Information on PG1 | Parent’s Guide to PSLE Scoring System and School CutOff Points

A school search becomes easier when the family keeps four records separate. Write them on one sheet before opening a list of school names.

Record	What to write	Why it matters
PSLE result	The four subject results and total score.	The total and particular subject grades answer different questions.
Posting eligibility	PG1 only, or a PG1/PG2 option.	This determines which school column and starting arrangement to consider.
School reference	School, intake year, PG1 figure and applicable conditions.	A number without its year or admission category can mislead.
Learning profile	Subjects the child handles independently and those needing support.	This prepares the later discussion about subject levels.

Do not confuse AL1, a PSLE subject grade, with PG1, a Posting Group, or G1, a secondary subject level. Similar-looking labels do different jobs. A lower PSLE total represents a stronger aggregate result; the numbers in the Posting Group names are not a ranking of a child’s worth.

For example, “The total is 27” is not yet a complete school-choice instruction. Check English and Mathematics, confirm the official eligibility, and then read the PG1 figures for the schools being considered. Next, look at the child’s actual strengths. That order prevents the school list from becoming a verdict on the whole learner.

For the wider secondary-school explanation, use eduKate’s Parents and Pathways Hub. This article concentrates on the decisions between receiving a PSLE result and beginning Secondary 1.

The PSLE Score is the sum of the four subject scores and ranges from 4 to 32. SEAB explains the aggregate. For Standard subjects, use the Achievement Level awarded for each subject rather than adding percentages together.

Standard subject AL	Raw-mark band
AL1	90 and above
AL2	85–89
AL3	80–84
AL4	75–79
AL5	65–74
AL6	45–64
AL7	20–44
AL8	Below 20

Foundation subjects use grades A, B and C. For the posting aggregate, these map to Standard-level AL equivalents as follows.

Foundation grade	Raw-mark band	Contribution to PSLE total
A	75–100	6
B	30–74	7
C	Below 30	8

These bands and the mapping come from MOE’s PSLE scoring information sheet. The mapping is an administrative comparison for posting. It does not mean a Foundation paper and a Standard paper assess identical content.

Worked example: Standard English AL6, Foundation Mathematics A, Standard Mother Tongue AL6 and Standard Science AL7 contribute 6 + 6 + 6 + 7 = 25. The family must preserve the original Foundation A in its subject record, even though it contributes 6 to the total. That original grade can matter when discussing the corresponding secondary subject.

Use the official result when it is available. A school preliminary examination, a tuition worksheet percentage or an estimated mark does not establish the national examination result. Before results day, calculations are planning exercises; afterwards, the actual document should replace every estimate.

PSLE Score	Posting Group position	Parent action
25	Choice of PG1 or PG2.	Compare the starting learning arrangements before selecting one group.
26–30	PG1, with AL7 or better in both English Language and Mathematics.	Check the two subject results as well as the total.
Outside those conditions	Do not infer ordinary PG1 eligibility from the total alone.	Ask the primary school to explain the actual options.

The national table is described in MOE’s Posting Groups guidance and reproduced by Loyang View Secondary. The English and Mathematics requirement is part of the rule for the 26–30 band. It should not disappear when a table is shortened for a social-media post.

Illustration: English AL7, Mathematics AL7, Mother Tongue AL6 and Science AL7 total 27. The English and Mathematics results meet the condition. A different set of subject results could also total 27 while including an AL8 in English. Those are not interchangeable eligibility cases.

If a child does not qualify for the ordinary Posting Groups, arrange a conversation with the primary school. The joint MOE–SEAB results release describes re-attempting the PSLE and applications to Assumption Pathway School or NorthLight School, including the principal-recommendation condition for students who have attempted the PSLE once. Confirm the current options for the child’s cohort; do not assign a route from an online calculator alone.

Keep the conversation factual and private. “We need to check which option applies” gives the family a next step. “There is no future after this score” is not an educational conclusion supported by the posting table.

A Score of 25 creates a genuine choice between PG1 and PG2. The useful comparison concerns the student’s starting subject profile, learning readiness and sustainable workload. It is not resolved by choosing the group that sounds more impressive to another adult.

Put recent English, Mathematics and other subject work on the table. What can the child explain without prompting? Where is support still needed? Is difficulty caused by a missing foundation, misunderstanding of instructions, or the pace of the work? A teacher can help distinguish these possibilities. Ask what the proposed starting arrangement would mean in actual lessons and assignments.

One group applies across the school choices. When a student is eligible for two Posting Groups, the selected group applies to all the secondary school choices submitted. This rule appears in section 4.3 of MOE’s historical S1 Internet System guide. A family does not combine a PG1 place at one school and a PG2 place at another within the same list. The linked document supports the one-group rule; use the current Singpass-based S1 Portal, accessed from MOE’s S1 Posting page, for login and submission instructions.

This means that school comparisons should follow the group decision. A PG2 cut-off of 25 and a PG1 cut-off of 28 belong to different admission columns. Putting the two numbers beside each other does not establish which classroom arrangement will suit the child.

For a fuller discussion, read how to choose between PG1 and PG2 at PSLE Score 25. Take the questions to the child’s teacher. The aim is to make one considered choice, record the reasons and then build a coherent school list around it.

A school’s PSLE score range shows the span of results associated with the relevant posting outcome. In the usual reading, the numerically larger end is the cut-off point: the score of the last student admitted in that category. A lower number is more stringent. A range of 25–28 does not mean that a student must score exactly 25 to apply.

Read every entry with its intake year, Posting Group, admission category and footnotes. PG3 and PG1 figures for the same school are separate references. Affiliated and non-affiliated figures may also differ. The final cut-off for a future intake depends on that posting exercise; last year’s number is not a reservation.

There is a useful exception to the simple “last admitted student” description. Springfield Secondary’s 2026 information shows PG1 as 25–30*, while explaining that the last student actually posted had a score better than 30. The published 30 reflects remaining vacancies and the score of an S1-eligible student the school could have admitted. The asterisk changes the interpretation.

Consequently, neither “meets last year’s cut-off” nor “has a better score than last year’s cut-off” is a promise of a place next year. The first may involve competition at the boundary; the second gives a stronger historical comparison but cannot freeze future demand.

Use the number to manage the list, then investigate the school experience. A COP cannot tell you how a child will respond to a particular teacher, CCA, journey or learning environment. Those questions need their own evidence.

If the SchoolFinder table is unfamiliar, follow eduKate’s guide to reading school ranges and cut-off points while viewing the official record. Keep the year and Posting Group visible as you compare entries.

Historical reference table: 2026 Secondary 1 intake, after the 2025 PSLE. Checked 3 November 2026. These examples illustrate different cut-offs and reporting formats. They are not a complete national directory, a ranking, or predicted 2027 entry scores. Every school name links to its official published information.

School and official source	Published PG1 figure	Condition or reading note
Evergreen Secondary	25–26	AY2026 range shown; upper end 26.
Hillgrove Secondary	27	2026 PG1 COP.
St Patrick’s School	27 non-affiliated; 28 affiliated	Boys’ school. The applicable affiliation conditions must be met.
Clementi Town Secondary	28	The school expressly excludes DSA from these figures.
Xinmin Secondary	25–28	2026 cohort range shown; upper end 28.
Junyuan Secondary	28	Non-affiliated COP; DSA excluded.
Bukit View Secondary	29	2026 cohort COP.
Springfield Secondary	25–30*	Vacancy footnote: the last actual student had a score better than 30.
CHIJ St Theresa’s Convent	30*, non-affiliated	Girls’ school. Its note says the last PG1 student had a score better than 30.

St Patrick’s official school history confirms its boys’ school setting; the CHIJ registration page addresses parents and their daughters. Those are eligibility considerations, not small-print afterthoughts.

A family with a Score of 27 can use the table to understand why 26, 27, 28 and 29 represent different historical comparisons. It should not treat these geographically varied examples as a ready-made six-school list. A realistic journey and the child’s suitability matter alongside the figures.

Before submission, reopen MOE SchoolFinder and the school’s current admissions information. Copy the exact school code, selected group and any conditions into your own worksheet. Historical appeal deadlines on the linked pages have already passed; they are not instructions for the next intake.

For the starred entries, use our explanation of what 30* means in SchoolFinder. Read the school’s own footnote first; the explainer helps interpret it.

Start with schools the child could genuinely attend. Remove options that fail essential eligibility requirements or create an unworkable daily journey. Then compare the historical PG1 figures for the remaining schools and put the final list in the family’s true order of preference.

MOE’s parent kit recommends using all six options and including two or three schools where the child’s PSLE Score is better than the previous cut-off. In numerical terms, a child with 27 has a better score than a historical COP of 28. The direction matters: 26 is more stringent than 27.

The following worksheet is an illustration for a child with Score 27. The schools are fictional. It is not an official allocation formula, and parents should not force the same number of choices into each category.

Preference	Illustrative school	Historical PG1 COP	Question before keeping it
1	School A	26	Is this genuinely preferred, despite the more stringent past figure?
2	School B	27	Are we prepared for competition at the boundary?
3	School C	28	Does its programme and journey suit the child?
4	School D	28	Would the child be comfortable accepting this outcome?
5	School E	29	Have we verified the relevant group and intake?
6	School F	30*	Have we understood the footnote and eligibility?

A list containing six boundary choices concentrates uncertainty. A list with three historically less stringent options is more varied, but still does not guarantee admission. Avoid calling any school “confirmed” before a posting offer exists.

At Score 30, there is no ordinary PG1 COP above 30 to provide that numerical buffer. Do not invent one. Discuss available PG1 choices, published 30* references and appropriate alternatives with the primary school, using current official information. The general recommendation needs to be applied sensibly to the actual score.

To turn the shortlist into a finished family record, continue with eduKate’s six-school choice method. Bring the worksheet back to the actual score, eligibility and school information before submitting anything.

The PSLE Score is considered before the ordinary posting tie-breakers. When students with the same score compete for the last available place, the sequence is citizenship, school choice order and then computerised balloting. Citizenship priority is Singapore Citizen, Permanent Resident, then International Student. MOE sets out the sequence.

Illustration one: two otherwise comparable applicants have the same score and citizenship. One lists a school second; the other lists it fourth. If they are competing for the last place under the ordinary tie-breakers, the higher choice order matters.

Illustration two: one child has a better PSLE Score but lists the school lower. Another child with a weaker score puts it first. First choice does not automatically overturn the stronger academic result. Thinking otherwise can lead parents to remove a preferred school for the wrong reason.

The right practical response is to rank the schools truthfully, while checking any special conditions such as affiliation. Do not rank a school first merely because a neighbour says it is “safer”. If an actual offer there would disappoint the child more than an offer at another realistic option, revisit the order.

Balloting is a remaining tie-breaker, not evidence that every application is random. Equally, a parent cannot calculate a reliable personal admission probability from last year’s COP alone. The complete set of applicants, their choices and the available places is not present in a simple school table.

Keep one agreed final list. Several adults editing separate copies can produce avoidable mistakes. Read the order aloud together before submission and compare it with the saved official acknowledgement afterwards.

Some school choices need an additional question before their COP can be used. An affiliated figure does not apply simply because a relative attended the school. Confirm the child’s recognised primary-school affiliation and the school-choice conditions.

For a concrete example, St Patrick’s 2026 information separates PG1 non-affiliated COP 27 from affiliated COP 28 and explains the relevant first-choice condition. Read the current rule for the intended intake. An affiliation advantage is not a universal guarantee of a place.

A student successfully allocated to a DSA school follows that commitment rather than using the ordinary six choices to shop for another school. The school’s DSA and MOE instructions determine the next steps. Do not confuse having attended an audition or received an earlier offer with having confirmed a successful allocation.

Crest Secondary and Spectra Secondary deserve a separate look for an interested child. The joint MOE–SEAB explanation identifies them as an alternative for students eligible for PG1 only or the PG1/PG2 option band who prefer practice-oriented, hands-on learning. Eligible families apply directly to the schools and should still submit their S1 options in case the direct application is unsuccessful.

Visit Crest’s official website or Spectra’s official website for the applicable intake and process. Ask the child what kinds of work help them understand and stay engaged, then compare that with the actual programme. “Hands-on” should prompt questions about learning, support and progression; it should not be used as a vague label for a child whom adults have stopped listening to.

Under Full SBB, most students entering through PG1 start most subjects at G1, but eligible subjects can be offered at more demanding levels. The relevant questions are asked subject by subject.

Result in the corresponding PSLE subject	More demanding subject option described by MOE–SEAB
Standard AL5 or better	G2 or G3.
Standard AL6	G2.
Foundation A	G2.

The official explanation concerns English Language, Mother Tongue Languages, Mathematics and Science. Read the actual school offer and discuss the workload. A national eligibility condition does not by itself tell a family which choice will be most sustainable.

Consider the earlier fictional Score 25 example with Foundation Mathematics A. The family should retain that exact grade and ask about the offered Mathematics level. It should not discard the subject detail after calculating the total. Likewise, a strong Mother Tongue result can be relevant even when the overall aggregate places a student in the PG1 band.

Ask three concrete questions: what content changes, what bridging help is available, and when will progress be reviewed? A higher-level option can be valuable, but the decision should include the whole week’s workload and the student’s recent independent work.

Use eduKate’s guide to subject-level offers after PSLE to organise those questions. A primary-school score helps establish the starting point. Current work, teacher feedback and the school’s actual offers provide the evidence for the next decision.

A parent can learn more from five precise questions than from an afternoon of comparing reputations. Start with what the child needs in order to attend, participate and learn consistently.

• Journey: what does the trip look like on a normal school morning and after CCA?
• Learning: which subjects and support arrangements would be relevant to the child?
• Belonging: which activities, interests or school practices could help the child take part?
• Communication: who should a parent approach when a difficulty persists?
• Practical arrangements: what should the family check about costs, equipment, accessibility or assistance?

Do a realistic journey trial where possible. Include walking and transfers, not only the minutes shown between train stations. For a fictional comparison, an extra 15 minutes each way means another 30 minutes on a school day. That is a planning calculation, not a claim that one journey length suits every child.

At an open house, ask for an example of how a student gets help with an unfinished foundation. Listen for an actual process: teacher feedback, a support arrangement, communication and review. A reassuring slogan alone does not tell you what happens when homework becomes difficult.

Invite the child to identify one attractive feature and one worry for each serious option. Record both without instantly arguing with the answer. Then check facts that can be checked. “The school is frightening” may become a manageable question about finding classrooms, joining a CCA or asking a teacher for help.

MOE’s school-choice parent kit supports looking at fit alongside scores. The family’s final preference should be understandable in those terms, not only as an attempt to maximise a cut-off comparison.

Prepare a small folder before the result arrives. Keep the child’s identification details, school-choice notes and relevant official links together. Choose an adult who will be responsible for checking the final submission rather than allowing everyone to assume someone else has done it.

1. Read: check the four subject results, total score and actual eligibility information.
2. Clarify: resolve a PG1/PG2 choice or an unusual eligibility question with the primary school.
3. Verify: confirm school codes, Posting Group columns, conditions and the correct reference year.
4. Discuss: agree the genuine order of preference with the child.
5. Submit: follow the current instructions linked from MOE’s S1 Posting page.
6. Save: retain the acknowledgement and compare the recorded choices with the intended list.

Check the current opening time, deadline and amendment process rather than copying dates from an older results announcement. The historical school pages in this guide are evidence for 2026 entry figures; their December 2025 appeal dates are not a timetable for the current family.

Give the child some room to absorb the result before conducting a long administrative discussion. A useful first response is concrete: “We will read this carefully together and work out the next steps.” Avoid turning the collection of a certificate into a comparison with siblings or classmates.

Keep a second check for arithmetic and school codes. A calm list of tasks makes it easier to spot an error than repeatedly asking whether a school is “good enough”. For each deadline, write down the current official source and the date checked. That small record helps the family avoid acting on an old screenshot.

Read the allocated school’s official registration instructions as soon as the result is released. Check how the school will communicate, what information it needs and which subject offers require a response. Do not assume every school uses the same arrangements.

An appeal is a separate process, with the relevant COP, vacancies, criteria and deadlines. Bukit View’s official appeal explanation makes clear that meeting the applicable cut-off does not itself guarantee a transfer. Hillgrove’s guidance also tells applicants to register with the allocated school while an appeal is pending. Use the instructions for the actual intake rather than the historical dates linked here.

Before appealing, write the reason in one sentence. Is it an essential access issue, a practical constraint, a verified programme need or disappointment about reputation? Different reasons require different evidence and channels. Serious medical or accessibility concerns should be discussed promptly with the posted school through the current official process.

If the child remains at the allocated school, build a good beginning there. Learn the journey, identify the communication channel, check materials against the actual subject levels and agree a simple weekly routine. An adult’s repeated disappointment can make it harder for a child to give a new school a fair chance.

The first review should ask what is happening in lessons: which tasks are manageable, where instructions are missed and what help has been useful. Keep the posting score in the record; let current learning provide the evidence for the next conversation.

Is PG1 the same thing as AL1?

No. AL1 is a PSLE subject grade. PG1 is a Posting Group used for secondary-school entry. G1 is a subject level. Keep the labels separate before comparing scores.

Can a child with Score 25 put some schools under PG1 and others under PG2?

The selected Posting Group applies across the school choices. Decide the starting arrangement first, then build the list using the corresponding column.

If my child scores 28 and the school’s historical COP is 28, is admission assured?

No. That is a boundary comparison with a previous intake. The next outcome depends on the new posting exercise, including competition and the applicable tie-breakers.

Does 30* mean a student with Score 30 was definitely admitted?

Not necessarily. Read the school’s footnote. In the Springfield example, the published 30 reflects vacancies even though the last actual student had a better score.

Can a PG1 student take a G2 or G3 subject?

Eligible subjects can be offered at more demanding levels. Check the individual subject result, school offer and workload rather than deriving every lesson from the Posting Group.

Should we buy all the secondary books immediately?

Wait for the school’s actual booklist and subject information. Confirm each level before purchasing additional practice materials. A familiar workbook title is not evidence that it matches the child’s course.

Where do we go next?

For the longer secondary-school journey, read eduKateSingapore’s full PG1 guide. Use the contextual explanations above when reading a score table, choosing six schools or discussing subject offers. Return to MOE SchoolFinder and the individual school whenever an admission fact needs confirmation.