Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level

Last updated

The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level) is a GCE Advanced Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). [1]

Contents

The examination is taken by school students upon the completion of their pre-university education at junior colleges (JC)s and centralised institutes, and is also open to private candidates. The Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level examination has been de-linked from the British A-Level examinations since 2002, when the MOE took over the management of its national examination, owing to differences the education systems in the two countries. [2]

The Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level is recognised internationally by universities as a university entrance examination. The standards and grading for the subjects are determined by SEAB and MOE in consultation with Cambridge International Examinations, a subsidiary of UCLES. Localised subjects, including Mother Tongue subjects such as Chinese, Malay and Tamil are marked locally.

Curriculum

In 2006, the Singapore's A-Level curriculum was revised and enhanced to better suit Singapore's education requirement. It replaced the earlier system of ‘AO’, ‘A’ and ‘S’ papers modelled after the United Kingdom education system. It is designed to emphasise multi-disciplinary learning, breadth of learning as well as flexibility, and it aims to prepare students well for the approaches being taken in university education, and for the demands of an innovation-driven world of the 21st century. [3] The Singapore's A-Level differ in exam structure and subject content from GCE A-Level in other country such as the United Kingdom.

Under the new curriculum, candidates select subjects from three levels of study, namely Higher-1 (H1), Higher-2 (H2) and Higher-3 (H3). Subjects at H1 level constitutes one academic unit, subjects at H2 level constitutes two academic units, H3 if taken then it is not counted as additional unit as it is taken as an indepth extension of H2. Subjects are divided into knowledge skills and content-based subjects. Knowledge skills subjects include General Paper, Knowledge and Inquiry and Project Work; content-based subjects are divided into languages, humanities and the arts, and mathematics and sciences. [4] These changes took effect beginning with the batch taking the A Levels in 2007.

General Paper and Knowledge & Inquiry

General Paper (or GP) at H1 level or Knowledge & Inquiry (or KI) at H2 level are academic subjects offered at the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examination in the Singapore education system. All pre-university students in Singapore undertaking the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examination are required to offer either of the subjects. [4] [5]

General Paper aims to develop in students the ability to think critically, to construct cogent arguments and to communicate their ideas using clear, accurate and effective language. In addition, General Paper encourages students to explore a range of key issues of global and local significance and provides students with a good foundation to thrive in a fast-changing world. [5]

In early 2023, it was announced by the MOE that GP will be compulsory for all JC and MI (Millennia Institute) students, starting with the 2024 intake. KI will still be offered, but not as a substitute of GP. [6] For the 2022 A-level exams, around 100 students took KI instead of GP. [6]

Subject combination

Subjects at H1 level constitutes one academic unit, subjects at H2 level constitutes two academic units, while subjects taken at H3 level are not counted as additional unit because they are deemed as extension and indepth study of H2. [4] Students are invariably required to sit for either H1 General Paper or H2 Knowledge and Inquiry, and may opt to elect any combination and number of H1 and H2 subjects, up to a maximum of twelve academic units (AUs). [4] A maximum of two H3 subjects can be applied. Subject examination of the H3 level subjects were previously offered as "Special papers" (or "S-Papers") under the Cambridge GCE Advanced Level before 2006. [4]

Under the Ministry of Education's regulations, students sitting for the A-Level in a junior college are required to take at least one subject that is from a contrasting discipline. [4] They are also required to fulfil additional academic requirements of Singapore's education system, such as having to take Project Work and a Mother Tongue Language. [7]

Grading system

H1 and H2 subjects are graded alphabetically in the following manner. [8]

GradeRemark
AAbove Singapore-Cambridge

GCE Advanced Level pass

B
C
D
E
SBelow Singapore-Cambridge

GCE Advanced Level pass

Ungraded


Notes:


University Admission Score (UAS)

University Admission Score (UAS) is used by the universities in Singapore to grant admission. [9] To calculate the UAS, students first need to convert their A-level grades to rank points accordingly, and the UAS is the sum of all rank points. The maximum UAS currently is 90 points. However, it will be decreased to 70 points from 2026 onwards, after which the "Project Work" (PW) and the fourth content-based subject (H1 or H2) will no longer be counted in the UAS calculations. [10]

A-level grade to Rank Points
A-level GradeH1 SubjectH2 Subject
A1020
B8.7517.5
C7.515
D6.2512.5
E510
S2.55
U00

Candidate Performance

In 2010, the number of school candidates who sat for the examination was 14,280, out of which 90.8% of them scored at least three Higher 2 (H2) passes, with a pass in General Paper (GP) or Knowledge and Inquiry (KI). [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

Temasek Secondary School (TMS) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school in Bedok South, Singapore. Founded in 1980, it offers secondary education leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level or Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temasek Junior College</span> College in Singapore founded 1976

Temasek Junior College (TJC) is a government-run junior college temporarily located in Tampines. Its original location in Bedok South is currently undergoing reconstruction as part of the JC Rejuvenation Programme. It offers a six-year Integrated Programme alongside a two-year Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level curriculum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millennia Institute</span> Public school

Millennia Institute (MI) is a centralised institute in Singapore offering three-year pre-university education. It is currently the only pre-university centre to offer the Commerce stream apart from the traditional arts and science streams offered by pre-university institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jurong Junior College</span> Government school in Corporation Road , Singapore , Jurong West, Singapore

Jurong Junior College (JJC) was a junior college located in Jurong West, Singapore. It was the ninth junior college to be established by the Ministry of Education of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serangoon Junior College</span> Government-aided school in Hougang, Singapore

Serangoon Junior College (SRJC) was a junior college in Singapore, offering a 2-year course for pre-university students leading up to GCE 'A' Level examinations. Founded in March 1988, it was the fourteenth junior college to be established in Singapore.

The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level is a GCE Ordinary Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). Students are graded in the bands ranging from A to F and each band has a respective grade point, a lower grade point indicates better performance. The number at the end of each grade corresponds to the grade point that they receive. To pass an individual O-Level subject, a student must score at least C6 or above. The highest grade a student can attain is A1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School</span> Autonomous school in Bedok, Singapore

St. Anthony's Canossian Secondary School (SACSS) is a government-aided autonomous Catholic girls' secondary school located in Bedok, Singapore. It is part of the Canossian family of Catholic girls' schools in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board</span> Statutory board under the Ministry of Education of the Government of Singapore

The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Education of the Government of Singapore.

Montfort Secondary School (MSS) is a Catholic school in Hougang, Singapore. Founded in 1916, it is a government-aided secondary education all-boys school. It is one of the seven institutions governed by St Gabriel's Foundation.

Dunman Secondary School (DMN) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school in Tampines, Singapore. It was founded in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pei Hwa Secondary School</span> Government-aided school in Sengkang West, Fernvale, Singapore

Pei Hwa Secondary School (PHSS) is a co-educational government-aided secondary school in Fernvale Link, Singapore within walking distance of Fernvale and Layar LRT stations. Re-established in 2005, Pei Hwa Secondary School was first founded in 1934 as Pei Hwa Public School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-level</span> British educational certification

The A-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate. The A-level permits students to have potential access to a chosen university they applied to with UCAS points. They could be accepted into it should they meet the requirements of the university.

Holy Innocents' High School (HIHS) (Simplified Chinese:圣婴中学, Traditional Chinese: 聖嬰中學, pinyin: Shèngyīng Zhōngxué) is a Catholic school in Singapore. Founded in 1892, the school offers secondary school education leading up to a Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination, in both the Express and Normal (Academic) streams, as well as Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level in the Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)</span> Government-aided school in Geylang, Singapore

Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) (GMS(S)) is a co-educational government-aided Methodist secondary school located in Geylang, Singapore. Founded in 1924, the school offers secondary education leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level or Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examinations. The incumbent principal is Mr Victor Owyong.

Additional Mathematics is a qualification in mathematics, commonly taken by students in high-school. It features a range of problems set out in a different format and wider content to the standard Mathematics at the same level.

Junior colleges (JC) are pre-university institutions in Singapore that offer two-year pre-university courses that leads to either the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level or the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Admission to Junior college is based on the aggregate raw score of 20 points or less in O-Level "L1R5" in the examination. Lower aggregate is considered better, i e. 7 aggregate score is better than aggregate score 10. Bonus points are also deducted from this proscore to come up with the final score for the admission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Merah Secondary School</span> Government school in Bukit Merah, Singapore

Bukit Merah Secondary School (BMSS) is a co-educational government secondary school in Bukit Merah, Singapore. BMSS has established itself as a Value-Added school since 1993, offering the Express, Normal Academic and Normal Technical streams leading to a Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level or Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level certificate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meridian Secondary School</span> Government/co-educational school in Pasir Ris, Singapore

Meridian Secondary School is a co-educational government secondary school in Pasir Ris, Singapore. It was formed by a merger between Coral Secondary School and Siglap Secondary School in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peirce Secondary School</span> Government school in Bishan, Singapore

Peirce Secondary School (PSS) is a co-educational government secondary school located in Bishan, Singapore. Founded in 1994, Peirce Secondary School is known for its niche in the uniformed groups CCAs.

The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Normal Level examination is a national examination held annually in Singapore. It is taken after four years in the Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) stream. For subjects examined in English and foreign languages, the examining authority are the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. For localised language subjects, the examining authority is the Ministry of Education (MOE).

References

  1. ↑ "About GCE A-Level". seab.gov.sg. Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  2. ↑ hermes (2017-09-11). "Changes to Britain's GCSE and A-level exams won't affect Singapore students". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  3. ↑ "Ministry of Education Singapore: New 'A' Level Curriculum 2006". Archived from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ministry of Education Singapore: New 'A' Level Curriculum 2006". www.moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  5. 1 2 "School Info". www.seab.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  6. 1 2 "Fourth content-based A-level subject to be dropped from university admission score | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ministry of Education Singapore: New 'A' Level Curriculum 2006". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-04. Retrieved 2011-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "The University Admission Score: Calculating Your Rank Points". smiletutor.sg. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Fourth content-based A-level subject to be dropped from university admission score | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ministry of Education, Singapore: Press Releases". Archived from the original on 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.