How to calculate your O levels score?
Upon receiving your ‘O’ levels results, you will need to apply to your choice of Junior College or Polytechnic via the Joint-Admissions Exercise (JAE).
Once you received your results, you might be crying in tears of joy or drowning in a sea of regrets, but issokay... life goes on!
Let's explore how your 'O' levels results will affect your next step in the education journey!
JC KIDS - L1R5
If you are looking to enter into a Junior College via JAE, your admission will be based on your L1R5 score.
L1R5 takes into account your first language (L1) & five other relevant subjects (R5), which must include at least 1 subject from Math, Science & Humanities.
To enter a Junior College, you must meet these 2 criteria:
Your L1R5 must not exceed 20
You must pass your English (minimum C6), at least one Math subject (minimum D7) & your Mother Tongue (minimum D7).
Do note that you can get a maximum of 4 bonus points deducted from your L1R5 score if you: 1) Got an A1 or A2 for your CCA grade (-2), B3 to C6 for your CCA grade (-1) 2) Got at least an C6 for Higher Mother Tongue (-2) 3) Selection of affiliated JC as your 1st or 2nd choice (-2) 4) Chinese or Malay Special Programmes or Bahasa Indonesia grade: A1 to C6 for admission to JC or MI (-2)
*Additional -2 if you are in a special language elective program available in selected schools only.
If you are not too sure what to expect in JC life yet, check out our article on '7 Hard Truths of JC Life in Singapore."
POLY KIDS - L1R4
If you are looking to enter into a Polytechnic via JAE, your admission will be based on your L1R4 score.
L1R4 takes into account your first language (L1), two relevant subjects (R2) & your remaining best 2 subjects (B2).
The relevant subjects depends on the course you are looking to enroll in!
You can deduct bonus CCA points (-2) for your net aggregate L1R4 score.
If you are still unsure whether to go to a JC or a Poly, do read our article 'JC vs Poly' - The Ultimate Guide.
Selection of JC / Poly course
Your L1R5/ L1R4 score certainly matters if you wish to have a choice on which JC / Poly you want to attend.
Here are the L1R5 cutoff points for Junior College:
Download a pdf copy here.
Here's my advice:
Choose a junior college that fits your personality & hopefully near where you live. It might be good to hear from seniors that are in that JC & learn more about the school culture & vibes.
While some of you may want to go to a JC with your current secondary school friends, don't let that sway you too much because you will get to make new friends in JC too!
Do read our article 'Choosing your JC - Ultimate Guide (2021)' for a comprehensive breakdown!
Factors for consideration:
1) School culture & vibe
2) Teachers & subject expertise reputation 3) Travelling distance / time
4) CCA
5) Scholarships
L1R4 cutoff points for different courses in polytechnics (The cut-off points differs for each polytechnic):
List of polytechnics:
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)
Republic Polytechnic (RP)
Singapore Polytechnic (SP)
Temasek Polytechnic (TP)
Listing the L1R4 range for the Top 15 most popular courses in Singapore Polytechnic:
Download the full list of courses here.
Here's my advice:
Choose a course that suits your interest & hopefully near where you live. You do not want to enter a course and do something you do not like for 3 years! Choose something that interest you!
Go learn more about the future prospective jobs & career you can have based on the skill sets you will learn in your course. You want to learn skills that will be relevant to what you want to do in the future!
Factors for consideration:
1) Interest 2) Faculty reputation
3) Internship opportunities from faculty
4) Distance
5) CCA
6) Scholarships
Application process
After you are done absorbing the reality of your results, the next step is to apply to where you want to go to!
You will need to apply through the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE), which will be conducted in January after the release of the O-Level results. It will run for 5 calendar days.
You may submit your application online through the JAE Internet System (JAE-IS).
After applying through the JAE & after eligibility is confirmed, all these factors will be taken into consideration.
Your net aggregate score (L1R5 with bonus points / L1R4)
Your choice of courses
Vacancies available in the courses
Here's my advice:
Be realistic and choose JCs or courses that you actually will be eligible for. Don't waste your first choice to try for something you are unlikely to get due to the disparity in the cutoff points.
You will be better off securing the best school/ course based on your score & appealing to your preferred school, even if its a long shot.
Posting results
The JAE posting results will be released through:
The JAE Internet System (JAE-IS)
SMS (if you have provided a local mobile number in your application)
You can only submit an appeal after the release of the JAE posting results.
Appeals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Reporting to school
Think you are going to get a long break & just get to chill? Haha, c'mon, you live in Singapore. If you are posted to a JC, you will be heading to school early-Feb & if you are posted to a polytechnic, school will start usually in mid-April.
If you are posted to a JC,
You must report to the JC or MI following the release of the JAE posting results. If not, your place will be forfeited. It will then be made available to other eligible applicants appealing for a place in the course.
You may wear your secondary school uniform and bring your original identification documents (NRIC, student’s pass or passport) when you report.
If you are waiting for an appeal outcome, you should still report to the school you are posted to. Inform them subsequently if your appeal is successful.
If you are posted to a polytechnic,
You should receive an enrolment package by end February. You are required to complete your online enrolment by the date stated in the package. If not, your place will be forfeited. It will then be made available to other eligible applicants appealing for a place in the course.
If you are waiting for an appeal outcome, you should still accept the posted course offer online. If your appeal is successful, inform the polytechnic you were posted to.
If you re posted to ITE,
You should receive an enrolment letter within 3 working days after the release of JAE posting results. You must accept the course offer online by the date stated in the letter. If not, your place will be forfeited. It will then be made available to other eligible applicants appealing for a place in the course.
If you are waiting for an appeal outcome, you should still accept the posted course offer online. Inform ITE subsequently if your appeal is successful.
Don't worry too much!
Regardless of where you go, there will be an orientation program so go make new friends and get ready to embark on your step in your education journey!
Everyone will have a different journey & a different destination, what matters most is that you have a growth mentality!
'JC Selection & Subject Combination' Webinar (2022)
Still undecided on which JC to head to and what subject combination to take? Don't worry because we got you covered!
Watch our free online webinar and find out the latest insights shared by J2s themselves on their respective JCs and our top recommended subject combinations for 'A' Levels!
Summary of event:
- Introduction
- Factors to consider when selecting JC
- Breakdown of every JCs (pros & cons)
- Subject combinations recommendations
- Q&A
You can watch the recorded version here!
‘JC vs Poly’ webinar
This article merely gives you a glimpse of what JC & Poly life looks like. Why not hear from current-JC student & current-Poly students themselves?
OVERMUGGED is proud to present to you our ‘JC vs Poly’ webinar where we invited current JC and Poly students to share more about their JC/Poly school life and to give you a first-hand experience and what to expect!
You can watch the recorded webinar here!
If you are heading to JC next year and have yet to join our ‘A’ levels channel, please do so now and gain access and the latest updates when our tutor team release high quality free notes for Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Economics, History & General Paper!
Also, if you are heading to JC, do join our 'A' levels Telegram Channel & gain instant access to free high quality chapter notes for every H2 subject!
Do follow us on Instagram and also tune in to our weekly podcast on Spotify as we intend to discuss various academic topics and also invite guests to share more insights on certain subjects!
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