About GCE Ordinary Level

The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) examination is an annual national examination that is taken by school and private candidates in Singapore.

More information about the GCE O-Level examination is available below.

The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) examination was introduced in 1971. It was delinked from the United Kingdomā€™s GCE O-Level examination in 2006, as part of the Ministry of Education Singaporeā€™s efforts to gain greater control of the management of the examination. The GCE O-Level examination is closely aligned to the Singapore school curriculum that is designed by the MOE.

The GCE O-Level examination is offered annually to:

  • Students from mainstream schools who are taking a Secondary Four Express course or a Secondary Five Normal (Academic) course.

  • Private candidates who have met the eligibility criteria to register for the GCE O-Level examination.

The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board, MOE and Cambridge International Education are the joint examining authorities for the GCE O-Level examination. 

Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Syllabus B

The MTL Syllabus B subject is not a GCE O-Level subject, and the grade will not be included in the computation of the candidateā€™s GCE O-Level aggregate score. Candidates who pass the MTL Syllabus B subject will be deemed to have fulfilled the MTL subject requirement for admission to junior colleges.

The grade awarded for a respective MTL Syllabus B subject will be indicated as Merit, Pass or Ungraded on the candidateā€™s certificate.

O-Level School Initiated Electives (OSIE)

The MOE introduced greater flexibility in the curriculum by giving secondary schools the option to offer OSIE to build up their niche areas in 2005.

OSIE subjects are taken in addition to, or as replacements of, current curriculum offerings by the MOE. They are examinable and the grades can be used in the computation of the GCE O-Level aggregate scores for admission to the junior colleges, centralised institutes and polytechnics.

School candidates can register for the examinations for the OSIE subjects that have been approved by the MOE Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) through their schools.

Applied Subjects

Applied Subjects are developed by the polytechnics in partnership with the secondary schools to better cater to the interests and aspirations of students who are keen to progress along an applied and practice-oriented path of education since 2008.

They are examinable by the polytechnics and the grades can be used in the computation of the GCE O-Level aggregate scores for admission to the junior colleges, centralised institutes and polytechnics.

School candidates can register for the examinations for the Applied Subjects that have been approved by the MOE CPDD through their schools.