Students in Singapore typically attend either a 6-year primary school before moving on to a 4- or 5-year secondary school. The transition from primary to secondary school is a big one, as students must adjust to a new educational system and school environment. In Singapore, all students must complete 7 or 8 subjects in Secondary school, which is a big jump from the 4 subjects in Primary school. In addition, students are expected to participate in extra-curricular activities (CCA), and may also have to take on extra classes outside of school hours. As a result, students have to cope with a long hours and a heavy workload. The PSLE grades determine admission to the Premier Secondary Schools, which are the top schools in Singapore. As a result, students and parents feel a lot of pressure to perform well in the PSLE exams.

Students are grouped in streams or course structure right in Secondary 1. These are the Integrated Programme (IP), Express & Normal.

• The IP stream is the most coveted and the most demanding. It is a through-train 6-year course that does not require sitting for the O-level exams. IP students will complete the programme with the GCE A Level, IB (Diploma) or the NUS High School Diploma.
• Express students take a 4-year programme that culminates in the GCE O level. Most students a placed in this programme which exists in almost all Secondary Schools.
• The Normal Course is a 4 years and students sit for the GCE N Level. Students who perform well are allowed to take the GCE O Levels at the end of year 5

Admission to the streams are solely dependent on the PSLE results but students can transfer laterally between programmes at intermediate points.

It is common for all students to experience the high academic demands of secondary school, many students struggle to cope with the workload and resort to private tuition. Private Tuition is seen as essential in Secondary School as large class sizes does not cater for the Learning Needs of all students. A capable home tutor from a top tuition agency will act as a ready learning resource. The breadth of subjects in Secondary School also adds to its complexity. Students are required to read subjects in Languages, Math, Humanities, Science & Technology. There is some focus after Secondary 2 but the core subjects might include at least 1 from each group.

It is highly recommended that students are aware of their strengths or preferences as early as in Secondary 2 so that a proper focus can be set from Secondary 3 onwards. Apart from their teachers in school, a home tutor can act as a reliable guide to direct the student to read subjects that can build on a student’s strengths.