PSLE, Posting and Costs Q&A: What We Found and What We Didn’t
Short answers about the PSLE, posting, costs and activities in Singapore, from official sources and published research, with dates and what we could not find.
These are questions about the PSLE, school posting, costs and activities that families in Singapore may have. We chose them and answered them mostly from primary sources, such as MOE pages and published studies. They are not ranked. Each answer says what we found, where it comes from and when we checked it, and what we could not find. We do not recommend schools, tutors or providers.
How to read the labels
- Official answer: a current government page, such as MOE’s or SEAB’s, says it.
- Research suggests: published research we read supports it, with its limits.
- Parents report: a survey of parents found it; it is what parents said, not a measurement.
- No evidence found: we looked and found nothing we could reliably quote; we say what we checked.
- Depends on your child: no rule or study settles it; we give the facts that do exist.
- Our suggestion: practical advice from us, not an official or research finding.
- Not for us to answer: a question for a professional or the official body; we point to it.
Sources and dates for each answer are on the web page: blog.beaconly.sg/practice-library/psle-posting-and-costs/
Results and the PSLE
How is the PSLE scored, and what do the scores mean?
Official answer
In short: Each of four subjects gets an Achievement Level, from AL1 to AL8. The four are added, so the PSLE Score runs from 4 to 32. Lower is better.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: How is the PSLE scored, and what do the scores mean?
What we found: MOE’s PSLE scoring page (opens in a new tab) (no date shown) says “Each PSLE subject will be scored using 8 ALs.” Each AL is a percentage score range, shown in MOE’s table below. Foundation-level subjects are graded AL A to AL C, which count as AL6 to AL8. SEAB (opens in a new tab) (last updated 9 April 2026) gives the same range of 4 to 32.
Read more: Glossary: PSLE and AL
| AL | Percentage score range (%) |
|---|---|
| 1 | ≥ 90 |
| 2 | 85 - 89 |
| 3 | 80 - 84 |
| 4 | 75 - 79 |
| 5 | 65 - 74 |
| 6 | 45 - 64 |
| 7 | 20 - 44 |
| 8 | < 20 |
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check each January, or if MOE changes the scoring.
Is the prelim a good guide to the PSLE, and is it normal for scores to differ?
No evidence found
In short: We found no published data that compares prelim and PSLE results, in the sources we checked. MOE says the PSLE serves a different purpose to school-based assessment.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: Is the prelim a good guide to the PSLE, and is it normal for scores to differ?
What we found: In a parliamentary reply (opens in a new tab) on 2 March 2026, MOE said the PSLE “serves a different purpose to school-based assessment.”
What we didn’t find: Any MOE, SEAB or research publication comparing prelim and PSLE results. We searched MOE, SEAB and the NIE research repository on 4 October 2026, and read the pages we found.
Read more: How is the PSLE scored?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check each year.
What happens on results day and after?
Official answer
In short: MOE expects 2026 PSLE results on Tuesday 24 or Wednesday 25 November, at 11am. You then have seven calendar days to submit up to six school choices. Posting results are expected on 18 December.
Dates from November 2026 to January 2027
21 November to 31 December 2026
Year-end school holidays.
24 or 25 November 2026 (tentative)
Within seven calendar days of results
Submit up to six school choices (opens in a new tab).
18 December 2026 (tentative)
Secondary 1 posting results (opens in a new tab).
4 and 5 January 2027
Primary 1 and Kindergarten 1 start school (opens in a new tab) on Monday 4 January. Primary 2 to 6 and Kindergarten 2 start on Tuesday 5 January.
January 2027
Secondary 1: MOE says posted students report when term starts (opens in a new tab) in January. It gives no separate date.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: What happens on results day and after?
What we found: MOE’s exam dates page (opens in a new tab) (last updated 27 March 2026) gives results “tentatively between Tuesday, 24 November 2026 and Wednesday, 25 November 2026.” MOE’s Secondary 1 posting pages (opens in a new tab) (last updated 1 October 2026) say results are “released at 11am”. Parents “Submit up to 6 secondary school choices” within seven calendar days, and posting results are due “tentatively on Friday, 18 December 2026”. Every date is tentative until confirmed; SEAB says the confirmed date “would be announced through the media.”
Read more: What are posting groups?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check in mid-November 2026, when the results date is confirmed, and in mid-December 2026.
Can a child move to a different subject level or pathway after Secondary 1?
Official answer
In short: MOE says students can. After Secondary 1, students may take subjects at a more demanding level, based on how they do. They may also take a subject at a less demanding level, after talking with their school.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: Can a child move to a different subject level or pathway after Secondary 1?
What we found: MOE’s Full Subject-Based Banding FAQ (opens in a new tab) (no date shown) says “Beyond the start of Secondary One, students may offer subjects at a more demanding level”. It also says posting groups “will not shape or define” students’ secondary and post-secondary pathways. MOE’s curriculum page (opens in a new tab) (last updated 29 September 2026) lists post-secondary admission criteria that change from 2028.
What we didn’t find: We found no Singapore data on how later outcomes differ by PSLE Score, in the official and research sources we searched on 4 October 2026.
Read more: What a Grade Can and Can’t Tell You
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check each year, and when the 2028 admission criteria are published in full.
Does the score band change if a paper is easy or hard?
Official answer
In short: MOE sets each AL as a percentage score range, such as 90 or more for AL1. It says ALs reflect a child’s own performance, not their peers’. We found no statement on adjusting for paper difficulty.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: Does the score band change if a paper is easy or hard?
What we found: MOE’s PSLE scoring page (opens in a new tab) (no date shown) says ALs recognise a child’s level of achievement, “regardless of how their peers have done.” MOE’s PSLE FAQ compares the AL system with the old T-score system, not one year with another.
What we didn’t find: An MOE or SEAB statement on whether marks or bands change for a harder or easier paper. We read MOE’s scoring page and FAQ, and SEAB’s About PSLE and grading-system pages.
Read more: How is the PSLE scored?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check each January.
What should my child do between the PSLE and Secondary 1?
Depends on your child
In short: How to spend the break depends on your child. Results come on 24 or 25 November. Choices are due within seven days, and posting results come on 18 December. All dates are tentative.
Our suggestion: If you try something new over the break, start with one short trial. The Activity Guides list the main options.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: What should my child do between the PSLE and Secondary 1?
What we found: MOE says (opens in a new tab) Primary 1 and Kindergarten 1 start school on Monday 4 January 2027, and Primary 2 to 6 and Kindergarten 2 on Tuesday 5 January. MOE gives no separate start date for Secondary 1. MOE’s posting-results page says a child should “report to their posted secondary school when term starts in January”.
What we didn’t find: Current official guidance on rest versus revision between the PSLE and Secondary 1. We ran four searches and read ten MOE pages on 4 October 2026.
Read more: School Holidays and the Activity Guides
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check in mid-November 2026.
Pathways
What are the IP, IB and SEC routes?
Official answer
In short: The Integrated Programme (IP) is six years of combined secondary and pre-university education. It can end in the A-Level or the IB Diploma. From 2027, other students take the SEC, which replaces the O-Level and N-Level.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: What are the IP, IB and SEC routes?
What we found: MOE calls the IP “a 6-year programme that combines secondary and pre-university education” (Secondary 1 posting glossary (opens in a new tab), last updated 1 October 2026). IP students “do not take” the SEC examination at Secondary 4. MOE says “The SEC will replace the GCE O-Level and N-Level Programmes in 2027.” Its IP page (opens in a new tab) (20 May 2026) calls the IB Diploma “an alternative to the GCE A-Level curriculum.” MOE’s Integrated Programme page (opens in a new tab) (last updated 12 January 2026) describes the IB Diploma as one way an IP can end. It says SEC-track students who perform well “can apply to transfer to the IP at Secondary 3”.
What we didn’t find: We found no MOE page describing a separate IB route from Secondary 1, on the MOE pages we checked on 4 October 2026.
Read more: Glossary: SEC and IP
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check each year, and after the first SEC examinations in 2027.
What are posting groups 1, 2 and 3, and how do they affect school choice?
Official answer
In short: From the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort, a child’s PSLE Score sets their Posting Group: 1, 2 or 3. Group 3 covers the lowest scores, which are the best results. The group guides starting subject levels.
MOE’s table (opens in a new tab) for Secondary 1 Posting 2026 (last updated 1 October 2026):
| PSLE Score | Posting Group |
|---|---|
| 4 to 20 | Group 3 |
| 21 and 22 | May choose Group 2 or 3 |
| 23 and 24 | Group 2 |
| 25 | May choose Group 1 or 2 |
| 26 to 30 | Group 1, with AL7 or better in English and Maths |
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: What are posting groups 1, 2 and 3, and how do they affect school choice?
What we found: MOE says “The chosen Posting Group applies to all school choices.”
What we didn’t find: What happens to scores outside this table; MOE does not say on the pages we read.
Read more: Glossary: Posting Group
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check after posting results in December 2026, and when MOE publishes the 2027 table.
Tuition, costs and money
How many hours of tuition and enrichment are typical?
Parents report
In short: In a 2026 survey, primary-school parents reported about three and a half hours of tuition a week. They reported just over two hours of enrichment. These are parents’ reports, not measured hours.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: How many hours of tuition and enrichment are typical?
What we found: IPS Working Paper 77 (opens in a new tab) (September 2026) surveyed 1,500 citizen and permanent resident parents of children in local primary schools. The 2026 averages were 3.49 hours of tuition and 2.32 of enrichment a week; the medians were 3 and 2. The 2016 survey used a different design, and the paper does not list time use among its directly comparable measures.
What we didn’t find: Whether children who do no tuition or enrichment count as zero in these averages.
Read more: Is My Child Doing Too Much?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check in April 2027, or sooner if the paper is revised.
How much do other families spend?
No evidence found
In short: We are not quoting amounts from the 2026 IPS survey. It does not say if they are per child or per household. Nor does it say whether families spending nothing are counted.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: How much do other families spend?
What we found: IPS Working Paper 77 (opens in a new tab) (September 2026) asked parents about money spent on tuition and enrichment. If you see a figure from it elsewhere, check which base it uses. The Department of Statistics (opens in a new tab) publishes household spending on education, but it covers all resident households, not only those with children in school.
Read more: Is there help paying?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check if the authors publish more detail.
Is there help paying for school, tuition or enrichment costs?
Official answer
In short: Yes. Some schemes lower school, care, tuition, sport and museum costs for a child aged 9 to 12. Most are for citizens and permanent residents. Our Help With Costs page lists them.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: Is there help paying for school, tuition or enrichment costs?
What we found: Help With Costs (details checked 29 September 2026) gives each scheme with its official link, who it is for and its limits. Limits and application windows change during the year, so check each official page. This summarises official pages, each linked on our page.
Read more: Help With Costs
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check with Help With Costs, next in January 2027.
What should I ask a provider about fees?
Our suggestion
In short: Ask for the total cost per term, every extra fee, and what happens if your child misses lessons or stops. These ten questions are ours, not a rule.
- What is the total cost per term?
- Are there registration, material, uniform, equipment, grading or exam fees?
- Is there a trial lesson, and is it free?
- What happens if my child misses a lesson?
- Is there a resident rate?
- Does the price include GST?
- Does any scheme cover it?
- How much travel and time does it take each week?
- Is there a minimum commitment or notice period?
- What happens if my child wants to stop mid-term?
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: What should I ask a provider about fees?
What we found: Some of our Activity Guides show public fees, such as ActiveSG pool rates and national museum admission.
Read more: Is there help paying?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check in April 2027.
Activities
How many activities is too many?
No evidence found
In short: We looked for a number of hours that is too many, and did not find one. In one US study, feeling criticised was more strongly linked to problems than being busy.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: How many activities is too many?
What we found: Our post on this sets out the studies: a 2006 review of US research, a US study of 314 eighth graders, and a Singapore study of 432 children. It ends with four questions to ask instead of counting hours.
Read more: Is My Child Doing Too Much?
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check with that post, next in April 2027.
My child wants to stop: what now?
Depends on your child
In short: No rule or study we found settles whether to let a child stop. Our page sets out questions to ask first, and how to stop well if you decide to.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: My child wants to stop: what now?
What we found: A 2015 review of 43 studies linked leaving organised sport to five main areas, including lack of enjoyment and other priorities. Most of its studies were of teenagers, and about nine in ten participants were male. We read the review’s abstract only.
What we didn’t find: A study that tests rules such as finishing a term before stopping. We searched OpenAlex, Europe PMC and Crossref on 4 October 2026.
Read more: My Child Wants to Stop
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check in October 2027, with that page.
What can my child try for free or cheaply?
Official answer
In short: Some public options cost little or nothing. A child’s swim at ActiveSG’s normal pools costs $0.50 on weekdays for Singapore Citizens and PRs. National museums are free to enter for citizens and PRs. Basic library membership is free for Singaporeans.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: What can my child try for free or cheaply?
What we found: Sports and Games gives ActiveSG’s pool rates (checked 4 October 2026). Humanities says Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents have free admission to the National Heritage Board’s national museums all year round (checked 4 October 2026). Help With Costs says basic NLB membership is free for Singaporeans (checked 29 September 2026). Special exhibitions that charge admission have separate free-entry rules; Humanities gives them. This summarises official pages, each linked on our page.
Read more: Help With Costs and School Holidays
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check in April 2027, with those pages.
When are the school holidays, and where can I find what’s on?
Official answer
In short: MOE’s 2026 year-end break is Saturday 21 November to Thursday 31 December. Our School Holidays page says where to look. In 2027, Primary 1 starts on Monday 4 January, and Primary 2 to 6 on Tuesday 5 January.
Sources, dates and what we didn’t find: When are the school holidays, and where can I find what’s on?
What we found: MOE’s calendar (opens in a new tab) (last updated 2 June 2026) lists the Term 4 school holidays from 21 November to 31 December 2026. MOE’s 2027 dates give no separate start date for Secondary 1. Our School Holidays page lists where to check for subsidised holiday programmes.
Read more: School Holidays
Checked 4 October 2026. Re-check by 31 December 2026.