A student who studies more than five subjects may have several possible combinations, but not every combination is valid for the intended diploma. The relevant-subject categories, G-levels and minimum course requirements must be checked.

Parents can use Republic Polytechnic’s Full SBB admissions guide to see how the two formulas differ and what restrictions apply to Mathematics.

What happens in January 2028?

For the first SEC cohort, results are released in January 2028. Eligible students can then pursue the main post-secondary routes under the new PSE, according to MOE’s March 2026 announcement. The PSE includes JC, MI, polytechnic and ITE two-year or three-year Higher Nitec pathways.

Parents should not assume that every course opens on an identical date or uses the same number of preference choices. The final published exercise instructions and programme-specific requirements govern applications. A secondary-school ECG counsellor can help the student understand realistic options.

Keep copies of official subject results and application confirmations through the authorised systems. Avoid circulating a child’s full results slip in parent chats or uploading sensitive details to a public AI tool.

How the certificate should be used for planning, not labelling

A certificate summarises assessed achievement at a given point in the student’s education. It is important, but it is not a complete account of practical skill, creativity, leadership, wellbeing or all future potential. Full SBB is designed partly to acknowledge that student profiles can differ by subject.

A child with a strong G3 Mathematics result and weaker English should receive help in English without having the Mathematics strength dismissed. Another learner with solid G2 academic foundations and a practical interest may have credible applied pathways.

The family should read the certificate precisely and then ask what the next qualification requires. That avoids both false reassurance and needless despair.

A parent results-day checklist

  • Read the exact SEC examination year and the student’s official subject entries.
  • Record each subject title, G-level and grade.
  • Confirm whether the student has received the national SEC certificate.
  • Identify realistic post-secondary routes using official eligibility rules.
  • For each route, check whether any G3-to-G2 or G2-to-G1 mapping is authorised.
  • Calculate gross and net aggregates separately where applicable.
  • Check course-specific minimum grades, not only the overall total.
  • Discuss educational fit, travel, costs and workload with the student.
  • Rank courses in genuine preference order and submit within the official period.
  • Keep the acknowledgement and seek school guidance for exceptional circumstances.

Parent FAQs

### Is G1 A the same as G3 A1? No. They belong to different assessment scales and syllabus demands. Do not compare the letter alone.

### Does the SEC show Posting Group 1, 2 or 3? The certificate records subjects and their G1, G2 or G3 levels. Posting Group is an earlier secondary admission arrangement.

### Can any G3 grade be converted to a usable G2 admission grade? No. Mapping rules and eligibility restrictions are specific to each admission formula, and weaker grades may not be accepted.

### Is one G2 subject allowed in the 2028 JC L1R4? No. The revised JC and MI L1R4 uses five G3 subjects, unlike the separate Polytechnic Year 1 formula.

### Does getting an SEC mean the student automatically qualifies for Polytechnic? No. A certificate is different from meeting an eligible ELR2B2 or PFP formula and the desired programme’s minimum entry requirements.

Official sources and next reading

Use SEAB’s SEC grading, grade mapping and certification guide, MOE’s 2028 PSE announcement and Republic Polytechnic’s updated admissions examples. Within eduKate, continue with the direct Polytechnic Year 1 parent guide and the JC and MI L1R4 guide. Reviewed 6 November 2026.

Full SBB Parent Series: 2028 Admission Choices

These companion guides help families distinguish national examination grades, qualifying subjects and different 2028 post-secondary routes before submitting an application.

Start from the eduKate PSLE and Full SBB Parent Pathways Hub.