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Short answer (TL;DR): Since 2021, the PSLE uses Achievement Levels (AL1 to AL8) instead of the old T-score. Each subject is graded AL1 (best) to AL8, and your child’s PSLE Score is the sum of the four subject ALs, from 4 (the best possible) to 32. That score decides the Secondary 1 Posting Group, and under Full Subject-Based Banding it sets the level (G1, G2, or G3) at which your child starts each subject. A child can also start a subject one level higher if their individual AL for that subject is strong enough. Nothing about the syllabus changes; this is about how results are scored and how students are placed.
Two questions come up in almost every P5 and P6 parent conversation: what score does my child actually need, and how does that turn into a secondary placement now that streaming is gone. This is a plain-English reference for both, built from the Ministry of Education’s own figures. It is for parents and students in the PSLE years who want the real numbers rather than a vague reassurance.
What are PSLE Achievement Levels (AL)?
Each PSLE subject is scored on a scale of eight Achievement Levels, AL1 being the strongest. Unlike the old T-score, which ranked every child against everyone else to the decimal point, the AL system places a child into a band based on their own marks. Two children with 91 and 97 marks both get AL1. The intent was to reduce the fine, stressful differentiation between students who are, in practice, performing at the same level.
Here are the mark bands for standard-level subjects:
| Achievement Level | Raw mark |
|---|---|
| AL1 | 90 and above |
| AL2 | 85 to 89 |
| AL3 | 80 to 84 |
| AL4 | 75 to 79 |
| AL5 | 65 to 74 |
| AL6 | 45 to 64 |
| AL7 | 20 to 44 |
| AL8 | below 20 |
How your total PSLE Score is calculated
Your child’s PSLE Score is the sum of the Achievement Levels for their four subjects: English, Mother Tongue, Mathematics, and Science. It ranges from 4 to 32, and here the lower number is better. A child who scores AL1 in all four subjects has a PSLE Score of 4, the best possible.
Because the score is a sum of four bands rather than a fine-grained rank, small differences in raw marks often do not change the final score at all. That is the point. It also means a single weaker subject moves the total more than parents expect, which is usually where tuition effort is best spent.
Foundation-level subjects
Students taking a subject at Foundation level are graded A, B, or C, and each grade maps onto the standard AL scale for the purpose of the total score:
| Foundation grade | Raw mark | Maps to standard AL |
|---|---|---|
| A | 75 to 100 | AL6 |
| B | 30 to 74 | AL7 |
| C | below 30 | AL8 |
How Secondary 1 posting works under Full Subject-Based Banding
The PSLE Score sorts students into one of three Secondary 1 Posting Groups, and these map to the score ranges of the old Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal (Technical) tracks. The difference now is that the Posting Group sets a starting point, not a fixed stream. Under Full Subject-Based Banding, your child takes each subject at G1, G2, or G3, and a strong individual subject result can lift a subject one level above the general placement.
| PSLE Score | Posting Group | Indicative starting level |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 20 | Posting Group 3 | Most subjects at G3 |
| 21 to 22 | Posting Group 2 or 3 | G2 or G3 |
| 23 to 24 | Posting Group 2 | Most subjects at G2 |
| 25 | Posting Group 1 or 2 | G1 or G2 |
| 26 to 30 (with AL7 or better in English and Maths) | Posting Group 1 | Most subjects at G1 |
G3 is the standard equivalent to the old Express and O-Level level, G2 to Normal (Academic), and G1 to Normal (Technical). If you want the fuller picture of how G1, G2, and G3 work through secondary school and into the 2027 exam, we cover that in our guide to the 2027 SEC and Full Subject-Based Banding.
A worked example
Take a student with a PSLE Score of 23 who scored AL5 in Mathematics. That score places them in Posting Group 2, so they start Secondary 1 taking most subjects at G2. Because their Mathematics result is strong relative to the rest, they can start Mathematics at G3, the more demanding level, from day one. This is the practical gain of Full SBB: a child who is stronger in one subject is no longer held to a single stream across the board.
What score does my child “need”?
This is the question every parent asks, and the honest answer has two layers. The Posting Group thresholds above tell you which band a score falls into. School-by-school cut-off points are a separate thing: popular schools fill up, so the actual score that secures a place at a specific school is set by demand each year and is usually lower (better) than the Posting Group floor. Do not confuse the two. A PSLE Score of 20 comfortably clears Posting Group 3, but it may or may not be enough for a particular oversubscribed school, and that number moves annually.
The more useful way to think about it, in our experience, is to work backwards from where a single subject is bleeding marks. Because the total is a sum of four bands, lifting one weak subject from AL5 to AL3 can change the whole posting outcome, while polishing an already-strong subject rarely moves the score at all. That is where targeted help earns its keep, and it is why we push families to diagnose the specific weak subject rather than add blanket tuition across everything. Our note on the cost of tuition in Singapore makes the same point about spending where it counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good PSLE score?
Lower is better, and it runs from 4 to 32. A score of 4 to 20 places a student in Posting Group 3, the band equivalent to the old Express track. What counts as “good” for a specific school depends on that school’s cut-off, which is set by demand each year, not by a fixed rule.
How is the PSLE Score calculated?
It is the sum of the Achievement Levels for the four subjects (English, Mother Tongue, Mathematics, Science). Each subject is scored AL1 to AL8, so the total ranges from 4 (four AL1s) to 32.
What mark do you need for AL1 in PSLE?
90 marks or above in that subject. AL2 is 85 to 89, AL3 is 80 to 84, and AL4 is 75 to 79.
How does PSLE score affect Secondary 1 posting?
The score sorts a student into one of three Posting Groups, which map to the old Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal (Technical) ranges. Under Full Subject-Based Banding the Posting Group sets the starting level for subjects (G1, G2, or G3), and a strong individual subject can start one level higher.
Can my child take a subject at a higher level than their posting group?
Yes. If the individual subject AL is strong enough, a child can begin that subject at a more demanding level (for example G3 Mathematics while taking other subjects at G2), from the start of Secondary 1.
Did the AL system make the PSLE easier or harder?
Neither. It changed how results are scored, not the difficulty of the paper. It removed the fine T-score ranking so that students performing at a similar level are grouped together rather than separated by fractions of a mark.
Straight answers to what parents actually ask
My child is one AL off the score I was hoping for. Is it worth pushing?
Look at which subject is costing the marks. Because the score is a sum of four bands, moving one weak subject up a band or two can change the posting outcome, whereas squeezing a stronger subject usually does nothing to the total. Push where the marks are actually leaking.
Should we pick a school by its cut-off score?
Cut-off is one input, not the decision. It tells you about demand, not about whether the school and its subject levels fit your child under Full SBB. A realistic look at your child’s subject-by-subject strengths matters more than chasing the lowest cut-off you can clear.
If you want help working out which subject is holding your child’s score back, and a plan to lift it before the PSLE, that is exactly what we do. You can look through our PSLE class options or book a trial and sit in on a lesson. For the wider view of what happens after posting, see our explainer on the 2027 SEC and Full Subject-Based Banding, and you can compare our PSLE Math and PSLE Science classes directly.
Sources: MOE PSLE Score Calculator and MOE Full Subject-Based Banding.