Is your teen in Secondary 2? Crossroads are ahead, as students will be asked to choose a subject combination for the upper secondary years. It’s a decision that may affect your teen’s career potential, so it’s worth spending time to weigh the options carefully. 

If your teen is taking Normal (Technical) or Normal (Academic) subjects (also known as G1 and G2 subjects), please check with your teen’s school about subject combinations, especially if your teen is interested in the Polytechnic Foundation Programme. Some students may wish to take maths at a higher level, but the feedback has been that there is a huge jump in difficulty, so it’s best to consult your teen’s teachers or the school’s career guidance counsellor for advice. Certain subjects, such as literature, may only be offered to Express or G3 students.

Regardless of the stream that they are currently in, the most practical approach is for teens to have some idea about post-secondary courses that they are interested in. They should shortlist three to five post-secondary courses, check the subject requirements, and use that to decide on their upper secondary subject combination. 

The time to choose one’s subject combination is in Secondary 2, after the end-of-year examinations. Students will usually be briefed around this time as well. Typically, a teen will be allocated a subject combination based on these factors:

1. Overall academic performance (across subjects)
2. Student choice, and performance in individual subjects
3. Student demand and availability of school resources to run subject classes

As almost 70% of secondary school students are taking Express or G3 subjects to prepare for the O-Level examinations in Secondary 4, this guide will focus on the options available for such students. 

Teens can take a maximum of nine subjects, or a minimum of six subjects, in order to sit for the O-Level examinations. A teen can also take elective subjects for the O-Levels. These are subjects that don’t fall under the English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics, Science, and Humanities categories. Examples of elective subjects are computing and drama — however, not all schools offer these.

Below, we look at four typical pathways after the O-Levels, and the subject combinations that are required. 

Pathway 1: Enter a Junior College to Prepare for the A-Levels, or Switch to the International Baccalaureate Course

Your teen will need six subjects — known as L1R5, or First Language + 5 Relevant Subjects — to apply to junior college or IB courses. 

What are relevant subjects? Here’s a breakdown:

L1R5	Subjects
L1	English or Higher Mother Tongue Language (MTL)
R1	Any 1 of these subjects: Humanities Higher Art Higher Music Malay (Special Programme) Chinese (Special Programme) Bahasa Indonesia
R2	Mathematics or Science
R3	Any 1 of these subjects: Humanities Higher Art Higher Music Mathematics Science Malay (Special Programme) Chinese (Special Programme) Bahasa Indonesia
R4, R5	Any 2 GCE O-Level subjects except Religious Knowledge

For secondary schools with academically strong students, they may recommend the following subject combination, because it allows a teen to access most post-secondary pathways:

2 Languages + 2 Mathematics + 2 Science + 2 Humanities

Some secondary schools offer both ‘pure’ and ‘combined’ sciences, and a common question is: What is the difference between Pure and Combined Sciences? Will choosing Combined Sciences affect junior college options?

As you might guess, the main difference is in the coverage of the subjects. Pure sciences are covered in greater depth, and may better prepare a teen for the A-Level syllabus. However, some junior colleges do offer bridging classes for teens who have taken Combined Sciences. 

This is why it’s best to plan ahead. You could make a list of the junior college courses that your teen is keen on, and check with specific schools about their subject prerequisites for these courses. Forum discussions may also turn up useful tips, but you should always aim to get accurate information directly from schools. 

If your teen has strong interests, you can even look up relevant degree courses and their subject requirements. A common misconception is that one needs to study chemistry, physics, and biology in order to qualify for medicine, when in fact, students interested in medicine can apply with a chemistry-physics or chemistry-biology combination.

Pathway 2: Apply to Millennia Institute for a Gentler A-Levels Journey

Unlike junior colleges, which prepare students for the A-Levels in two years, the Millennia Institute offers a three-year programme leading to the A-Level exams. In addition, admission requirements are also less stringent, as students will apply using the results for five subjects. This is known as L1R4, or First Language + 4 Relevant Subjects.

Here’s a breakdown of the relevant subjects:

L1R4	Subjects
L1	English or Higher Mother Tongue Language (MTL)
R1, R2	Any 2 of these subjects: Humanities Higher Art Higher Music Mathematics Science Malay (Special Programme) Chinese (Special Programme) Bahasa Indonesia
R3, R4	Any 2 GCE O-Level subjects except Religious Knowledge

Pathway 3: Apply to a Polytechnic

Some teens will prefer to pursue a diploma programme after the O-Levels, especially if they have a specific area of interest, such as Biomedical Science or Mass Communication. 

Diploma courses are offered by polytechnics, and admission is based on the ELR2B2 score. These refer to five subjects: English Language (EL) + 2 Relevant Subjects (R2) + 2 Best Subjects (B2). 

Another thing to note is that there are actually four types of ELR2B2 scores, known as:

• ELR2B2-A
• ELR2B2-B
• ELR2B2-C
• ELR2B2-D

These refer to slightly different combinations of subjects — polytechnics will list the exact combination needed for each course on their websites. As an example, you can look at Temasek Polytechnic’s requirements for O-Level subjects.

Most local polytechnic courses will not require that students offer Pure Science subjects at the O-Levels. However, you should still look up the prerequisites for courses that your teen might be interested in, just to be absolutely sure.

Pathway 4: Apply to the Institute of Technical Education

If your child is interested in a vocational education, to train for a specific trade or technical role, they can look at the course options available for O-Level holders. Click on any course to find out what the subject requirement is — it could be ELB4 (English + 4 Best Subjects) or any other five-subject combination, as specified.

What You Need To Know

If your teen’s school will be holding a subject combination briefing for parents, here’s a list of questions that you can ask:

• What are all the subjects and combinations available for my teen’s stream or posting group?
• My teen is interested in a specific combination. What is the minimum score to qualify for this combination?
• My teen does not like this subject, or can’t qualify to take it. What are the drawbacks of not taking this subject?
• Can my teen in the Normal (Academic) stream take Additional Maths?
• Will my teen be disadvantaged by taking fewer (six or seven) subjects for the O-Levels?
• Can the school advise my teen on which subject combination to choose?
• What if a subject my teen is keen on is not offered by the school?

Have a discussion with your teen, and come up with your own questions as well. Even if the parents’ briefing is over, you can still contact the school to clarify your doubts — the sooner, the better!

Hoping to chat with other parents about your concerns? Join the conversation on the KiasuParents forum!