DSA 2024: What are the Talent Areas for IP Schools?
Submitted by KiasuEditor
Does your Primary 6 child have a distinctive talent? Do consider the Direct School Admission or DSA pathway for them. This is an admissions process where P6 students can gain direct entry to secondary schools based on their talent in sports, the arts, or academics.
In 2024, DSA applications are open from 7 May to 3 June. During this time, the Ministry of Education’s DSA website should be your main source of information. If you already have a shortlist of schools, visit the SchoolFinder website to view the updated DSA talent areas for 2024.
We know that many parents are particularly interested in the talent areas for Integrated Programme or IP schools. The biggest reason for this interest is that IP schools are hard to get into via grades — one needs to achieve a single-digit score for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
In our local context, not only are IP schools considered prestigious, they also offer six-year courses, allowing students to skip the GCE O-Levels in Year 4 and take either the GCE A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams in Year 6.
As for the learning experience, the IP was designed for academically strong students, so the project work may be more interesting, or students may spend more time developing skills such as critical thinking and communication.
Keen to find out how your child can enter an IP school through their talent? First, do be aware that there are four ‘specialist’ schools that typically only accept students through the DSA process, and not via PSLE scores. These schools are:
- NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (NUS High)
- School of Science and Technology (SST)
- School of the Arts (SOTA)
- Singapore Sports School
It’s best if you read about these schools separately — we won’t be featuring them in this guide. Instead, we’ll focus on 16 mainstream secondary schools that offer the six-year IP curriculum, and the talent areas they’re looking for.
What are the DSA talent areas for IP schools in 2024?
Here’s a snapshot of the talent areas that IP schools are looking out for this year:
Not sure about how schools might assess talent in an area such as “scientific investigation?” Do contact the school directly with your questions.
How many IP talent areas are being offered by each IP school?
Below is the breakdown of talent areas for the 16 IP schools that we’re highlighting.
Some schools have limited options, while other schools like National Junior College have a broader set of opportunities — it may be easier to find a fit in these schools.
|
School |
IP Talent Areas |
|
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (Secondary) |
22 |
|
Catholic High School (Secondary) |
19 |
|
Cedar Girls’ Secondary School |
8 |
|
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School (Secondary) |
10 |
|
Dunman High School (Secondary) |
18 |
|
Hwa Chong Institution (Secondary) |
20 |
|
Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) |
11 |
|
Nanyang Girls’ High School |
20 |
|
National Junior College (Secondary) |
20 |
|
Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) |
19 |
|
Raffles Institution (Secondary) |
21 |
|
River Valley High School (Secondary) |
20 |
|
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School |
17 |
|
St. Joseph’s Institution (Secondary) |
16 |
|
Temasek Junior College (Secondary) |
11 |
|
Victoria School |
19 |
For easy reference, here’s a list of the talent areas offered by each IP school.
|
School |
IP Talent Areas in 2024 |
|
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (Secondary) |
Badminton (Boys) |
|
Basketball (Boys) |
|
|
Bowling (Boys) |
|
|
Canoeing (Boys) |
|
|
Cricket (Boys) |
|
|
Cross Country (Boys) |
|
|
Golf (Boys) |
|
|
Humanities (Boys) |
|
|
International Chess (Boys) |
|
|
Mathematics (Boys) |
|
|
Music Elective Programme (Boys) |
|
|
Robotics (Boys) |
|
|
Rugby (Boys) |
|
|
Sailing (Boys) |
|
|
Science (Boys) |
|
|
Shooting (Boys) |
|
|
Softball (Boys) |
|
|
Squash (Boys) |
|
|
Swimming (Boys) |
|
|
Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Boys) |
|
|
Water Polo (Boys) |
|
|
Catholic High School (Secondary) |
Basketball (Boys) |
|
Bilingualism (Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Drama (Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Orchestra (Boys) |
|
|
Choir (Boys) |
|
|
Concert Band (Boys) |
|
|
English Drama (Boys) |
|
|
Floorball (Boys) |
|
|
Humanities (Boys) |
|
|
Leadership (Boys) |
|
|
Mathematics (Boys) |
|
|
Modern Dance (Boys) |
|
|
Music Elective Programme (Boys) |
|
|
Science (Boys) |
|
|
Softball (Boys) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Boys) |
|
|
Volleyball (Boys) |
|
|
Wushu (Boys) |
|
|
Cedar Girls’ Secondary School |
Badminton (Girls) |
|
Basketball (Girls) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Social Innovation (Girls) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Track and Field (Girls) |
|
|
Volleyball (Girls) |
|
|
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School (Secondary) |
Artistic Gymnastics (Girls) |
|
Badminton (Girls) |
|
|
Bilingualism (Girls) |
|
|
Hockey (Girls) |
|
|
Leadership (Girls) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Rhythmic Gymnastics (Girls) |
|
|
STEM (Girls) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Track and Field (Girls) |
|
|
Dunman High School (Secondary) |
Badminton (Girls and Boys) |
|
Basketball (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Bilingualism (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Dance (Girls) |
|
|
Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Choir (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Leadership (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Modern Dance (Girls) |
|
|
Music Elective Programme (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Sailing (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Softball (Girls) |
|
|
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Aesthetics and Mathematics) (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
String Ensemble (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Volleyball (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Wushu (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Hwa Chong Institution (Secondary) |
Badminton (Boys) |
|
Basketball (Boys) |
|
|
Bilingualism (Boys) |
|
|
Canoeing (Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Language (Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Weiqi (Boys) |
|
|
Cross Country (Boys) |
|
|
Fencing (Boys) |
|
|
Humanities (Boys) |
|
|
Infocomm (Boys) |
|
|
Judo (Boys) |
|
|
Leadership (Boys) |
|
|
Mathematics (Boys) |
|
|
Science (Boys) |
|
|
Shooting (Boys) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Boys) |
|
|
Volleyball (Boys) |
|
|
Water Polo (Boys) |
|
|
Wushu (Boys) |
|
|
Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) |
Artistic Swimming (Girls) |
|
Bowling (Girls) |
|
|
English Language (Girls) |
|
|
Football (Girls) |
|
|
Music Elective Programme (Girls) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Softball (Girls) |
|
|
Squash (Girls) |
|
|
STEM (Girls) |
|
|
Swimming (Girls) |
|
|
Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Nanyang Girls’ High School |
Artistic Gymnastics (Girls) |
|
Badminton (Girls) |
|
|
Basketball (Girls) |
|
|
Bilingualism (Girls) |
|
|
Chinese Calligraphy (Girls) |
|
|
Chinese Dance (Girls) |
|
|
Chinese Orchestra (Girls) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls) |
|
|
Innovation (Girls) |
|
|
Mathematics (Girls) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Science (Girls) |
|
|
Service Leadership (Girls) |
|
|
Softball (Girls) |
|
|
String Ensemble (Girls) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Track and Field (Girls) |
|
|
Volleyball (Girls) |
|
|
Wushu (Girls) |
|
|
National Junior College (Secondary) |
Art Elective Programme (Girls and Boys) |
|
Basketball (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Canoeing (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Choir (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Cross Country (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Engineering Innovation and Solutions (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Guitar Ensemble (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Indian Dance (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Malay Dance (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Modern Dance (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Music (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Shooting (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Softball (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Squash (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
String Ensemble (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) |
Badminton (Girls) |
|
Basketball (Girls) |
|
|
Chinese Language (Girls) |
|
|
Community Youth Leadership (Girls) |
|
|
English Language (Girls) |
|
|
Malay Language (Girls) |
|
|
Mathematics (Girls) |
|
|
Music Elective Programme (Girls) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Rhythmic Gymnastics (Girls) |
|
|
Sailing (Girls) |
|
|
Science (Girls) |
|
|
Softball (Girls) |
|
|
Squash (Girls) |
|
|
Swimming (Girls) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Tamil Language (Girls) |
|
|
Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
Visual Arts (Girls) |
|
|
Raffles Institution (Secondary) |
Badminton (Boys) |
|
Basketball (Boys) |
|
|
Cricket (Boys) |
|
|
Cross Country (Boys) |
|
|
English Language (Boys) |
|
|
Hockey (Boys) |
|
|
Leadership and Character (Boys) |
|
|
Malay Language (Boys) |
|
|
Mathematics (Boys) |
|
|
Music (Boys) |
|
|
Rugby (Boys) |
|
|
Sailing (Boys) |
|
|
Science (Boys) |
|
|
Shooting (Boys) |
|
|
Softball (Boys) |
|
|
Swimming (Boys) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Boys) |
|
|
Visual Arts (Boys) |
|
|
Water Polo (Boys) |
|
|
River Valley High School (Secondary) |
Badminton (Girls and Boys) |
|
Basketball (Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Calligraphy (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Drama (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Painting (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Choir (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Debating (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
English Drama (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Floorball (Girls) |
|
|
Leadership (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Robotics (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Scientific Investigation (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Softball (Girls) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Volleyball (Girls) |
|
|
Wushu (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School |
Artistic Gymnastics (Girls) |
|
Badminton (Girls) |
|
|
Basketball (Girls) |
|
|
Bilingualism (Girls) |
|
|
Choir (Girls) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls) |
|
|
English Drama (Girls) |
|
|
English Language (Girls) |
|
|
Handbell Ensemble (Girls) |
|
|
Leadership (Girls) |
|
|
Modern Dance (Girls) |
|
|
Netball (Girls) |
|
|
Squash (Girls) |
|
|
STEM (Girls) |
|
|
String Ensemble (Girls) |
|
|
Swimming (Girls) |
|
|
Tennis (Girls) |
|
|
St. Joseph’s Institution (Secondary) |
Badminton (Boys) |
|
Basketball (Boys) |
|
|
Canoeing (Boys) |
|
|
Cross Country (Boys) |
|
|
Floorball (Boys) |
|
|
Football (Boys) |
|
|
Hockey (Boys) |
|
|
Innovation (Boys) |
|
|
Judo (Boys) |
|
|
Leadership (Boys) |
|
|
Rugby (Boys) |
|
|
Sailing (Boys) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Boys) |
|
|
Visual Arts (Boys) |
|
|
Temasek Junior College (Secondary) |
Badminton (Girls and Boys) |
|
Basketball (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Bowling (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Language (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Concert Band (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
English Language (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Leadership (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Mathematics (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Music Elective Programme (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Science (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Taekwondo (Girls and Boys) |
|
|
Victoria School |
Art Elective Programme (Boys) |
|
Badminton (Boys) |
|
|
Chinese Orchestra (Boys) |
|
|
Choir (Boys) |
|
|
Concert Band (Boys) |
|
|
Cricket (Boys) |
|
|
Debate and Theatre (Boys) |
|
|
Floorball (Boys) |
|
|
Football (Boys) |
|
|
Hockey (Boys) |
|
|
Leadership (Boys) |
|
|
Mathematics (Boys) |
|
|
Sailing (Boys) |
|
|
Science (Boys) |
|
|
Table Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Tennis (Boys) |
|
|
Track and Field (Boys) |
|
|
Volleyball (Boys) |
|
|
Wushu (Boys) |
For accurate and updated information, please contact your schools of interest directly.
Where can we view a list of IP schools, categorised by Talent Areas? Do these schools also offer DSA opportunities for the O-Levels track?
If these are your concerns, the dashboard view below may be helpful to you.
You can access this dashboard on Tableau Public. It also allows you to filter the results by IP-only schools, as well as dual-track schools (IP and O-Levels).
For accurate and updated information, please contact your schools of interest directly.
Where can I get advice about improving my child’s chances at the DSA?
You can attend open house events for the secondary schools that your child is interested in, as well as speak to your child’s teachers and enrichment coaches. They are the best people to offer suggestions for your child’s specific needs.
Interested in DSA success rates, or unsure about what information is needed for the DSA application? We’ve answered these questions and more in an earlier guide.
Want to chat with other parents about DSA 2024? Join the conversation on the KiasuParents forum!
