All About the New L1R4 Scoring For JC Admissions (From 2028)

In the latest of changes in the education scene, MOE has announced that they will be changing the O Level criteria for Junior College admissions in Singapore. This is the latest move by the ministry to reduce the emphasis on academics and encourage students in Singapore to pursue their interests, which also included changes in recent years, like removing mid-year exams for some levels of students, changing the scoring system for PSLE, and changing the A Level rank points calculation for local university admissions.

For parents and students, these changes can be a lot to take in – so read on as we explain how this change will affect you!

How is the O Level criteria for JC admissions changing?

In short, the O Level criteria for JC admissions will be changing from L1R5 to L1R4.

Instead of counting 6 O Level subjects, JCs will only count 5 subjects once the changes kick in. The required aggregate score to be eligible for JC admissions will be 16 points and below, instead of 20 points and below. For Millennia Institute, the cut-off is 20 points L1R4 under the new criteria.

Amongst the 4 Relevant subjects, there must be 1 Humanities subject, 1 Math or Science subject, and 1 that is either Humanities, Math, or Science. The remaining 1 can be any other best-scoring subject.

Finally, the maximum bonus points that a student can get from CCA, JC affiliation, and good language grades will be reduced from 4 to 3. The exception is the Chinese, Malay, or Tamil elective programme, which allows an addition 2 bonus points to be subtracted.

Some things will remain unchanged, however. Grade requirements for individual subjects remain from 2028. To be eligible for JC, students need at least a C6 for English, D7 for Mathematics, and D7 for Mother Tongue. In some cases, students may be granted a conditional offer if they don’t meet these requirements.

When will the changes take place?

The new L1R4 criteria will be used from the 2028 JC admissions exercise. So, the first batch to be affected are those who are taking their O Levels in 2027.

Why is the O Level criteria for JC admissions changing?

The O Level criteria for JC admissions will be changing as part of the ministry’s ongoing plans to encourage students to pursue their interests, build up soft skills like communication and collaboration through co-curricular activities, and explore their strengths through various school programmes.

How will this change affect me?

As a secondary school student, you will have the option of taking fewer subjects. Or, if you take more than 5 subjects, you have more flexibility to choose which ones you want to focus on academically, and which ones you want to take just for your own interest.

You should get more time to pursue other interests, whether that is pouring time into your CCA or joining other programmes like talent development programmes, research programmes, service learning projects, Math and Science Olympiads, and more.

However, reducing the number of subjects required for JC admissions may add stress to students in other ways. For example, the JC cut-off points will decrease across the board, and narrow the score range for getting into JC. Although MOE assures us that the proportion of students entering JC should remain similar, it remains to be seen whether the upcoming changes will change up the popularity and rankings of JCs in Singapore.

With the change to L1R4, the weightage of each subject will increase. With L1R5, each subject held 16.7% of the aggregate score, but with L1R4, each subject will hold 20% of the aggregate score. Doing poorly in one subject will then have a larger impact on the overall score. As a result, it becomes even more important to do well in all subjects.

Conclusion

The move towards L1R4 is not surprising, given the direction of MOE’s policies in recent years. However, it definitely brings some uncertainties into the picture, including how students and parents will react, whether this will increase competition for JC places, and how JC cut-off points will change. Whether you already have your eyes on entering JC or are keeping your options open, staying adaptable and diligent are keys to doing well.

As a JC tuition provider, our JC tuition programmes will remain faithful in equipping students with the study skills necessary to excel in JC, including content mastery, exam time management, and answering techniques. With personalised coaching and targeted guidance through classes like H2 Math Tuition in Singapore, we’re committed to helping students navigate the changes and develop into resilient, confident learners.