How PSLE 2021 Scoring Changes Will Affect You
MOE has announced that all P5 students starting from 2020 will be graded with the new PSLE scoring system. This is the first batch of students who will be graded based on their raw and not calculated scores in PSLE.
The purpose of implementing the new scoring system in P5 is to allow the P5 students and parents to be familiar with the system so that they are more prepared and informed to face PSLE in the following year.
Whether your child is in P6 or P5 and below in 2020, I hope that this article will give you a better comparison and idea on changes between the new and current scoring system.
Changes at a Glance (Grades vs AL)
| Current PSLE Scoring System (till 2020) | New PSLE Scoring System (from 2021) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Range | Grade | Raw Mark Range | Achievement Level (AL) |
| >= 91 | A* | >= 90 | 1 |
| 75 - 90 | A | 85 – 89 80 – 84 75 - 79 | 2 3 4 |
| 60 – 74 50 – 59 35 – 49 20 - 34 | B C D E | 65 – 74 45 – 64 20 - 44 | 5 6 7 |
| < 20 | U | < 20 | 8 |
Note that beginning from 2020, all P5 students will be graded with Achievement Levels (1 to 8) for each subject in examination and not U to A*.
The new scoring system will be implemented for P6 level starting from 2021. The current batch of P6 students (2020) will still be graded from U to A*.
One key point to take note of here is the mark range for “A” grade in the current scoring system (75 to 90) has been more finely segregated into 3 levels in the new scoring system.
That means you will know if your child has scored a high, mid or low “A” with reference to the old system.
Changes at a Glance (Streaming)
| Placement Outcome | Old PSLE Scoring System (till 2020) | New PSLE Scoring System (from 2021 onwards) |
|---|---|---|
| Express | 200 and above | 4 – 20 |
| Express / Normal(A) | 188 to 199 | 21 – 22 |
| Normal (A) | 160 to 187 | 23 - 24 |
| Normal (A) / Normal (T) | 152 to 159 | 25 |
| Normal (T) | Below 152 | 26 – 30 with AL7 or better in both EL and Math |
P6 students from 2021 onwards will be given new cut-off point (COP) ranges or AL score ranges of all secondary schools based on the new scoring system.
The AL score ranges of secondary schools will also be released earlier by mid-year 2021 instead of between October and November based on the current practice.
As you can see from the table above, the best overall AL score is 4 and maximum score is 32.
Changes at a Glance (School Posting in cases of tie between 2 students with same overall score vying for last vacancy in school)
| Current Scoring System (Till P6 2020) | New System (Starting from P6 2021) |
|---|---|
Criteria 1Singapore Citizens will get first priority, followed by Singapore permanent residents (PR), then foreigners. | Criteria 1Singapore citizens will still get first priority. |
Criteria 2Between 2 Singapore citizens, the one with the higher unrounded aggregate score (extends to decimal points) will be prioritised. | Criteria 2A student who puts down a school as his/her first choice will be prioritised over another student who puts it down as a lower choice. |
Criteria 3If there is still a tie, posting will be determined by a computerised ballot. | Criteria 3If there is still a tie, posting will be determined by a computerised ballot. |
Conclusion
Under the current system, each student is compared with one another within the P6 cohort and given a PSLE aggregate score. The new system will give each student a AL score (based on raw score) which is independent of how his/her peers are doing.
The changes in the scoring system is a shift away from excessive focus on academic results. They aimed at providing our students with more room and time in developing their own strengths and interests.
Note that the source of information in this article is taken from MOE website.
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