FULL SUBJECT-BASED BANDING (FULL SBB)

Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB) is part of MOE's ongoing efforts to nurture the joy of learning and develop multiple pathways to cater to the different strengths and interests of our students. With Full SBB, we are moving towards a secondary school education where students learn each subject at the level that best caters to their overall strengths, interests and learning needs.

SECONDARY 1 POSTING UNDER FULL SBB

From 2024 onwards, MOE will post students to secondary schools through three Posting Groups – Posting Groups 1, 2, and 3. 

Posting Groups will only be used for: 

• Facilitating entry into secondary school.

• Guiding the subject levels students offer at the start of Secondary 1.

• They do not define students’ identities, nor influence learning experiences and access to post-secondary pathways.

Students will still need to meet a school’s Cut-Off Point (COP) for the respective posting group(s), which may vary from year to year depending on each cohort’s PSLE results and their school choices.

Throughout their secondary school education, students can take subjects at three subject levels, known as G1, G2, G3 (G stands for General), mapped from today's N(T), N(A) and Express standards respectively. Students will have the flexibility to adjust their subject levels at appropriate junctures, based on their strengths, interests and learning needs. Students will subsequently access programmes and post-secondary pathways based on their various subjects and subject level combinations.

OFFERING SUBJECTS AT A MORE DEMANDING LEVEL (MDL) OR LESS DEMANDING LEVEL (LDL)

• Offering at MDL

a. Students who offer most subjects at G1 or G2 are eligible to offer English Language (EL), Mother Tongue Languages (MTL), Mathematics (MA) and Science (SCI) at a more demanding level from the start of S1 if they have performed well in these subjects at the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

b. Eligible students may offer HMTL instead of MTL should they meet the following criteria.

• Offering at LDL

a. For students who offered EL, Math and/or Sci at Foundation level at PSLE but are otherwise eligible to take most of their subjects at G3 when entering secondary school, they may choose to take these subjects at G2, in consultation with their secondary schools.   

b. For MTL, students with difficulties coping with the subject have the option to offer MTL at a less demanding level based on their MTL performance at the PSLE as shown in the table below:

c. When deciding whether to request taking a subject at LDL, do note that the admission criteria for Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute remains at L1R5 ≤ 20 and L1R4 ≤ 20 respectively, computed with only G3 subjects, to ensure that students are right-sited to cope with the academic rigour of the A-Level pathway.

• MDL/LDL Offers via Parents Gateway (PG)

a. This offer via PG applies to MDL offers for EL, Math, Sci and MTL; and LDL offers for MTL only. Parents/guardians whose child/ward is eligible to offer subject(s) at a more or less demanding level in Sec 1 will receive the letter of offer via the PG app by Friday, 22 December 2023, 10 a.m.. The deadline for accepting the MDL/LDL offer is Wednesday, 27 December 2023. If you have queries, please email Ms Jasmine Lim at lim_tze_ting_jasmine@moe.edu.sg. You will receive a reply within 3 working days. 

• Request by Students Taking Most Subjects at G3 Level to Take EL, Math and Sci at G2 Level  

b. This request is only open to students who offered EL, Math and/or Sci at Foundation level at PSLE but are eligible to take most subjects at G3 level. Please submit your request via this link by Tuesday, 27 December 2023. Note that you will be contacted within 5 working days and will be required to attend a meeting in school.  

c. As we will need to allocate students into form classes and subject classes by the first day of school, late replies will not be considered. If no reply is received, the offer is deemed as not accepted. 

The next window for students to be offered EL, Math, Sci and MTL at MDL will be at the end of Semester 1 in the Sec 1 year, based on their performance in secondary school.

As the Lower Secondary curriculum is a two-year block, as a default students will continue with their subjects at the existing subject level(s) unless they are eligible for MDL. Hence, after the start of Sec 1, requests for LDL will not be considered until after the end of Sec 2.

d. Under Full SBB, students will at least offer G1 Humanities comprising History, Geography, Literature and Social Studies modules. The offering of Humanities subjects – History, Geography and Literature – at MDL only be from Sec 2 onwards.

e. For students taking up subject(s) at MDL/LDL, please refer to the Sec 1 book list and locate the relevant subject(s). Please ensure that the correct subject materials are purchased. If the incorrect set of subject materials is purchased, you may exchange for the correct set at the school bookshop provided that the condition of the purchased materials remains new.

FORM CLASS ALLOCATION

Our school has implemented Full SBB starting from the 2022 Sec 1 Cohort. Sec 1 students entering the school in 2024 will be placed in mixed form classes comprising students from all three posting groups, so as to provide more opportunities for students to interact with and learn from peers with different strengths and interests.