[For O Level Students] Subject Combinations and A Level System

Preamble: This article is targeted at secondary 4 students who have just graduated from school and are entering JC in the next academic year, especially those who are unfamiliar with the A level rank point system. We will be answering some of the commonly asked questions below.

1. What are Rank Points and how are they calculated?

Different subjects come in 3 levels, in increasing order of breadth and depth:

1. Higher 1 (H1) - worth a maximum of 10 rank points each

2. Higher 2 (H2) - worth a maximum of 20 rank points each

3. Higher 3 (H3) - not counted into the rank point system

H2 subjects have approximately double the content of H1 subjects (e.g. H2 Economics has around twice the content as H1 Economics). H3 subjects however, are not triple the content of H1 subjects; instead, they go beyond the H2 subject in terms of breadth as they may cover some university level content. Note that H3s are not counted into your A level score, but rather graded separately (Ungraded, Pass, Merit and Distinction). More information on whether to take a H3 and the benefits of taking a H3 will be discussed later.

Most students will take 3 H2 subjects (3 x 20 points = 60 points in total, assuming you get A for every H2 subject) and 3 H1 subjects (3 x 10 points = 30 points in total, assuming you get A for every H1 subject). Your performance in these subjects are then added up into a maximum of 90 rank points.

Obviously, not all students would get A for every subject, so here is a diagram showing how many points each H1 and H2 grade is worth:

2. How do I choose which H1 and H2 subjects to take?

Although there are a total of 6 subjects (3 H1s and 3 H2s), some subjects are compulsory:

1. H1 Project Work - PW

2. H1 General Paper (unless you take H2 KI; more information on that later) - GP

This leaves most students with 1 H1 subject and 3 H2 subjects to choose from. Due to the Contrasting Discipline Requirement, you cannot take 4 Science subjects of 4 Arts subjects; rather, you should have at least 1 contrasting subject (i.e. 3 Science and 1 Arts OR 3 Arts and 1 Science). For most students, their contrasting subject is usually their H1. Note that KI is considered a contrasting subject for BOTH Arts and Science, so this means you can actually take:

1. 3 H2 Science subjects + H2 KI + H1 PW (no H1 GP and H1 Arts subject required)

2. 3 H2 Arts subjects + H2 KI + H1 PW (no H1 GP and H1 Science subject required)

Students who take H2 KI are the exception however, as most students would take H1 GP and a contrasting H1 subject. An example of a typical subject combination for a Science student who does not take KI would be:

1. H1 GP (compulsory)

2. H1 PW (compulsory)

3. H1 Economics / Literature / Geography / History (contrasting subject)

4. H2 Biology / Physics (science subject)

5. H2 Chemistry (science subject)

6. H2 Mathematics (science subject)

And an example of a typical subject combination for an Arts student who does not take KI would be:

1. H1 GP (compulsory)

2. H1 PW (compulsory)

3. H1 Mathematics (contrasting subject)

4. H2 History / Geography / Third Language (arts subject)

5. H2 Economics (arts subject)

6. H2 Literature (arts subject)

Though less common, there are also Hybrid students who do 2 arts and 2 science subjects, rather than 1 arts and 3 science subjects of vice versa. Their chosen H1 may also be any of the arts or science subjects.

While the aforementioned factors allow for all kinds of combinations, in reality, different JCs will offer different combinations and subjects. Some might offer a particular unique combination or niche subject, while others don’t, so remember to check the respective school websites. Most if not all JCs for instance don't allow students to take both History and Geography, as they are both very content heavy subjects. Different schools also have different “subject prerequisites”, which are minimum requirements you must meet in order to be allowed to take a subject offered by the school (e.g. to take H2 Physics, you must have taken Physics in secondary school). Do check your school website for school-specific information.

3. What if I take 4 H2 subjects? Is my theoretical maximum 100 rank points instead of 90?

For students who take 4 H2 subjects (3 Science 1 Arts OR 3 Arts 1 Science OR 2 Arts 2 Science), the lowest scoring H2 subject will be "downgraded" to a H1, and added to your rank points. So your total maximum score will still be 90, and not 100.

Given this, why do students choose to take 4 H2s instead of 3 H2s and 1 H1? The most common reasons are:

1. Better portfolio for scholarships and competitive overseas universities (assuming you are competing with someone who also gets straight As, but that person took a H1 while you took a H2)

2. Since your weakest H2 will be converted to a H1, this also means that that weak H2 will affect your total rank points to a lesser degree than if it remained as an unconverted H2 (which is the case for students who take 3 H2s and 1 H1, because they cannot convert their H2 to a H1)

3. Interest in the subject and academic capacity to handle 4 H2s (but do note that for most local universities, if you take 3 H2s + 1 H1 and get a higher rank point score, your application will be favoured compared to someone who takes 4 H2s but gets a lower rank point score)

4. Where does H1 Mother Tongue come in and how does it affect my total rank points?

Students who did not get at least D7 for Higher Mother Tongue (HMT) in secondary school or didn’t take HMT at all must take H1 Mother Tongue (MT) in J1. So for such students, on top of the 6 subjects as described above, you also have to take H1 MT. If MT is not your strong subject, don't worry as you can choose not to count it into your rank points, you just need to pass it.

However, when counting in H1 MT benefits your total score (e.g. you get A for H1 MT but B for some of your other subjects), H1 MT is added to your score of 90, bringing the new total to 100, before being rebased back to 90 (i.e. your score is multiplied by 90/100).

5. What do the various subject letters represent?

You may have been exposed to seniors talking about their combination in the form of acronyms like PCM/E, HELM, GELKI etc. What do these letters mean?

Usually for most students, they don't take H2 KI, and thus only have a choice of their 3 H2s and 1 H1. These 4 letters represent the subjects they can choose since GP and PW are compulsory for them. Most of the time, the last letter represents the H1 subject, and may be preceded by a slash "/" to separate it from the H2s (e.g. PCM/E). For students who take 4 H2s, this slash is thus omitted (e.g. PCME).

Here is a list of the common subjects and the letters that represent them (note that there are more subjects than these):

• P: Physics

• B: Biology

• C: Chemistry

• M: Mathematics

• E: Economics

• L: Literature

• G: Geography

• H: History

• KI: Knowledge and Inquiry

6. Should I take a H3?

H3 subjects are taken only in J2 and are dependent on how well you do for your J1 Promos. As mentioned earlier, they are not counted into your total rank points and have a separate grading system from the rest of the subjects. They can come in the form of research papers, university modules done at NUS and NTU, or conducted internally within schools.

While taking and doing well in a H3 is beneficial for applying for scholarships and as well as overseas universities, they are less crucial for most local university courses. Local universities place greater emphasis on your rank points, so it will be a pity for you to score Distinction for H3 but end up with a subpar score for your rank points. It is therefore not a good idea to focus excessively on your H3(s) at the expense of the rest of your subjects.

In some schools, it is common for students to take H3 subjects, but don't be pressured into doing so. Those who take H3s should have a strong passion for and background in the subject, thus you should not take it unless you are genuinely interested in the content taught (and not just taking it to flex).

There is also a limit to the number of H3s you can take: two. This is because your total Academic Units cannot exceed 12 unless you appeal.

Closing Remarks

We encourage students who are unsure about which subjects to take to:

1. Look up the various syllabus documents of the subjects (they’re available online)

2. Ask seniors for their experience of the subject - you can read our Subject Introduction writeups available on this website too

3. Get some materials online or offline to have a taste of the subjects, and look at the subject notes to check some of them out

Good luck in your choice of subject combination!

Article Contributors:

Ho Song Yee (HCI'20 | Subject Combination GCME + GP + PW)

Judith Ko (HCI'20 | Subject Combination BCMG + GP + PW)