Calculate Your Child’s AL PSLE Score with These Simple Steps
Calculate Your Child’s AL PSLE Score with Ease Following These Simple Steps: Everything Parents Need to Know
Deciphering Your Child’s AL PSLE Score: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Introduction
The AL PSLE score is a crucial determinant in your child’s educational journey. It serves as a key factor in their eligibility for admission into secondary schools, influencing the entire S1 posting process. Understanding how to calculate the AL PSLE score can empower parents to assess their child’s strengths and weaknesses, guiding them to make informed decisions.
Aiming for a lower AL score is a common objective for every primary school student, with AL 1 signifying the pinnacle of academic achievement within the PSLE scoring bands.
Notably, an aggregated AL score of 4 is the coveted dream of many students. It implies that a student has achieved the best possible outcome in each subject, including English, Mother Tongue, Math, and Science, with each subject scoring an AL 1. Such an accomplishment opens doors to a plethora of high-ranking secondary schools, igniting the aspirations of countless students.
To make informed decisions easier, our website AspirerTutor.com provides comprehensive information about secondary school rankings based on previous year AL scores. You can browse through the schools that match your child’s AL score range, giving you the resources to select the ideal institution (Government Schools, Government-aided Schools, Independent Schools, Specialised Assistance Plan (SAP) Schools, Autonomous Schools, and other IP Schools) for their future.
In this blog post, we’ll not only walk you through the steps to calculate your child’s AL PSLE score but also shed light on how a lower AL score is advantageous and how it impacts the S1 posting process. Join us as we explore the intricacies of the AL PSLE score and how it can set the stage for your child’s academic journey.
Understanding the Components of the AL PSLE Score
Before we delve into the calculation process, let’s take a moment to understand the components that make up the AL PSLE score, including the PSLE scoring bands and the PSLE achievement levels (AL).
The AL PSLE score is composed of the Achievement Level (AL) for each subject, which ranges from AL 1 to AL 8.
Here, AL 1 reigns supreme as the pinnacle of achievement, representing the highest score possible. (≥ 90 marks)
Conversely, AL 8 is at the other end of the spectrum, signifying the lowest score a student can attain. (< 20 marks)
The aggregate AL score is calculated by taking the sum of the ALs for all subjects.
Step 1: Gathering the Necessary Information for Calculation
The initial step in calculating your child’s AL PSLE score involves gathering all the necessary information, including their individual subject scores in English, Math, Science, and Mother Tongue. Ensure you have this information readily available before proceeding to the subsequent steps
Step 2: Calculating the AL for Each Subject
Once you have gathered the subject scores, you can now proceed to calculate the AL for each subject. Use the AL conversion table below to determine the AL based on the subject score. This table maps the subject scores to their respective ALs. Repeat this process for all subjects.
| AL | Mark Range |
|---|---|
| 1 | ≥ 90 |
| 2 | 85-89 |
| 3 | 80-84 |
| 4 | 75-79 |
| 5 | 65-74 |
| 6 | 45-64 |
| 7 | 20-44 |
| 8 | <20 |
Step 3: Determining the Aggregate AL Score
After calculating the AL for each subject, the final step is to determine the aggregate AL score. Simply sum up the ALs for all subjects to obtain the aggregate AL score. This score will give you an overall indication of your child’s academic performance in the AL PSLE.
Summary
Calculating your child’s AL PSLE score doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following these simple steps, you can easily determine their AL PSLE score and gain valuable insights into their academic abilities. Remember to gather all the necessary information, calculate the AL for each subject, and determine the aggregate AL score.
Differences between T-scores (old) and AL scores (new):
- Peer Comparison vs. National Benchmarks:
- T-scores reflect how well students have performed relative to their peers.
- AL scores reflect how well students have done relative to the national AL benchmarks.
- Level of Differentiation:
- T-scores provide highly differentiated scores, with over 200 possible values, resulting in a reduced likelihood of students sharing the same T-scores.
- AL scores offer less differentiation, making it more common for students to share the same AL scores. (29 possible AL Scores)
- Level of Stress:
- Achieving better grades through T-scores can be more stressful due to the finer differentiation where every mark counts.
- AL scores are recognized for indicating a child’s level of achievement, where occasional mistakes have less significant impacts on the overall AL scores.
Why did MOE change the PSLE scoring system?
Reduce fine differentiation
Reduce fine differentiation of students’ examination results at a young age.
Focus on level of achievement
Recognise children’s level of achievement, regardless of how their peers have done.
A scenario on how to calculate your child’s AL PSLE Aggregate Score
Let’s explore an example to illustrate the total AL score. Imagine your child receives the following scores:
- 83 in English, resulting in AL 3,
- 66 in Science, yielding AL 5,
- 64 in Mother Tongue, leading to AL 6,
- 74 in Mathematics, resulting in AL 5.
When you sum these AL scores, your child’s total is 19.
This breakdown highlights that AL 1 represents the highest score, while AL 8 signifies the lowest. Hence, a lower AL indicates superior performance in a specific subject. In this scoring system, the optimal AL score is 4 (Perfect Score), while the highest possible total is 32. Consequently, the lowest achievable score for a student is 32, reflecting the poorest performance. (4 Subjects x AL 8 = 32)
Scoring For Foundation Level Subjects
Foundation level subjects serve as a crucial pillar of academic support, catering to students who require additional assistance in strengthening their foundational knowledge. These subjects play a pivotal role in fostering students’ confidence, allowing them to learn at a pace and level tailored to their unique needs.
Within the context of the new scoring system, Foundation level subjects are assessed and graded on a scale ranging from AL A to AL C, allowing for a more detailed evaluation of students’ progress in these fundamental study areas. To provide a clearer perspective, the AL A to AL C grades in the table below will be converted into their equivalent Standard Level of AL. This conversion aids in comprehending students’ performance within the Standard Level AL scoring system.
SAP School and Higher Chinese
The criteria for gaining a posting advantage to SAP (Special Assistance Plan) schools are as follows:
- HCL Achievement: Your child must achieve at least a Distinction, Merit, or Pass in Higher Chinese Language (HCL).
- PSLE Score: Your child’s PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) Score must be 14 or better.
This advantage provides a pathway for students to secure a place in SAP schools. In cases where multiple students have identical PSLE Scores and are applying for the same SAP school, those with superior HCL grades will receive priority consideration. This prioritization takes place before any tie-breakers are applied in the Secondary One posting process
Tie-break in AL Scores
With only 29 scoring bands, tiebreakers may occur more frequently than you might expect.
Tie-breakers come into play when there are multiple students with the same PSLE score competing for the last available spot in a school.
- Citizenship: This is the initial tie-breaker, where Singapore Citizens are prioritized over Singapore PRs (Permanent Residents).
- Choice Order of Schools: If students have the same PSLE score and share citizenship status, the preference order for school choices will be considered. A student who ranked the school higher on their preference list will secure the spot.
- Computerized Balloting: If tie-breakers #1 and #2 do not lead to a decision, the final selection will be determined by a computerized ballot, where the outcome is left to chance.
Tie-breaker Scenario:
Brian, Mary, Alan, and Rina all share an AL score of 20 points as they compete for the last available spot in the school. While the citizenship tie-breaker (#1) is a straightforward criterion to understand and visualize, it’s important to emphasize the significance of the choice order of schools (#2) at this stage. We strongly advise both parents and students to think carefully before finalizing their choices during the S1 posting, as these preferences will play a vital role in determining the last spot in the event of a tie. If the tie still persists, the final decision will be made through computerized balloting (#3).
