GCE 'O' Level
Encyclopedia
The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) Examination (also known as the O-level) is an annual examination conducted in Singapore. The examinations are mainly set by the UCLES, while Mother Tongue subjects such as Chinese, Malay, and Tamil are set by Singapore's Ministry of Education
(MOE).
The examination is taken by students at the end of their fourth (for Express Stream) or fifth (for Normal Academic Stream) year in secondary school, mostly at age 16. The system is equivalent to the United Kingdom
's GCSE examinations, which is also given to 16-year-olds. The United Kingdom used O-level (O' Grades in Scotland) exams until 1988, until they were replaced by the GCSE. Whether the GCSE is an improvement over its predecessor is a topic of debate.
The grades of six or five subjects (depending on the scoring system used) taken are added to give an aggregate score known as L1R5 (one language subject and 5 relevant subjects), or EL1R2B2, which is a separate aggregate scoring system used for polytechnic admission. The score is calculated by adding up the numeral of each grade. e.g. A candidate who scores A1 for 6 subjects will have an L1R5 score of 6.
Junior Colleges accept students by their L1R5 grades, while polytechnics may impose specific requirements—certain subjects must be taken, and certain minimum grades must be obtained to demonstrate basic competency for some courses. This varies from polytechnic to polytechnic. For example, a Grade B3 or better for English is required for the 'Diploma in Mass Communications' course offered by Ngee Ann Polytechnic, addition to meeting the required aggregate computation score.
The best result of the two assessments is reflected in the result slip which will be released in Jananary the following year. In addition to the grade, it will also show the candidate's performance in the Oral/Aural Examination as Distinction (highest), Merit, Pass or Ungraded.
With effect from 2007, the use of approved electronic handheld dictionaries in 'O' Level Chinese Language composition examinations (Paper 1) has been allowed.
for school candidates. It assesses candidates' competence in science practical skills over an appropriate period of time that the candidates are offering the subject, and forms 20% of the overall mark for the subject. While the questions are set by the Ministry of Education, the assessment is scheduled, carried out and marked by the school before submitting the scripts to the MOE. The scores for the assessment are kept confidential and are never disclosed to the candidates. The assessment is grouped into three skill sets:
Skill set 1 – Performing and Observing
Skill set 2 – Analysing
Skill set 3 – Planning
Each candidate is to be assessed only twice for each of skill sets 1 and 2 and only once for skill set 3.
Ministry of Education (Singapore)
The Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...
(MOE).
The examination is taken by students at the end of their fourth (for Express Stream) or fifth (for Normal Academic Stream) year in secondary school, mostly at age 16. The system is equivalent to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's GCSE examinations, which is also given to 16-year-olds. The United Kingdom used O-level (O' Grades in Scotland) exams until 1988, until they were replaced by the GCSE. Whether the GCSE is an improvement over its predecessor is a topic of debate.
Syllabus
The test questions are created by the examiners at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, with the exception of the Mother Tongue subjects and Social Studies component of Combined Humanities. After the examination, papers are sent to Cambridge for marking. The exceptions are papers set in Singapore as mentioned above, which would be marked by local teachers. In this case, the personal details of the student are omitted with the use of the Integrated Examination System where barcode labels are used. Local teachers would not be able to recognise scripts from students of his or her own school as the candidates' names are neither written on the papers nor printed on the labels, preventing malpractice.Grades
Candidates are graded based on their performance relative to the cohort. A grade in one GCE exam subject is a number with an accompanying letter. In descending order, the grades are: A (1,2), B (3,4), C (5,6), D7, E8, and F9. A grade of C6 or better is considered an Ordinary-level pass. Obtaining a pass in one or more subjects will lead to a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level). Candidates whose subject(s) are denoted as 'Absent' - should they be absent from any component(s) for the subject - will not have the subject listed on the certificate; this is likewise for those who obtain a Grade 9, though it will appear on the result slip.The grades of six or five subjects (depending on the scoring system used) taken are added to give an aggregate score known as L1R5 (one language subject and 5 relevant subjects), or EL1R2B2, which is a separate aggregate scoring system used for polytechnic admission. The score is calculated by adding up the numeral of each grade. e.g. A candidate who scores A1 for 6 subjects will have an L1R5 score of 6.
Junior Colleges accept students by their L1R5 grades, while polytechnics may impose specific requirements—certain subjects must be taken, and certain minimum grades must be obtained to demonstrate basic competency for some courses. This varies from polytechnic to polytechnic. For example, a Grade B3 or better for English is required for the 'Diploma in Mass Communications' course offered by Ngee Ann Polytechnic, addition to meeting the required aggregate computation score.
Special and Express students
All Special and Express students are required to take a minimum of six subjects, and a maximum of nine. Students who wish to take ten subjects must obtain permission from the Ministry of Education. All Special and Express students must take the following subjects:- English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(includes an oral examination) - MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
- Mother TongueFirst languageA first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
(includes listening comprehension and an oral examination) - A Second languageSecond languageA second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....
or literatureLiteratureLiterature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
for foreign students in lieu of mother tongue. - Combined Humanities, which comprises a compulsory Social Studies component and also a Geography, History or Literature elective.
- Science (i.e. PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
)- Pure Science (includes the School-Based Science Practical Assessment for school candidates); and/or
- Combined Science (Combination of any 2 Science subject listed, considered as one subject)
Optional
- Additional Mathematics
- Principles of Accounting
- Coursework (i.e. Design and Technology, Food and Nutrition, Art)
- A HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
subject (i.e. Geography, History, Literature)
Normal (Academic) Students
Normal (Academic) students take four to seven subjects including:- English language
- Mathematics
- Combined Science (i.e. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Combination of any 2)
- Mother Tongue or a second language
- Combined Humanities, which comprises a compulsory Social Studies component and also a Geography, History or Literature elective.
Optional
- Principles of Accounts
- Coursework (i.e. Design and Technology, Food and Nutrition, Art)
- A Humanities subject (i.e. Literature, Geography, History)
- Additional Mathematics
Mother Tongue
The SEAB is the examining authority for Mother Tongue subjects. The Mother Tongue paper is different from the other papers, in that it includes a "Mid-Year Examination" for written papers (i.e. Papers 1 and 2), taken on the first Monday of the June school holiday. The Oral and Listening Comprehension papers are usually taken in July, and the results for Mother Tongue are subsequently released in August. However, the candidate may opt to re-take the paper in October/November along with the other papers that the candidate has registered for, though an additional fee is payable. The November re-assessment only covers the written examinations; no re-assessment is available for the Oral and Listening Comprehension component of the examination.The best result of the two assessments is reflected in the result slip which will be released in Jananary the following year. In addition to the grade, it will also show the candidate's performance in the Oral/Aural Examination as Distinction (highest), Merit, Pass or Ungraded.
With effect from 2007, the use of approved electronic handheld dictionaries in 'O' Level Chinese Language composition examinations (Paper 1) has been allowed.
Social Studies
Social Studies, the compulsory of the two components in Combined Humanities, is used as an implicit study of National Education.School-based Science Practical Assessment
Pure science subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) include the School-based Science Practical Assessment (SPA)School-based Science Practical Assessment (SPA) for GCE 'O' Level in Singapore
The School-based Science Practical Assessment is a component in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'O' Level Examination's Physics [5058], Chemistry [5072] and Biology [5094] subjects. It assesses candidates' competence in science practical skills over an appropriate period of time that the candidates are...
for school candidates. It assesses candidates' competence in science practical skills over an appropriate period of time that the candidates are offering the subject, and forms 20% of the overall mark for the subject. While the questions are set by the Ministry of Education, the assessment is scheduled, carried out and marked by the school before submitting the scripts to the MOE. The scores for the assessment are kept confidential and are never disclosed to the candidates. The assessment is grouped into three skill sets:
Skill set 1 – Performing and Observing
Skill set 2 – Analysing
Skill set 3 – Planning
Each candidate is to be assessed only twice for each of skill sets 1 and 2 and only once for skill set 3.
See also
- Integrated ProgrammeIntegrated ProgrammeThe Integrated Programme , also known as through-train programme , is a scheme which allows the brightest pupils at secondary schools in Singapore to bypass the "O" levels and take the "A" levels, International Baccalaureate or an equivalent examination directly at the age of 18 after six years of...
- General Certificate of Secondary EducationGeneral Certificate of Secondary EducationThe General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
- General Certificate of EducationGeneral Certificate of EducationThe General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
- International General Certificate of Secondary Education
- Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced LevelSingapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced LevelThe Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Examination is an annual examination conducted in Singapore. It is conducted jointly by the Singapore Ministry of Education , University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board...