The table below is just a simple guide for those of us who grew up with the old PSLE system. I’m not going into all the nitty-gritty details, but this quick comparison should give you a rough sense of where your child stands today, using the way we used to understand PSLE back in our time. It also helps make sense of what schools and the media mean when they talk about “posting groups.”

Please note the information here should be used as a reference and may not be accurate.

old psle system vs new psle system
* The cut-off score for IP (Integrated Programme) isn’t fixed. It changes from year to year depending on students’ choices and how many places each school offers. Generally, it tends to hover around 8 to 9, which reflects the score of the last student admitted into an IP school.

* N(T) / G1 requires AL 7 or better in both EL and MA

Another thing to keep in mind is not to mix up Posting Groups (PG3, PG2, PG1) with subject levels (G3, G2, G1).

Posting Group is basically what we used to call Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal (Technical). It’s the overall placement when your child first enters secondary school.

Subject levels (G3, G2, G1), where the “G” stands for General, are about the standard of each subject your child takes.

G3 = “Express” level standard

G2 = “Normal (Academic)” level standard

G1 = “Normal (Technical)” level standard

So, Posting Group tells you the entry pathway, while G1-G3 tells you the difficulty level of each subject your child is studying.


I also came across a PSLE old-to-new score conversion chart that someone shared on Reddit. It’s meant only as a rough guide to help parents get a feel for the differences, and shouldn’t be taken as an official or exact reference. 


PG3 | Express

Score 4 | >268

Score 5 | 264-267 

Score 6 | 262-264 

Score 7 | 256-261 

Score 8 | 252-256 

Score 9 | 248-251 

Score 10 | 245-247 

Score 11 | 240-244 

Score 12 | 237-240 

Score 13 | 235-237 

Score 14 | 232-234 

Score 15 | 229-232 

Score 16 | 225-228 

Score 17 | 221-225 

Score 18 | 216-220 

Score 19 | 209-215 

Score 20 | 200-208 


PG3/PG2 | Express/Normal Academic

Score 21 | 195-199 

Score 22 | 188-194 


PG2 | Normal Academic

Score 23 | 176-187 

Score 24 | 166-175 

Score 25 | 152-165 



T-Score Cut-off Reference: Straits Times