Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will the 'O'-levels become irrelevant, with top students skipping the 'O'- levels to join the Integrated Programme and now, top N(A) students skipping the 'O'-levels?

ANS: The 'O'-levels remain relevant and will still be the key national examinations for about 60-70% of students completing 10 or 11 years of general education. The key consideration here is to create pathways that better cater to the diverse needs of our N(A) students.

2. Will there be a change in syllabus/ curriculum for N(A) students?  Will the current syllabus/curriculum be affected?

ANS: There will be no change to the syllabus/ curriculum for N(A) students arising from the PFP. The 1-year PFP provides an alternative to the Secondary 5 year, which prepares students for the GCE 'O'-Levels. The PFP offers a practice-based curriculum to better prepare students for a polytechnic education.

3. Which are the polytechnics that have agreed to implement the PFP for N(A) students?  What will be the PFP courses available for these students?

ANS: All polytechnics will start implementing the PFP from 2013.  All N(A) students who have taken the 2012 GCE 'N'-Level examinations will be able to use their results to apply to specific Diploma courses offered under the PFP. Upon successful completion of the PFP, students will progress into their pre-selected Diploma courses. For PFP courses, please refer to Courses.

4. Are students allowed to transfer to a different PFP course or polytechnic?

ANS: Students are strongly encouraged to continue with the PFP course which they are enrolled in. Appeals for transfer to a different PFP course or polytechnic are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

5. Will Express students be eligible for the PFP?

ANS: No. This is because Express students can use their GCE 'O'-Level results to apply to the polytechnics. Express students may also apply to the polytechnics through the Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) exercise, which allows students to confirm places in polytechnic courses prior to taking the GCE 'O'-Level examinations. Successful DPA students will participate in an 8-week Polytechnic Preparatory Programme before the start of the polytechnic academic year in April.

6. Can Express students who do not qualify for entry to the polytechnics gain entry into the PFP?  Will students who fail their GCE 'O'-Level examinations be eligible for the PFP?

ANS: No. The PFP is customised to provide one year of learning after Sec 4N(A) to prepare top Secondary 4N(A) course students for articulation into diploma courses. Express students who do not qualify for entry to the polytechnics can continue to make use of existing options, like repeating their 'O' levels, or seeking admission to a relevant ITE course which can also prepare them for work or polytechnic education.

7. Will students who have bypassed the GCE 'N'-Levels be eligible for the PFP?

ANS: No. Admission to the PFP will be based on students' GCE 'N'-Level results. However, special consideration will be given to N(A) students who have sat for a mix of GCE 'O'-Level and 'N'-Level subjects.  Students who are eligible to bypass the 'N'-levels would need to decide between the PFP and S5N through-train programme while in Sec 3.

8. Is the PFP available to Normal Technical N(T) students?

ANS: No. N(T) students can continue to benefit from existing progression pathways for them. They can enroll in ITE's 2-year Nitec courses to gain a strong practice-based foundation. If they do well at ITE, they can apply for polytechnic courses that are relevant to their course of study at the ITE.

9. How will students be assessed during the PFP?  After the PFP, will students be admitted into the first year or second year of polytechnic courses?

ANS: The PFP aims to prepare students for a full-time course at the polytechnics. Assessment during the PFP will likely comprise coursework assignments, projects, class tests and/or end-of-semester examinations, to ensure that students would be able to cope with the rigour of the diploma course. Upon passing all modules of the PFP, students will be admitted to the first year of their pre-selected polytechnic courses. 

10. Will the PFP be recognised at the workplace?

ANS: The PFP is meant to allow students to progress into the Diploma programme of their choice, and is not a course that leads to a qualification for employment. Students are expected to matriculate into their pre-selected polytechnic courses to obtain their diploma qualifications. Students who wish to attain qualifications from a national examination like the 'O'-levels should continue to choose the 'O'-level pathway, if they qualify.

11. What is the application process for the PFP?  When will applicants be informed of the outcomes?

ANS: After the GCE 'N'-Level examinations, eligible students will be invited to apply to the PFP, based on their GCE 'N'-Level final examination results and school-based 'O'-Level preliminary examination results (if applicable). 

All students who are made offers must indicate their acceptance by end-December. Students who have accepted the offers will not be provided a place in Secondary 5.

Those students who had used their school-based 'O'-Level preliminary examination results, and are selected for the PFP, will be given conditional offers. These offers will only be confirmed if the students meet the eligibility criteria after the release of GCE 'O'-Level results in January. 

12. Will N(A) students who have accepted their conditional offers in December be required to re-apply when the GCE 'O'-Level results are released in January?

ANS: No, students who have accepted their conditional offers in December will not be required to re-apply. These students will be given confirmation of their offers after the release of GCE 'O'-Level results in January, if they meet the eligibility criteria for the PFP based on their GCE 'O'-Level results.

13. What happens to students who do not meet the eligibility criteria stated in the conditional offer, after the release of GCE 'O'-Level results?

ANS: Students who do not meet the eligibility criteria, and who still wish to pursue their Secondary 5 year, may approach their secondary schools for re-admission.

14. Will N(A) students who have sat for a mix of 'O'-Level and 'N'-Level subjects be able to apply using their GCE 'O'-Level results, instead of their school-based 'O'-Level preliminary examination results?

ANS: Yes, students who wish to apply for the PFP after the release of GCE 'O'-Level results can do so. After the release of GCE 'O'-Level results, students who were not eligible earlier using their school-based 'O'-Level preliminary examination results but are now eligible will be invited to apply under a centralized joint-polytechnic appeals exercise.    

15. How would GCE 'O'-Level subject grades be considered in relation to GCE 'N'-Level subject grades?

ANS: The following conversion matrix is adopted in the computation of aggregates.

16. Will private candidates be considered for the PFP?

ANS: No, the PFP is designed to cater to eligible N(A) students from MOE secondary schools. Students who sat for the GCE 'N'/'O'-Level examinations as private candidates will not be considered for the programme.