How To Calculate A Level Rank Points (From 2026 Onwards)

For students entering JC in 2024, they will be experiencing a couple of differences to the JC curriculum, including having no mid-year exams, recent changes to the General Paper exam, as well as tweaks to how the A Level rank points are calculated.

It’s crucial to be in the know of these changes to see how it affects you and your study strategies – so in this article we will be going through the new A Level RP calculation in Singapore and how it might affect your A Level experience!

What are A Level rank points used for?

Rank points (RP) is an indicator of your overall score for the A Level exams. Think of it like a mean subject grade or grade point average that includes all the grades of the subjects you take for A Levels. Rank points are used to apply to Singapore universities.

However, RP is not the only thing that universities look at. Some universities and courses also have specific subject requirements. In cases where two students have the same RP, universities will also look at individual grades and subjects to select the more preferred candidate.

How do I calculate my rank points? 

Each grade corresponds to a score – for example, an A grade in a H2 subject is 20 points. To get your RP, you have to add up all the corresponding points for all the subjects. See the table below for the score chart.

Generally, the maximum possible RP is 70, which takes into account 3 H2 subjects and H1 General Paper.

Example 1: If you take 3 H2 and H1 GP

Let’s say you scored A, B, C for your H2 subjects, and A for GP. To calculate the rank points, simply find the corresponding score for each grade and add them up.

RP = 20 + 17.5 + 15 + 10 = 62.5

But, what if you take 4 H2 subjects, or H1 mother tongue language, or other subjects? In the new RP calculation system starting from 2026, some of these subjects will be optionally included in the RP, according to whether it improves the overall RP. If other subjects are added to the calculation, the score will have to be rebased to 70.

Subjects optionally included in the RP:

• Contrasting subject: The grade of the contrasting subject is only included in RP calculation if it improves the score. A 4th H2 subject will be treated as a H1 subject.
• Mother Tongue Language: The grade of the MTL subject is only included in RP calculation if it improves the score

Example 2: If you take 4H2, H1 GP, and H1 MTL

Let’s say you scored A, B, B, C for your H2 subjects, B for GP, and A for H1 MTL. Let’s see whether you should include your 4th H2 subject and/or the MTL subject in your RP calculation.

RP omitting both 4th H2 and MTL = 20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 8.75 = 63.75 (this is your baseline)

RP with 4th H2 = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 7.5 + 8.75)/80 x 70 = 62.34 (4th H2 pulls down the grade)

RP with MTL = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 8.75 + 10)/80 x 70 = 64.53 (MTL improves the grade)

RP with both 4th H2 and MTL = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 7.5 + 8.75 + 10)/90 x 70 = 63.19 (4th H2 and MTL together pulls down the grade)

As you can see, the RP calculation with MTL added improves the RP from 63.75 to 64.53. Hence, your final RP in this case is 64.53.

Additionally, some subjects will not be included in the RP at all, but may affect other aspects of your university application.

Subjects not included in the RP:

• Mother tongue B: MTL B is not considered as an A Level subject, so its score will not be included in the rank points calculation.
• H3 subjects: H3 subject scores are not included in the rank point calculation. However, it can give students an advantage to showcase their passion and abilities in a certain field, or grant them exemption from certain courses in university.
• Project work: Project Work has become a Pass/Fail subject, which will not be included in the RP calculation. However, a Pass is required for applying to local universities.

Further questions about the new RP score system

When will this change take place?

MOE mentions that the 70 points system will kick in in 2026. However, there has been confusion over whether this affects the 2026 batch of A Level takers or the 2026 batch of university applicants.

An FAQ published by the National University of Singapore implies that the change will affect the 2026 batch of university applicants:

“From AY2026 AU admissions, the fourth H1/H2 content-based subject (which may be a contrasting subject) will only be included in the computation of university admission score (UAS) if it improves the score for students who sat for the GCE A-Level examinations in 2025 and after.”

For most students, it means the first batch to be affected will be those taking the A Levels in 2025 and after.

What happens if an applicant took their A Levels before 2025, but applies to a local university in 2026 or later?

The same FAQ document by NUS explains that there will be a transition period in 2026 to 2027, where applicants who took their A Levels in 2024 or earlier will have to include their PW and H1 subject grade in their RP, or UAS. KI can be used in lieu of GP or as a H1 subject. Their total score out of 90 will be rebased to the 70-point scale.

From 2028 onwards, all university applicants will have their RP/UAS computed on the revised 70-point scale. The PW grade will not be included. Applicants just need to have obtained at least a Pass grade in PW to fulfil the admission requirement. If the applicant had taken KI in lieu of GP, the KI score will be considered as the GP score in the computation.

Does this change only affect applications to local universities?

Yes. This specific 70-point rank point/university admission score system is only relevant for applying to Singapore universities.

Universities in other parts of the world have different ways of computing the A Level grade points. Some simply look at the letter grades, while most UK universities, for example, use the UCAS points system to compute a score for university admissions.

So, if you are considering applying to any overseas colleges, it is crucial to do research on the admissions requirements before deciding on a strategy for your A Level studies.

How would the changes impact JC students?

It’s too early to tell how these changes will impact JC students, but different groups of students may react differently. Some may react like how MOE intended, and feel less pressure to perform in their H1/contrasting subject. However, some may work even harder as it might become harder to stand out with a narrower score band. You can read more about our insights on the impacts of the 70-point RP system in our other blog post!

Conclusion

Understanding how the A Level rank points are calculated can help you gauge where you are in your studies. For students eyeing a spot in a competitive course, every mark counts!

Need some help in reaching your academic goals? It is our mission here at Future Academy to empower students to reach their goals! Explore ways to enhance your grades in our H2 Math Tuition classes and acquire effective study techniques in our A Level Chemistry tuition classes. Our expert tutors are ready to steer you toward achieving your desired grades—don’t hesitate to join us today!