Starting from 2028, students applying for admission to junior college (JC) will only need to take five subjects in the O-level examinations, as the Ministry of Education (MOE) continues to expand learning opportunities beyond academics.
This change, which will affect students in the current Secondary 2 cohort, means that students will need to achieve a score of 16 points or fewer for their L1R4, which includes one language and four relevant subjects, to qualify for JC.
Currently, students must meet the L1R5 score requirement of 20 or lower across six subjects to be eligible for JC admission.
“For students exploring the pre-university pathway, we want to create more time and space to build on their strengths and develop them holistically,” said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on March 6 during the debate on MOE’s budget.
The revised criterion “means that students will be able to take fewer subjects, or take some subjects at a less demanding level”, he added.
“They will thus be able to devote more time and effort to pursue their interests, deepen their communication and collaboration skills through CCAs (co-curricular activities), and uncover new strengths through school programmes”.
Subject requirements to enter JC remain the same and students will still have the foundation needed for JC, said Mr Chan, in response to Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who asked about the different admission criteria for JC and polytechnic.
MOE said that with one fewer subject being counted, cut-off points will “generally be lower”, adding that the actual cut-off points will depend on students’ O-level results and their school choices for each year.
The L1R5 criterion was introduced in 1989, to specify the subjects counted towards JC admission, due to poor passing rates among JC students, said Mr Chan.
Since then, passing rates for the A levels have improved to about 95 per cent in 2023, up from about 65 per cent in 1990. Also, more O-level students are taking eight or more subjects – nearly 30 per cent in 2023 as compared with about 15 per cent in 1997.
“Student readiness for JC is no longer a major concern”, said Mr Chan.
The qualifying score for JC has been revised to 16, following the removal of one subject from the assessment criteria.
Under the updated L1R4 system, students will be evaluated based on five subjects. They will still need to include English or a higher mother tongue, along with three relevant subjects, covering at least one from mathematics/science and one from humanities. However, instead of two additional subjects, only the best-scoring one will be considered.
For admission to Millennia Institute (MI), students must also include three subjects in their L1R4 score according to the same combination rules, with the qualifying threshold remaining at 20.
Grade requirements for individual subjects will still apply from 2028 – students must achieve at least a grade 6 in English, a grade 7 in mathematics, and a grade 7 in mother tongue to qualify for JC. If the minimum grades are not met, conditional admission may still be possible.
