From PSLE Results to Secondary 1 Posting: Timeline and What to Do at Each Step
From PSLE results to knowing your child's secondary school takes about a month. The only real decision happens in the week after results, so it pays to do the homework now.
The timings below are the usual pattern; exact dates are announced by MOE and SEAB each year.
Timeline
| Stage | Usual timing | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Now until results | October to mid-November | Use estimated scores: read cut-offs, shortlist schools, attend open houses |
| PSLE results | Late November | Receive results and the S1 Option Form |
| Submit six choices | About a week after results | Submit six choices online; they cannot be changed after the deadline |
| Posting results | Mid-to-late December | Find out which school your child is posted to |
| School starts | Early January | Schools announce reporting and orientation dates |
Before results: what you can do now
- Work with an estimated score: prelim results are a good guide. Enter the four subjects into the PSLE score calculator to see the total and Posting Group.
- List schools by score: open the score pages or the schools in your area and sort them into reach, match and safe.
- Plan for a point or two either way: estimates can be 2–3 points off, so think about a slightly better and slightly worse score too.
- Go to open houses: many are held around results time; check school websites.
The week after results: six choices
- Rank by true preference: posting goes in score order and looks down your list from the first choice, so putting harder schools first never costs you a later choice. See how to fill in your six choices.
- Include at least 2–3 safe schools: if all six fail, the system posts your child to a nearby school with places.
- AL 21, 22 and 25 choose a Posting Group first: the schools within reach differ a lot; see PG2 or PG3.
- IP and the regular course at the same school are two separate choices.
- PRs and international students: at exactly the cut-off they come after citizens, so treat borderline schools as reaches; see this guide.
Special cases
- DSA (Direct School Admission): students admitted through DSA generally have their school confirmed. Whether they still take part in posting follows MOE's rules for the year.
- Affiliated primary schools: students from an affiliated primary school get priority at the affiliated secondary school; read the "affiliated" cut-off.
- SAP schools: ties are broken by the Higher Chinese grade first; see SAP schools.
If the posting result disappoints
After posting results, you can apply directly to other schools for a transfer (often called an appeal). Success depends on whether the school has places and its own considerations, and is not guaranteed. Including enough safe choices at the option stage works better than counting on an appeal.
In short
There is only a week after results, and decisions are made under pressure. Do the homework now so that on results day you only need to plug in the score and pick the final six. For six choices already ranked by distance and three years of cut-offs, get a personalised report.