Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level
Encyclopedia
The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) Examination is an annual examination conducted in Singapore
. It is conducted jointly by the Singapore Ministry of Education
(MOE), University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
(UCLES) and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board
. Being a collaboration between the MOE and UCLES, the Singaporean A-level is a different version of the international A-level. It is known to be more challenging, in terms of the depth of its syllabus and the level of difficulty of its questions, compared to the international A-Level. The A-level certificate is an internationally-recognised qualification and is valued by universities and employers alike. It allows students to gain entry into local and overseas universities to further their education.
The examination is taken by students at the end of their second year for junior college
students, and third for centralised institute
students. Candidates are therefore usually 18 or 19 years of age.
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 passes, with a pass in General Paper (GP) or Knowledge and Inquiry (KI).
Under the new curriculum, candidates select subjects from three levels of study, namely Higher 1 (H1), Higher 2 (H2) and Higher 3 (H3). Subjects are divided into Knowledge Skills and Content-based subjects. Knowledge skills subjects comprises General Paper, Knowledge & Inquiry and the compulsory Project Work; content-based subjects are divided into Languages, Humanities & the Arts, and Mathematics & Sciences.
Knowledge Skills: H1 General Paper, H1 Project Work and H1 Mother Tongue Language
Content-based Subjects: three at H2 level and one at H1 level
Students may take Knowledge & Inquiry (KI), which gives students the opportunity to explore various methods of inquiry in fields like the sciences, the humanities, mathematics and the aesthetics, in place of General Paper. For the content-based subjects, students are required to take at least one subject which is from a contrasting discipline. For example, if they are from the science course, they must take a subject which is from the arts discipline, such as Geography. This prepares students for the multi-disciplinary approaches being taken in university education. More-abled students with a passion for particular subjects may may offer an additional H1 or H2 subject, or up to two H3 subjects.
Note:
H3 subjects are graded as Distinction (highest), Merit, Pass or Ungraded.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It is conducted jointly by the Singapore Ministry of Education
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), University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
UCLES
University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate is a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge and is a not-for-profit organisation...
(UCLES) and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board
Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board
The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board was established on 1 April 2004 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Education of Singapore....
. Being a collaboration between the MOE and UCLES, the Singaporean A-level is a different version of the international A-level. It is known to be more challenging, in terms of the depth of its syllabus and the level of difficulty of its questions, compared to the international A-Level. The A-level certificate is an internationally-recognised qualification and is valued by universities and employers alike. It allows students to gain entry into local and overseas universities to further their education.
The examination is taken by students at the end of their second year for junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
students, and third for centralised institute
Millennia Institute
Millennia Institute is the only Centralised Institute in Singapore.MI was established on 3 January 2004, to conglomerate the sparsely organised three-year pre-university institutes into a single entity...
students. Candidates are therefore usually 18 or 19 years of age.
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 passes, with a pass in General Paper (GP) or Knowledge and Inquiry (KI).
Curriculum
The Singaporean A-level curriculum was revised and took effect starting from the year 2006, replacing the previous system of ‘AO’, ‘A’ and ‘S’ papers. It was 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.Under the new curriculum, candidates select subjects from three levels of study, namely Higher 1 (H1), Higher 2 (H2) and Higher 3 (H3). Subjects are divided into Knowledge Skills and Content-based subjects. Knowledge skills subjects comprises General Paper, Knowledge & Inquiry and the compulsory Project Work; content-based subjects are divided into Languages, Humanities & the Arts, and Mathematics & Sciences.
Subject combination
The norm combination of subjects are:Knowledge Skills: H1 General Paper, H1 Project Work and H1 Mother Tongue Language
Content-based Subjects: three at H2 level and one at H1 level
Students may take Knowledge & Inquiry (KI), which gives students the opportunity to explore various methods of inquiry in fields like the sciences, the humanities, mathematics and the aesthetics, in place of General Paper. For the content-based subjects, students are required to take at least one subject which is from a contrasting discipline. For example, if they are from the science course, they must take a subject which is from the arts discipline, such as Geography. This prepares students for the multi-disciplinary approaches being taken in university education. More-abled students with a passion for particular subjects may may offer an additional H1 or H2 subject, or up to two H3 subjects.
Grading
H1 and H2 subjects are graded with alphabetically in the following manner.| Grade | Remark |
|---|---|
| A | Pass |
| B | Pass |
| C | Pass |
| D | Pass |
| E | Pass |
| S | Below Pass |
| Ungraded | Below Pass |
Note:
- Candidates who pass at least one subject at H1 or H2 level will receive a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level)
- Grade 'S' denotes sub-pass
- Grades 'S' and 'Ungraded' indicate that the candidate has failed to obtain a pass in the particular subject. These two grades do not appear on the certificate but will be shown on the result slip
- Subject(s) taken by the candidate under special arrangements will be annotated in the certificate
H3 subjects are graded as Distinction (highest), Merit, Pass or Ungraded.
See also
- Education in SingaporeEducation in SingaporeEducation in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education , which controls the development and administration of state schools receiving government funding, but also has an advisory and supervisory role in respect of private schools...
- 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...
- GCE Advanced LevelGCE Advanced LevelThe Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
- GCE Ordinary Level in Singapore