Does your child dread Chinese lessons and perform poorly in tests? Or do they take Malay or Tamil, when you don’t speak the language at home?

Here’s what you need to know.

In Singapore’s primary schools, children take only four subjects: English Language, Maths, Science, and the MTL. Currently, the Primary 1 to 4 syllabus is common to all students.

In Primary 5 and 6, children will take their subjects at either Foundation or Standard levels, depending on their Primary 4 school exam results.

Towards the end of Primary 4, here’s what to expect:

1. Your child will sit for the school exams.
2. Based on the exam results, the school will recommend a subject combination for your child for Primary 5 and 6.
3. You will fill up a form to decide on your child’s subject combination.

Students who fail one subject during the Primary 4 exams will still go ahead to take all four subjects at the Standard level in Primary 5 and 6, unless you choose differently based on discussions with the school.

If your child fails two or more subjects, you will have to decide between the following subject combinations:

• 4 Standard subjects
• 3 Standard subjects + 1 Foundation subject
• 2 Standard subjects + 2 Foundation subjects
• 1 Standard subject + 3 Foundation subjects
• 4 Foundation subjects

If your child is only struggling with the MTL, and you hope to ease their load, please discuss this with your child’s teachers by Primary 4.

Do Foundation subjects affect your child’s PSLE Score?

Can students who take Foundation subjects still qualify for the G3 (formerly Express) stream in secondary school? Yes they can. This is possible as long as their PSLE score is 20 points or lower, and they meet the cut-off point of their desired school. If they score 21 or 22 points, they will be given a choice to enter either the G2 or G3 stream.

Below is the breakdown of PSLE Scores, mapped to Posting Groups for secondary schools. These Posting Groups indicate the difficulty level of your child’s subjects in secondary school. G1 (formerly Normal Technical) is for students who need the most gentle learning curve, followed by G2 (formerly Normal Academic) and G3 (formerly Express):

What are the Achievement Levels or ALs for Standard subjects? ALs range from 1 to 8, and these are the ‘raw’ marks that they are mapped to:

Students who take Foundation subjects will also sit for the PSLE. However, they will take a different paper from Standard students, and they will receive a letter grade instead. These letter grades are then converted to an ‘AL-equivalent’ score for school admissions:

From the above table, you can see that if your child takes MTL at the Foundation level, even if they score full marks, the best AL score they can attain is a 6. 

Therefore, if you feel that your child might be able to score an AL5 and above, you should let them continue taking MTL at the Standard level. But if they are attending remedial classes and being tutored, yet still scoring AL 6 to 8 at Primary 4, do consider asking the school to grant a switch to Foundation MTL. 

Will Foundation MTL be a lot easier? To cite an example: the difference between Standard Chinese and Foundation Chinese is the emphasis on writing skills. In Standard Chinese, students need to tackle an essay and letter-writing component to the paper, but in Foundation Chinese, the focus is mostly on reading, oral, and listening skills. With a lighter MTL load, your child can try to build a genuine interest for the language, and they can also devote more time to revising for other subjects.

Will taking MTL at a lower level in secondary school affect JC entry?

If you have older children in secondary school, you may have heard of MTL B, which used to be for those who struggled with MTL in secondary school. However, since 2024, MTL B has been replaced. Instead, students who face difficulties can take MTL at the G1 or G2 levels. 

According to the Ministry of Education’s guide for junior college admissions, a G3 student needs to score at least D7 for the MTL in order to gain entry to a junior college. Need a refresher on GCE O-Level scores? GCE O-Level scores are based on a scale of A1 to 9, with each grade corresponding to a specific number of points:

• A1: 75% and above, 1 point
• A2: 70% to 74%, 2 points
• B3: 65% to 69%, 3 points
• B4: 60% to 64%, 4 points
• C5: 55% to 59%, 5 points
• C6: 50% to 54%, 6 points
• D7: 45% to 49%, Sub-pass/fail, 7 points
• E8: 40% to 44%, Fail, 8 points
• 9: Below 40%, Fail, 9 points

If your child is in Secondary 1 or 2, and is scoring less than D7 for MTL at the G3 level, you may be thinking about having them take MTL at a more accessible level, i.e. G2 or G1.

How does this affect junior college entry? 

Currently, this information is not officially available from Ministry of Education sources, but according to ACS Barker Road:

For students who take G1 or G2 MTL, the minimum MTL requirement for entry into JC/MI (junior college or the Millennia Institute) will be a pass grade for these subjects (i.e. Grade D and Grade 5 respectively). 

This requirement is similar to the previous criteria of a Pass in MTL B. Students who were able to attain a Pass in MTL B should not face significant difficulties in meeting the new minimum MTL requirement. 

To provide some context: The grades for G1 subjects are A, B, C, D, and E. (Grade A is the highest and Grade E the lowest or a fail grade). The grades for G2 subjects are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Grade 1 is the highest grade and Grade 6 the lowest or a fail grade). For clarity on the ‘raw’ scores that are mapped to these grades, please check with your child’s school.

If you are curious about whether O-Level scores will be adjusted or ‘bell-curved,’ please read the official parliamentary reply on this topic.

Will dropping to G1 or G2 MTL be the best option for your child? This is a personal decision that should be primarily driven by your child. Some parents fear that the learning environment in G1 or G2 classes will be less than ideal, while others prefer that their child is not bogged down by a language that may not have practical uses beyond school. Together with your child, we encourage you to discuss this with your child’s teachers, as well as consult other parents whose children have made the switch.

Want to chat with other parents about the Mother Tongue Language? Join a conversation on the KSP forum, or start your own!