Begin with schools that offer PG1 and have a journey your child can manage. The following examples provide a useful spread across Singapore. They are not a ranking, an exhaustive national list or a recommendation to submit these particular schools in this order.

What does 30* mean? Springfield explains that its last posted student scored better than 30, but places remained after that exercise. Its displayed COP was therefore 30 because it could have admitted an eligible student with that score. CHIJ St. Theresa’s also states that its last PG1 student scored better than 30. Neither figure establishes vacancies in the next exercise.

Use MOE SchoolFinder to widen or localise this list. The table gives you a starting point for research; your final six choices should come from schools your child is eligible for and would actually attend. Some linked pages also contain old registration or appeal deadlines. Those dates belong to the earlier cohort and must not be used for a new application.

Score 25 sits at an option point in the MOE Posting Group table: PG1 or PG2. Selecting PG1 normally means beginning with most subjects at G1; selecting PG2 normally means beginning with most subjects at G2. Individual subject eligibility can change that starting pattern.

It helps to separate three numbers that often become confused. Your child’s total PSLE score determines the eligible Posting Group options. A particular subject’s Achievement Level helps determine eligibility for that subject at a more demanding level. A school’s historical PG1 cut-off describes an earlier admission outcome for that school and group. These numbers answer different questions.

A score of 25 is not a PG3 entry score. A strong result in one subject does not change the overall Posting Group entitlement, although it may allow the child to study that subject at G3. The distinction matters when someone says, “My child can do G3 Science.” That can be a subject-level statement while the child enters the school through PG1.

The additional English and Mathematics condition often mentioned in PG1 discussions applies to the 26–30 band: those students require AL7 or better in both subjects for PG1 eligibility. Do not import that condition into the score-25 row or use a relative’s simplified explanation in place of the child’s official eligibility information.

Before discussing school names, put the result slip and official posting information beside each other. Record the total, all individual subject results and the eligible Posting Groups. This small act prevents a large amount of confused comparison later.

There is no responsible universal answer. The decision should connect the child’s present readiness with the school experience the family can support. A school name on its own cannot tell you whether the proposed subject levels will be a good fit.

For a child who needs more time to consolidate several subjects, PG1 with an appropriate stronger-subject offer may be worth discussing. For a child who is ready for G2 learning across most subjects, PG2 deserves serious consideration. These are discussion routes, not diagnoses that can be made from one total score.

Ask the Primary 6 teachers to describe what the child can do independently. “Can explain a Science idea but struggles to organise the written answer” is more useful than “needs to work harder.” “Usually completes the method but loses negative signs” is more useful than “weak in Maths.” Specific observations help a secondary school explain the likely demands.

Then ask your child what felt difficult during Primary 6. Listen for pace, reading, starting work, asking questions and managing several tasks. Their experience will not replace academic evidence, but it helps identify the support the family should ask about.

Avoid making the decision around a promised future promotion. A plan that works only if several subjects move quickly to a higher level is relying on an outcome that has not happened. Choose a starting arrangement that makes educational sense now, while keeping later reviews open.

Under Full Subject-Based Banding, eligible students entering through PG1 or PG2 may take English Language, Mother Tongue Languages, Mathematics and Science at more demanding levels from Secondary 1. The joint MOE–SEAB explanation accompanying the 2025 PSLE results states the relevant thresholds: Standard AL5 or better permits the subject at G3 or G2; Standard AL6 or Foundation AL A permits G2.

For a PG1 entrant, this means a subject can have a different starting level from the majority of the timetable. For a PG2 entrant, Standard AL5 or better may allow the relevant subject at G3. The school’s actual subject offer and consultation remain important.

Profile A creates a conversation about G2 English, Mathematics and Science if the child enters through PG1. Profile B creates a different conversation: Science may be offered at G2 or G3, and Mother Tongue at G2. Neither profile tells us how much help the child needs with independent work, confidence or school routines.

These examples show why “both children scored 25” is not enough to prescribe the same plan. A useful family record names each subject, its current evidence and the school question to resolve. It does not label the entire child with a single subject level.

Keep Standard and Foundation results distinct when recording them. Foundation AL A is not Standard AL1. Use the eligibility rules attached to the actual result and ask the school to clarify any unfamiliar conversion or offer. Guessing from the letter or number alone can lead to the wrong expectation.

In a historical range such as 25–28, the two ends describe the posted intake for that group, subject to any footnote such as the vacancy asterisk. The last number is the historical cut-off reference. Lower numerical PSLE scores are better. A student with 25 therefore has a better score than a historical COP of 28.

That comparison is useful, but it is not an offer of admission. The upcoming exercise involves a new set of students, choices and available places. A school with a historical COP of 28 does not owe every future applicant with 28 a place. Equally, a school should not be dismissed as educationally unsuitable because its historical cut-off was numerically higher.

Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) provides a helpful real example of movement: its official intake table shows PG1 25–28 for 2024 and 25–27 for 2025 and 2026. The school also warns that the 2027 range can vary with demand and cohort size. The honest conclusion is that historical evidence helps comparison while future outcomes remain unsettled.

Always read three labels together: school, Posting Group and cohort. A PG2 range from one year cannot be used to judge a PG1 application in another. Where a school provides affiliated and non-affiliated figures, preserve those categories and verify whether the affiliation conditions apply to your child.

If two websites disagree, return to the official school page and SchoolFinder. Check whether the disagreement is actually a different group, intake year or affiliation category. Record the source and its date beside the number so you do not have to reconstruct the comparison from memory.

The MOE S1 submission guide explains that the chosen Posting Group applies to all school choices. At score 25, you cannot submit three choices through PG2 and reserve the other three for PG1 in the same list. Decide the group first, then compare schools within it.

Use all six choices and arrange them in your genuine order of preference. MOE’s Parent Kit on choosing a secondary school advises including two or three schools for which the child’s score is better than the historical cut-off. At score 25, many of the PG1 examples above satisfy that historical comparison, but daily suitability still matters.

Posting is considered by PSLE score first. When students with the same score compete for the remaining places, the tie-breakers are citizenship, school choice order and then computerised balloting. Citizenship priority is Singapore Citizen, followed by Permanent Resident, then International Student. See MOE’s explanation of how posting works.

For example, compare two eligible non-affiliated PG1 applicants. A student with 25 who places a school sixth is considered ahead on score of an eligible student with 26 who places it first. A first-choice position does not overcome a worse PSLE score. Between students with the same score and citizenship priority, however, choice order becomes significant.

Distance is important to family planning, but it is not an S1 tie-breaker in this sequence. Do not import primary-school admission assumptions into secondary posting. A convenient home address does not cancel the published merit and tie-break rules.

Write a complete list before submitting. Ask of every entry: “If this is the posting we receive, can our child attend and can we explain why we selected it?” A sixth choice deserves as much factual checking as the first, even if it receives less discussion at the dinner table.

Once the academic comparison is clear, test the practical one. The difference between a workable and exhausting week may come from a bus transfer, an external language lesson, a CCA afternoon or the time available to ask a teacher for help.

Try the journey at a realistic school-morning time. Include the walk to the stop, waiting, transfers and the final walk to the gate. Repeat the thinking for a later CCA dismissal. A route that works when a parent drives on Saturday may not describe the child’s normal Tuesday.

Ask about subject arrangements rather than assuming them from the school’s overall reputation. Which subjects and levels would be offered to this child? How are changes considered later? Would any language lessons take place elsewhere? Which upper-secondary combinations are currently offered, and when will the child’s cohort receive its own information?

For learning support, ask a concrete process question: “If my child can follow an example but cannot begin the next question alone, whom should they approach, and what usually happens next?” The answer tells you more than a broad claim that a school is caring. Ask separately how form teachers and parents communicate when a pattern of unfinished work appears.

Include a genuine interest. It might be a CCA, a hands-on activity, reading, music or serving the school community. Confirm current availability with the school, since a list on an old brochure may have changed. A child’s willingness to participate is part of the school fit, alongside academic preparation.

Finally, discuss ordinary costs with the school where necessary: transport, meals, uniforms, required devices and activities. Use current school information and ask about assistance if relevant. A realistic plan is easier to maintain than an attractive list whose daily demands have never been examined.

After the posting result, use the new school’s official instructions for registration and orientation. Check the intake year before acting. A page about the 2026 cohort may remain searchable while the next cohort’s information is being prepared.

Read the individual subject offers carefully. Record each subject and level, then ask about any offer the family does not understand. This is a good point to bring examples of work and the child’s own observations to the discussion. The aim is a manageable timetable that respects strengths and identifies support needs.

Full SBB includes mixed form classes and common curriculum subjects. Meridian Secondary’s current explanation describes students learning common subjects together and the possibility of more demanding Humanities from Secondary 2 for eligible students. The school experience is broader than a single PG label.

During the first term, establish a small, repeatable routine. Your child should know where assignments are recorded, how to find the next day’s materials and whom to ask when instructions are unclear. Check one completed piece of work for understanding rather than supervising every line of every task.

When a difficulty appears, describe it precisely. “I forget what the question asks after reading the paragraph” suggests a different next step from “I understand the question but cannot remember how to divide fractions.” Bring the observation to the subject teacher and agree on a small piece of follow-up work.

Later changes in subject level depend on the school’s assessment of performance and readiness. Ask when progress is reviewed and what evidence matters. Treat the review as a learning conversation, with room to consider workload and interest, rather than promising a deadline for every subject to move upward.

The Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) begins in 2027, replacing the separate N(T), N(A) and O-Level qualifications. Students sit subjects at their respective G1, G2 and G3 levels, and the certificate records the subjects and levels taken.

There are two different 2027 dates to keep apart. The first SEC examination is in 2027. A child entering Secondary 1 in 2027 ordinarily reaches Secondary 4 in 2030. The first SEC syllabus is useful for understanding the system, but it should not be presented as the final examination contract for every later cohort.

For each future examination, check the subject name, level, syllabus code and year. The school should confirm the appropriate requirements. This is particularly important when a subject can be taken at more than one level or when online resources use older examination labels.

Post-secondary decisions will depend on the student’s eventual subject combination, results and the admission requirements applying then. PG1 entry alone does not certify eligibility for a particular ITE, polytechnic or junior-college route. Equally, it should not be treated as a prediction of everything the student will achieve.

The useful question in Secondary 1 is therefore practical: which subjects can the child learn securely now, what support will help, and how will the family review progress with the school? Later pathway research becomes more meaningful as actual subject choices and demonstrated results become clearer.

Use one sheet for the Posting Group decision and another for the school shortlist. Keeping these decisions visible reduces the temptation to move between PG1 and PG2 whenever a preferred school name appears.

Consider a fictional family whose child has Profile A: 6, 6, 6 and 7. They first ask what a PG1 timetable with eligible G2 subjects would look like and compare it with a PG2 starting arrangement. Only then do they visit schools and test travel. The school list follows the learning decision.

Another family with the same total may prioritise a strong Science offer alongside support in English and Mathematics. They can ask different questions without either family being wrong. The common discipline is to make the decision from actual subject evidence and verified school information.

Finish with a conversation your child can explain in their own words: “We chose these schools because the learning arrangement makes sense, the journey works and there are things here I want to do.” That is more useful than remembering a list of names and a fear of choosing incorrectly.

Is a child with PSLE score 25 required to choose PG1?

No. Score 25 is an option band for PG1 or PG2. Check the official eligibility information, then compare the intended starting subject levels and school choices. There is one chosen Posting Group for the submission.

Can I place one school under PG2 and another under PG1?

No. The chosen Posting Group applies to all six choices. You need to compare the PG1 and PG2 routes before finalising the list, rather than treating them as interchangeable rows within one submission.

Does score 25 guarantee admission to a school with a previous PG1 COP of 28?

No. It is a better numerical score than that historical cut-off, which is useful information for planning. The new outcome still depends on that exercise’s applicants, choices, places and applicable posting rules.

Can a PG1 student take G3 Science?

A student with Standard Science AL5 or better is eligible for a more demanding Science offer at the start of Secondary 1 under the published rules. Discuss the G2 or G3 offer and suitability with the school. PG1 and G1 describe different things.

Is selecting PG1 a way to secure a famous school and automatically move up later?

Admission is not guaranteed, and later subject changes are not automatic. Compare the starting learning arrangement honestly. A decision that depends on an unconfirmed promotion may create an expectation the school has never made.

Should the closest school always be first?

A manageable journey is valuable, but the first choice should reflect the family’s overall preference after checking eligibility, subject arrangements, school experience and practical needs. Distance is not one of the stated S1 tie-breakers.

Will a 2027 Secondary 1 entrant sit the SEC in 2027?

No. The first SEC candidates take the examination in 2027. A student starting Secondary 1 that year would ordinarily reach Secondary 4 in 2030. Confirm the eventual examination year and syllabus with the school.

What should we do first if we are still unsure?

Write out the individual subject results, ask the primary school about readiness, and compare the PG1 and PG2 starting arrangements. Once the Posting Group decision is clear, build the six-school list using current official information.

Use these pages for the rules and the school links in the opening table for the historical examples. School admissions information can be revised; check the version that applies when you submit your choices.

• MOE: Posting Groups and PSLE eligibility.
• MOE: how S1 posting works.
• MOE SchoolFinder: school profiles and school-selection information.
• MOE: the current Secondary 1 Posting Exercise.
• MOE–SEAB 2025 PSLE results release: published subject-level eligibility. Its 2025 submission dates are historical.
• SEAB: SEC qualification and examination information.

Your next step: settle the Posting Group decision from the child’s actual subject profile, then shortlist schools with a workable daily journey. Return to the school table whenever you need to check a number, and return to the official submission page when you are ready to act.