Can my child enter a mainstream secondary school based on their PSLE score? The answer begins with four Achievement Levels, not just the total. This audit contains 20 calculated PSLE result profiles covering the critical Posting Group boundaries, including 26–30 where the English and Mathematics AL7 requirement can change eligibility for children with identical aggregates. It is designed to help families detect a mistake before building their Secondary 1 school list.
For Singapore pupils receiving PSLE results in November 2026 and preparing for Secondary 1 in 2027, the current ordinary Posting Groups are 4–20 PG3; 21–22 PG2 or PG3; 23–24 PG2; 25 PG1 or PG2; and 26–30 PG1 only if English and Mathematics are both AL7 or better. Scores 31–32 have no ordinary Posting Group. The child’s official result slip and eligibility message, not this worksheet, remain authoritative.
The practical method is simple: write down English AL, Mathematics AL, Science AL and Mother Tongue AL; add them; determine the permitted group or group choice; check any extra subject condition; and only then use MOE SchoolFinder to prepare six real school preferences. A historical school cutoff cannot override an ineligible Posting Group.
The actual score and Posting Group table
| PSLE total | Ordinary Posting Group outcome | Extra condition or key choice |
|---|---|---|
| 4–20 | PG3 | Choose schools offering the applicable PG3 route |
| 21–22 | PG2 or PG3 | Choose one group for all six schools |
| 23–24 | PG2 | Read PG2 cutoffs, not PG3 cutoffs |
| 25 | PG1 or PG2 | Choose one group for all six schools |
| 26–30 | PG1 only if eligible | English AND Mathematics each AL7 or better |
| 31–32 | No ordinary Posting Group | Discuss other official education pathways with the primary school |
Worked examples: 20 different four-subject result profiles
| # | English AL | Maths AL | Science AL | MTL AL | Total | Posting Group result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | PG3 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | PG3 |
| 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 20 | PG3 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 21 | PG2 or PG3 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 22 | PG2 or PG3 |
| 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 | PG2 |
| 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | PG2 |
| 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 25 | PG1 or PG2 |
| 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 26 | PG1 |
| 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 26 | No ordinary Posting Group |
| 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 | PG1 |
| 12 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 27 | No ordinary Posting Group |
| 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | PG1 |
| 14 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 28 | No ordinary Posting Group |
| 15 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 | PG1 |
| 16 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 29 | No ordinary Posting Group |
| 17 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | PG1 |
| 18 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 30 | No ordinary Posting Group |
| 19 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | No ordinary Posting Group |
| 20 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | No ordinary Posting Group |
Why each worked example has the result shown
Example 1 — total 4: English AL1, Mathematics AL1, Science AL1, Mother Tongue AL1. Lowest possible aggregate; still subject to specific school admissions and vacancies. The standard score-band classification is PG3.
Example 2 — total 14: English AL3, Mathematics AL3, Science AL4, Mother Tongue AL4. The child is PG3. Individual ALs still inform which academic foundations to strengthen. The standard score-band classification is PG3.
Example 3 — total 20: English AL5, Mathematics AL5, Science AL5, Mother Tongue AL5. Upper end of the ordinary PG3-only band; Score 20 does not have a PG2/PG3 choice. The standard score-band classification is PG3.
Example 4 — total 21: English AL5, Mathematics AL5, Science AL5, Mother Tongue AL6. Score 21: genuine PG2/PG3 choice. One group governs all six school choices. The standard score-band classification is PG2 or PG3.
Example 5 — total 22: English AL5, Mathematics AL5, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL6. Score 22: genuine PG2/PG3 choice, but a family cannot mix both groups in one S1 form. The standard score-band classification is PG2 or PG3.
Example 6 — total 23: English AL5, Mathematics AL6, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL6. Score 23: PG2, not automatically eligible for PG3 because a school shows a favourable past PG3 cutoff. The standard score-band classification is PG2.
Example 7 — total 24: English AL6, Mathematics AL6, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL6. Score 24: PG2. The following Score 25 row—not this one—offers PG1/PG2 overlap. The standard score-band classification is PG2.
Example 8 — total 25: English AL6, Mathematics AL6, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL7. Score 25: PG1 or PG2 choice. Do not impose the special 26–30 English/Maths condition on this row. The standard score-band classification is PG1 or PG2.
Example 9 — total 26: English AL6, Mathematics AL7, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL7. Score 26 with English AL6 and Mathematics AL7 meets the subject condition for PG1. Here English and Mathematics both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is PG1.
Example 10 — total 26: English AL8, Mathematics AL6, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL6. Also Score 26, but English AL8 fails the subject condition: no ordinary Posting Group. Here English and Mathematics do not both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is No ordinary Posting Group.
Example 11 — total 27: English AL7, Mathematics AL7, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL7. Score 27 with English and Maths both AL7 meets the subject condition. Here English and Mathematics both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is PG1.
Example 12 — total 27: English AL8, Mathematics AL6, Science AL6, Mother Tongue AL7. Also Score 27, but English AL8 means the usual PG1 pathway is not available. Here English and Mathematics do not both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is No ordinary Posting Group.
Example 13 — total 28: English AL7, Mathematics AL7, Science AL7, Mother Tongue AL7. Four AL7s yield Score 28 and satisfy the English/Mathematics AL7-or-better condition. Here English and Mathematics both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is PG1.
Example 14 — total 28: English AL8, Mathematics AL6, Science AL7, Mother Tongue AL7. Score 28 with English AL8 does not meet the special subject condition. Here English and Mathematics do not both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is No ordinary Posting Group.
Example 15 — total 29: English AL7, Mathematics AL7, Science AL7, Mother Tongue AL8. Score 29: the AL8 is in Mother Tongue, while English and Mathematics satisfy the PG1 condition. Here English and Mathematics both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is PG1.
Example 16 — total 29: English AL8, Mathematics AL5, Science AL8, Mother Tongue AL8. Score 29 with English AL8: no ordinary PG1 eligibility even though the total is within 26–30. Here English and Mathematics do not both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is No ordinary Posting Group.
Example 17 — total 30: English AL7, Mathematics AL7, Science AL8, Mother Tongue AL8. Score 30 has one qualifying configuration for English and Mathematics, both AL7. Here English and Mathematics both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is PG1.
Example 18 — total 30: English AL8, Mathematics AL6, Science AL8, Mother Tongue AL8. Also Score 30, but English AL8 and hence no ordinary Posting Group. Here English and Mathematics do not both meet the additional AL7-or-better condition; the result is No ordinary Posting Group.
Example 19 — total 31: English AL7, Mathematics AL8, Science AL8, Mother Tongue AL8. Score 31: the four-AL pattern is 7+8+8+8, which has no ordinary Posting Group. The standard score-band classification is No ordinary Posting Group.
Example 20 — total 32: English AL8, Mathematics AL8, Science AL8, Mother Tongue AL8. Score 32: four AL8s or equivalents; no ordinary Posting Group. The standard score-band classification is No ordinary Posting Group.
Why the score checker has two steps, not one
The PSLE aggregate is an arithmetic total, but the admission rule can be more specific. If English AL8 and Maths AL6 combine with two other AL6 scores, the aggregate is 26. A total-only checker might incorrectly say that Score 26 is PG1. The correct 26–30 condition also requires English and Maths each to be AL7 or better. That child does not meet it. Meanwhile, a child with English AL6 and Maths AL7 with another AL6 and AL7 also totals 26 and satisfies the additional condition.
This distinction is important because families may search a school’s historical PG1 cutoff of 29 or 30*, and think a child with Score 26 must therefore be admitted. Even if the aggregate is numerically better than that old cutoff, the child must meet the correct Posting Group eligibility rules before ordinary school choices can be made. A school cannot override the extra subject condition because a past intake had spare places.
The total alone is still useful for the earlier bands, but it should never be used to infer a child’s actual learning strengths. PG3 pupils can enter with very uneven subject ALs. A student with one particularly weak result may need a different learning plan from another with similar ALs across four subjects, even though they share the same total and Posting Group.
Foundation subjects: what the letters A, B and C mean
Foundation subjects do not use the same Standard raw-mark-to-AL reporting on the result slip. For the purposes of computing the PSLE aggregate, Foundation Grade A maps to AL6, B to AL7 and C to AL8. Thus a pupil with a Foundation A in a counted subject has an equivalent AL6 contribution; the result is not an extra bonus or a separate fifth grade.
This workbook displays numeric equivalent AL values to keep the arithmetic readable. In a real case, preserve the official result-slip wording and any special eligibility information. When a child has Foundation subjects, exemptions or an unusual result, ask the primary school to interpret the official message. The general rule here should never be used to dismiss an individual instruction issued by MOE.
Decision point one: Scores 21 and 22
At 21–22, the applicant can ordinarily choose PG2 or PG3. PG2 generally implies G2-level academic subjects at the start of Secondary 1, while PG3 generally implies G3-level subjects. The pupil and family may investigate both routes but cannot select PG3 for three schools and PG2 for the other three in the same ordinary S1 submission. The chosen group applies to all six school choices.
Ask not simply which group appears more competitive, but which starting academic level makes sense for the child’s subject readiness, work habits and school environment. A pupil’s ability to read extended prompts, understand fractions and manage assignments provides more useful information than the family treating the group as a status label.
Use Score 21’s detailed options or Score 22’s options to examine the practical differences and the historical admission margins. Always compare the correct PG2 or PG3 column for the group selected.
Decision point two: Score 25
At Score 25 the ordinary Posting Group choice is PG1 or PG2. Unlike the 26–30 band, the Score 25 line does not carry the same separate English/Maths AL7 condition. It is therefore a mistake to say a child with AL8 in one of those subjects must automatically be ineligible simply because the next score band has a different rule.
PG1 generally starts many subjects at G1 level; PG2 generally starts at G2. Full Subject-Based Banding can support different subject levels where a student meets the applicable criteria. Families should review specific readiness and the learning environment, not just compare the reputation of schools accessible under one or the other group.
The Score 25 guide contains individual examples. The group selected goes with the whole six-school preference submission; a convenient PG1 cutoff should not be copied into a PG2 comparison.
Decision point three: Scores 26–30
This is the boundary where many online total-only calculators fail. A total between 26 and 30 can result from several AL patterns. Check English and Mathematics separately. ‘AL7 or better’ means an AL number from 1 to 7, not AL8. A student scoring English AL8 and Maths AL6 fails the condition even if the overall sum looks favourable compared with an old school cutoff.
At Score 30, the condition becomes especially clear: to total 30 while English and Maths are both no worse than AL7, the only arrangement of numeric AL equivalents is English 7, Maths 7, Science 8 and Mother Tongue 8. If English is AL6, the maximum possible total with Maths also no worse than AL7 and the remaining two subjects no worse than AL8 is 29, not 30. The arithmetic itself explains why Score 30 is a special case.
The individual guides for Scores 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 provide more detailed examples and clarify the 30* marker in historical PG1 school ranges. A 30* label indicates that a school had vacant places in a completed intake; it does not relax national eligibility rules or promise a future place.
No ordinary group: Scores 31–32 or an unmet subject condition
When the child receives no ordinary Posting Group, do not create a fictional six-school shortlist. SEAB’s 2025 PSLE results announcement identifies the possibility of re-attempting PSLE or applying to the specially designed programmes at NorthLight or Assumption Pathway, subject to their own eligibility and admissions arrangements. The family should consult the primary school about the appropriate route, principal’s recommendation where required and exact application timetable.
NorthLight’s January 2027 notice currently lists an application deadline of Monday, 30 November 2026 at noon and describes a registration form opening on the PSLE results-release day. The Assumption Pathway admissions page should be checked directly, because its visible intake wording may still reference January 2026. No specialised-school admission or future qualification is automatic.
How to use this audit with a real result slip
- Write the four counted subject grades exactly as reported, preserving Foundation A/B/C labels in your working notes.
- Use the official equivalents to compute the aggregate only when necessary; compare the sum with the published total.
- Record English and Mathematics separately. For totals 26–30, check that neither is AL8.
- Look at the official eligibility message. When it differs from a simplified rule or when the result is unusual, contact the primary school.
- For 21–22 or 25, choose a single Posting Group after discussing academic readiness.
- Only when ordinary eligibility is confirmed, begin your school shortlist in the correct PG route.
- Use the exact 2026 intake historical cutoff as a reference for 2027, without claiming the new cutoff is already known.
- Ask whether the child would genuinely accept each school on the final six-choice form.
Parent worksheet: compare the result with school reality
| Write down | Your family’s answer | How to verify |
|---|---|---|
| PSLE overall score | ________________ | Official result slip |
| English AL | ________________ | Official result slip |
| Mathematics AL | ________________ | Official result slip |
| Science AL | ________________ | Official result slip |
| Mother Tongue AL | ________________ | Official result slip |
| Posting Group eligibility | ________________ | Official MOE eligibility message |
| If two groups are offered, which one? | ________________ | Family discussion, primary-school advice |
| School and programme type | ________________ | MOE SchoolFinder and current school page |
| Previous cutoff year / correct column | ________________ | 2026 Secondary 1 intake historical range |
| Current application deadline | ________________ | Official MOE S1 posting notice |
Frequently asked questions
Is a PSLE total enough to determine PG1 eligibility for Scores 26–30?
No. English and Mathematics must both be AL7 or better. Two children with the same total can have different eligibility outcomes.
What if the child took a Foundation subject?
Use the published A→AL6, B→AL7 and C→AL8 equivalents for the aggregate and confirm the official eligibility message for any unusual circumstance.
Can a child choose different Posting Groups for different schools?
No. If two groups are available, the selected group applies to all six choices in the ordinary posting exercise.
Why does a school show more than one cutoff?
PG1, PG2, PG3, IP and affiliated/non-affiliated school routes can have different admission pools and cutoffs. Read the row matching your child’s eligibility.
What is the meaning of 30*?
It signals remaining vacancies in a previous PG1 intake. It is not an official extension of the score band or a promised offer.
What is the maximum possible PSLE total?
32, from four AL8-equivalent contributions.
Are 2027 school cutoffs confirmed as of November 2026?
No. They are determined after the 2026 PSLE cohort’s Secondary 1 posting exercise.
What should a family do if no ordinary Posting Group is offered?
Speak with the primary school about repeating PSLE or the suitable specialised-school admissions routes and their current deadlines.
Primary sources and connected eduKate guides
- MOE Secondary 1 Posting — authoritative school-choice procedure.
- MOE Full Subject-Based Banding — Posting Groups and G-levels.
- SEAB PSLE — examination and scoring.
- SEAB PSLE Result Slips — actual document contents.
- SEAB Important Dates — current results-release information.
- MOE SchoolFinder — schools, programmes and previous-year ranges.
- eduKate Complete Score 4–32 Directory — all 29 individual score guides.
- eduKate Six-Choice Error Audit — check a proposed school shortlist.
- eduKate 2027 School Selector — compare current school profiles.
Editorial integrity note — edu|Kate Singapore, 6 November 2026. The twenty examples above are mathematical illustrations that have been individually checked. They are not pupil records, an official MOE eligibility assessment, an admissions decision or a forecast of 2027 school cutoffs. Verify the actual result slip and school information before applying.