SINGAPORE - The results of the 2017 O-level examination were released on Friday (Jan 12), with performance levels appearing to dip marginally below the 2016 showing.
The proportion of O-level candidates who achieved at least five passes last year fell to 83.4 per cent, compared with 84.3 per cent in 2016.
Some 96.4 per cent of the candidates secured three or more passes - slightly below the 96.5 per cent who managed this in 2016.
On the other hand, 99.9 per cent of candidates passed their O levels - meaning they passed at least one subject - a performance that was comparable to that of 2016, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB).
A total of 29,112 school candidates sat the O-level examination in 2017, along with 1,570 private candidates.
This year also saw the first batch of Normal (Academic) students under the Subject Based Banding (Secondary) scheme collect their O-level results.
The scheme, which has been on trial at 12 secondary schools since 2014, lets students from the Normal (Academic) stream who score at least an A for English, mathematics, science and mother tongue at the Primary School Leaving Examination study those subjects at the Express level.
About 370 students from the scheme sat the O-level examination last year, and their overall performance in the subjects was comparable to that of their peers in the Express stream, said MOE and SEAB.
Of the 1,570 private candidates last year, 90.8 per cent received O-level certificates, a slight increase from the previous year's 90.2 per cent.
Students looking to enter junior colleges, Millennia Institute, polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education can apply via the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) using their O-level results.
JAE registration will open from 3pm on Friday to 4pm next Wednesday.
Students seeking advice on educational options and the next steps can approach their teachers or the Education and Career Guidance (ECG) counsellors supporting their schools.
Appointments can also be made to see an ECG counsellor at the MOE ECG Centre in Grange Road, by calling its hotline on 68311-420 or e-mailing MOE_ECG@moe.gov.sg
The Web-based MySkillsFuture portal can also point students to a range of suitable education and career possibilities.
