PSLE Scoring System
Find out how Higher Mother Tongue Language is scored under the PSLE system and what it means for secondary school eligibility and SAP school admission.
PSLE Scoring System
Higher Mother Tongue Language ( HMT) under the new PSLE Scoring System
(with effect from 2020 Primary 5 cohort)
HMT Examination Format:
Paper 1 : Composition (40%)
Paper 2 : Cloze Passages and Written Comprehension (60%)
Total: 100%
HMT Lessons (Thoburn lessons):
Thursday from 2pm to 3pm
Use of HMT for Admission to SAP School
When applying to SAP schools, HMT students will continue to receive an advantage.
Although HMT results do not count towards the PSLE Score, if students with the same PSLE Score are applying for limited places in the same SAP school, those with better HMT grades will be allocated a place ahead of other students. This applies before the tie-breakers for Secondary 1 posting.
Let’s look at an example. There are 6 students competing for the last 2 places in a SAP school. They have been arranged in descending order of posting priority. The student who has a PSLE Score of 7 will gain admission to the SAP school. Then, out of the students with a PSLE Score of 8, the student with a distinction for HCL (Higher Chinese) will be admitted into the SAP school next, ahead of the other students who also scored 8 but had weaker or no HCL score. The advantage that HCL students will obtain under the new system is similar to that under the current system.
SAP schools are Anglican High, Catholic High, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’, Chung Cheng High (Main), Dunman High, Maris Stella High, Nanyang Girls’ High, River Valley High and The Chinese High and Nan Chiau High
ACS (I) is not a SAP school.
Eligibility for Higher Mother Tongue Language in Secondary School
Under the new PSLE scoring system, students will be eligible to take Higher Mother Tongue Language in secondary school if they receive:
a. An overall PSLE Score of 8 or better; or
b. An overall PSLE Score of 9 to 14 (inclusive); and attain AL 1 / AL 2 in MTL or distinction/merit in HMT.The eligibility criteria for secondary school HMT is intended to ensure that students can cope with the higher academic load, and takes reference from existing criteria. For students who do not meet the above criteria, secondary schools will continue to have the flexibility to offer HMT to students if they are assessed to have high ability and interest in MT, and are able to take HMT without affecting their performance in other subjects. This is similar to the existing practice.