Sec 3 Subject Combination (Express Stream) · Objectives of Briefing Provide information on the Sec...

Sec 3 Subject

Combination

(Express Stream)

Objectives of Briefing

Provide information on the Sec 2 subjects

allocation process, criteria, Sec 3 subject

combinations.

Raise awareness about the Post-Sec Courses.

Help parents and students to make informed

decision.

Provide an avenue for dialogue and clarification

before exercising option in Oct 2018.

Subject Combination Allocation

Guidelines

Merit

Overall percentage at Sec 2 and subject

eligibility criteria

Choice

Rank order – 1st choice will be considered

if your results meet the subject criteria

Vacancy

Availability of teachers

Take-up rate

How are subject

combinations derived?

Combinations are reviewed annually based on:

1. Available staff and physical resources.

2. Observations on the strengths and aptitudes

of students.

3. Requirements for JC and Poly courses.

Assessment & Promotion

Criteria

Promotion from Sec 2 Express to 3 Express:

1. Pass in English and

2. ≥ 50% in average for all subjects

Continual

Assessments (CA)

Semestral

Assessments (SA)

Class tests

Key assignments

Mid Year exams

End of Year exams

Educational

pathways

to Upper

Secondary

&

Higher

Education

after GCE

‘O’ Levels

Career Aspirations

https://sites.google.com/moe.edu.sg/ecgnbrss/home

Northbrooks Educational & Career

Guidance (ECG) Portal

Career Aspirations

My Skills Future Portal

https://www.myskillsfuture.sg/content/student/en/secondary.html

Sec 2 Express

Sec 3 Express

GCE O-Level

Polytechnics

Junior Colleges/

Centralised Institute

University

Institute of Technical Education

Private Schools and Institutions

Sec 4 Express

2-3 years GCE A-Level

3 years Diploma

1-2 years Nitec/ Higher

Nitec

DSA-JC EAE

Admission

to

Junior

Colleges

&

Centralised

Institutes

Junior Colleges (JC)• L1R5 ≤ 20

• Meets JC’s cut-off point

• Meets subject requirement

Centralised Institutes (MI)• L1R4 ≤ 20

• Meets subject requirement

L1 English/ Higher Mother Tongue*

R5

Humanities

Mathematics/ Science

Humanities/ Mathematics/ Science

Any other subject exclude CCA

Any other subject exclude CCA

Aggregate Computation

* HMTL and MTL cannot be both used in the same computation

L1 English/ Higher Mother Tongue*

R4

Humanities/ Mathematics/ Science

Humanities/ Mathematics/ Science

Any other subject exclude CCA

Any other subject exclude CCA

-

Junior Colleges• L1R5 ≤ 20

• Meets JC’s cut-off point

• Meets subject requirement

Centralised Institutes• L1R4 ≤ 20

• Meets subject requirement

L1 English/ Higher Mother Tongue*

R5

Humanities

Mathematics/ Science

Humanities/ Mathematics/ Science

Any other subject exclude CCA

Any other subject exclude CCA

Aggregate Computation

* HMTL and MTL cannot be both used in the same computation

L1 English/ Higher Mother Tongue*

R4

Humanities/ Mathematics/ Science

Humanities/ Mathematics/ Science

Any other subject exclude CCA

Any other subject exclude CCA

-

Subject Requirement

If subject requirements are not met, students may be eligible for

Conditional Admission into JC/MI.

For admission to MI which is based on L1R4, CCA may be used as

one of the subjects.

Bonus Points*

CCA Grade

Excellent grade + 2 bonus points

Good grade +1 bonus point

Higher Mother Tongue (HMTL)

Pass in both English and HTML +2 bonus points

*Maximum bonus points (+ 4)

2017 JC Cut-Off

JC Arts Science JC Arts Science

Anderson 11 9 Meridian 11 11

Anglo

Chinese8 7 Nanyang 7 6

ACS(I) - 5 National 7 6

SJI - 7 Pioneer 13 12

Catholic 10 11 Raffles 4 4

Eunoia 9 9 St Andrew’s 10 9

Hwa Chong 4 4 Temasek 9 9

Victoria 7 5 Yishun 17 16

Admission

to

Polytechnics

Polytechnics

Courses are grouped into five key clusters:

1) Applied and Health Sciences

2) Business Management and Humanities

3) Building Environment, Engineering and Maritime

4) Information and Digital Technologies

5) Media and Design

Aggregate Computation

ELR2B2 ≤ 26

Meets entry requirements of courses offered by

polytechnics

Relevant Subjects varies across different courses

EL English

R2 2 Relevant Subjects

B2 Best 2 other subjects excluding CCA

Admission

to

Institute of

Technical

Education

(ITE)

Institute of Technical

Education

Aggregate Computation

ELB4 or ELR1B3 or ELR2B2

(depending on course type)

EL English

B4 Best 4 other subjects excluding CCA

EL English

R1 Mathematics (Elementary/Additional)

B3 Best 3 other subjects excluding CCA

EL English

R2 2 Relevant Subjects

B2 Best 2 other subjects excluding CCA

Private Schools & Institutions

SECONDARY 3

SUBJECT COMBINATION

EXERCISE

(Express)

2018

Selection of

Sec 3 Subject Combinations

What are some factors you and your child should consider ?

Subject Interest

(passion & career)

Subject Competence

(academic performance)

Secondary 3 Express

Combinations

Subj C1* C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10

1 English Language

2 Mother Tongue

3 Mathematics

4

SS +

Geog/

Lit/Hist

SS +

Lit/Hist

SS +

Geog/

Lit/Hist

SS +

Lit/HistSS +

Geog/Lit/Hist

5 Phy Phy Chem ChemPhy +

Chem

Phy +

Chem

Phy +

Chem

Bio +

Chem

Bio +

Chem

Bio +

Chem

6 Chem Chem Bio Bio Art D T F N Art D T F N

7 Add MA Geog Add MA Geog

*C1 refers to Combination 1

Secondary 3 Express

Subject Allocation Criteria

SubjectsCriteria

(Based on Sec 2 Overall Results)

Additional

MathematicsA good pass* in Mathematics

Pure Sciences A good pass* in Science

Social Studies +

Literature

A good pass* in Literature and

English Language

* A good pass in a subject depends on the

overall performance of the cohort.

Mapping of Subject Combination to

Polytechnic Courses

FOR POLY COURSES

Aggregate type ELR2B2-A ELR2B2-B ELR2B2-C ELR2B2-D

R2

EL

1st Relevant

Subject

Art

Math / AMathComb Hums

Geography

2nd Relevant

Subject

AMath

Math

CL/ML

Comb Humanities Comb Hums

Geography Geography

D&T/Art/F&N Art D&T/F&N D&T/Art/F&N

Bio/Chem/Phy Bio/Chem/Phy

Sci (C,B)/Sci (P,C) Sci (C,B)/Sci (P,C)

B2

Best 2 other subjects excluding CCA

Poly Courses Categories

Humanities Business & Management Applied Sciences Applied Sciences

Early Education Building & Environment Building & Environment

Media & Design Engineering Media & Design

Psychology Health Science

Info & Digital Tech

Maritime

2018 Subject Combination Exercise

Timeline

Timeline Description

Term 4 Week 7(Late Oct 2018)

Online Submission of Subject

Combinations

Term 4 Week 9 Release of Selection Results

Appeal Period

Mid-Nov 2018 Release of Appeal Results

Subject Combination Exercise

Additional Information

Subjects are allocated based on Merit, Demand,

Student’s Choice and School’s resources.

All the elective subjects offered are subjected to a

minimum class size.

For Food & Nutrition and Design & Technology,

there is a maximum class size of 20 each.

Frequently

Asked

Questions

(FAQs)

How do the students exercise their option?

Students will log into the online streaming portal to

exercise their option. Details will be given out at a later

date.

FAQ 1

Can I appeal if my child does not get his/her

choice of subject combination?

Yes, you may submit an appeal form to the school by the

appeal deadline. However, we would like to emphasize

the success of the appeal process depends on Merit,

Vacancy, Demand and School’s resources.

Do note that in order to take more demanding subjects

like Additional Math and Pure Sciences at Upper Sec

level, your child is required to have good foundation in

Math and Science at Lower Sec level.

FAQ 2

What is the difference between Pure Science and

Combined Science?

Pure Science is counted as a subject on its own. If your child is

taking Physics and Chemistry, he/she is considered as taking two

separate subjects.

Combined Science is considered one subject with two components;

Physics and Chemistry or Chemistry and Biology.

The content for Pure Science is broader and more in depth

compared to Combined Science. There is a practical exam at the

end of the course which is 1 h 50 min for each Pure Science

subject and 1 h 30 min for Combined Science.

FAQ 3

Why is the school not offering triple Sciences?

To pursue a science-related course as post-secondary

education, a student does not need triple Sciences.

While Pure Sciences are more relevant for A-Levels

Sciences Course, a Polytechnic course or a Humanities

Course in Junior College only requires Combined

Sciences.

Instead of eight subjects, students would have more time

to focus on their six or seven subjects.

FAQ 4

Is Biology needed if I want to be a doctor or dentist?

Entry to Medicine or Dentistry with GCE A-levels would only

require H2 Chemistry with H2 Physics or H2 Biology.

FAQ 5

What is “H1, H2 and H3” in Junior Colleges?

It refers to subjects offered at 3 different levels.

FAQ 6

H1 level H2 Level H3 Level

Equivalent to half

of H2 in breadth

but similar to H2

in depth

Equivalent to the

old term ‘A’ Level

subjects

Subjects with

more advanced

content

Which subject is easier to score:

Geography, History or Literature?

Every subject has its rigour and requirement.

A student can do well in a subject as long as he/she

has the aptitude and willingness to put in effort.

FAQ 7

What is the difference between Pure

Geography and Elective Geography?

Pure Geography would have wider coverage and

depth compared to Elective Geography.

Curriculum time allocated for Pure Geography is also

more than Elective Geography.

FAQ 8

Is Additional Mathematics a compulsory subject

for admission into JC or Polytechnic?

For Engineering courses in polytechnic, the relevant

subjects must include Mathematics and Science

subjects, depending on the choice of study. The

Mathematics could be either Elementary Mathematics

or Additional Mathematics.

Same criteria for JC unless the student wants to pursue

a Science course.

FAQ 9

What are the requirements for taking subjects with

Coursework such as Art, D/T and F/N?

The Coursework examination for each subject requires

students to work on a long-term project which begins in

January of the examination year.

It requires students to have good time management skills

and diligence.

FAQ 10

The bonus points are used for ranking of students during

the Posting Procedure. They are not taken into

consideration in determining whether applicants are

eligible for courses under the JAE. Applicants cannot

use the bonus points to reduce your raw aggregate

points to qualify for a JC/MI/Poly/ITE course for which

they are not eligible for.

FAQ 11

What is the use of the bonus points from HMTL

and CCA for JC and Polytechnic courses?

Other

Useful

Information

Good Practices

Look into your child’s interests, passion, career

aspirations and strengths.

Communicate with your child.

Gather information on possible future pathways.

Encourage your child to maintain a Champion

Learning mindset.

How can your child prepare well?

1. Have regular attendance in school.

2. Have good attitude in class work and homework.

3. Know their personal interests and strengths well.

How can you help as parents?

1. Talk to your child to discover his/her

favourite subjects.

2. Respect your child as he/she may not be

inclined towards certain subjects and allow

him/her to pursue his/her interests.

3. Give him/her encouragement and keep an

open mind.

Communication & Feedback

School Website:

www.northbrookssec.moe.edu.sg

Email: northbrooks@moe.edu.sg

Student Handbook

Letters to Parents

Phone: 6752 4311

Partnership with School

THANK

YOU