PSLE AL Score Explained, with a Calculator
13 October 2026 · Tutor Circle
A PSLE AL is a band, not a single mark. AL1 is 90 and above. AL8 is below 20. Add the four subject ALs and you have the PSLE Score, from 4 at best to 32. The calculator below does the conversion, then names the Posting Group MOE uses for Secondary 1.
- AL1
- 90 marks and above
- AL6
- 45 to 64 marks, a wide band on purpose
- AL8
- Below 20
- PSLE Score
- English + Mathematics + Science + Mother Tongue
- Best total
- 4
- Posting Group 3
- PSLE Score 4 to 20, most subjects at G3
AL1 to AL8 marks
MOE scores each standard subject in eight Achievement Levels. Students in the same band are not ranked against each other inside it. The upper bands are narrower. From AL5 downward the ranges are wider, so a few marks in the middle do not create a new grade. [1]
| AL | Marks | What parents notice |
|---|---|---|
| AL1 | 90–100 | The top band. 90 and 100 are the same AL |
| AL2 | 85–89 | Five marks wide |
| AL3 | 80–84 | Five marks wide |
| AL4 | 75–79 | Five marks wide |
| AL5 | 65–74 | Ten marks wide |
| AL6 | 45–64 | Twenty marks wide. 50 and 64 are both AL6 |
| AL7 | 20–44 | A pass-shaped band, still one AL |
| AL8 | Below 20 | The lowest band |
Foundation subjects are graded A, B and C. For the PSLE Score, A maps to AL6, B to AL7 and C to AL8. Foundation A needs 75 to 100. Foundation B is 30 to 74. Foundation C is below 30. [1] A child exempted from Mother Tongue is given an assigned Mother Tongue AL between 6 and 8, so the score still has four subjects. The exact assigned grade is on the result slip. This calculator does not guess it.
Calculator
Use marks if that is what the school paper shows. Use ALs if you already have them. Switch a subject to Foundation when the paper was Foundation. The Posting Group line uses MOE’s table, including the rule that 26 to 30 needs AL7 or better in both English and Mathematics. [2] [3]
A total of 31 or 32 can be produced by four weak ALs. It sits outside the posting table MOE publishes, which stops at 30. The result slip is the document that names the options.
From AL to Posting Group
The four ALs add up. That sum, not any single AL, is what posting uses. Posting Group 3 is the group from which most subjects start at G3. It is not the same thing as AL3. [2]
PSLE Score bands used for Secondary 1 posting
- 4–20. Posting Group 3, most subjects at G3
- 21–22. Posting Group 2 or 3
- 23–24. Posting Group 2, most subjects at G2
- 25. Posting Group 1 or 2
- 26–30. Posting Group 1 if English and Mathematics are AL7 or better
Students posted through Posting Group 1 or 2 can still take English, Mathematics, Science or Mother Tongue at a more demanding level when that subject’s PSLE AL was strong. The starting level is a guide, and the school can adjust it later. What G1, G2 and G3 feel like in the first January is on the Sec 1 preparation guide.
Cut-off points
A Posting Group is not a school. Once you have a PSLE Score, compare it with the score of the last student posted to each school in the previous exercise. Those ranges, and how to read a first-and-last pair, are in the secondary school cut-off guide. [4] Choice order matters when many children share a score, which is the point of the wide AL bands.
Moving a subject from AL5 to AL4 changes the PSLE Score by one point. That is a real change, and it is a term of work, not a December crash course on every topic. If the calculator is being used on a P5 or P6 school paper and one subject is two bands behind the others, that subject is the one to take to a specialist.
Questions parents ask
What is a PSLE AL score?
Each standard PSLE subject is graded in an Achievement Level from AL1 to AL8. AL1 is 90 marks and above. AL8 is below 20. The PSLE Score is the four Achievement Levels added together, from 4 at best to 32. A lower score is the stronger result.
What marks are AL1 to AL8?
AL1 is 90 and above. AL2 is 85 to 89. AL3 is 80 to 84. AL4 is 75 to 79. AL5 is 65 to 74. AL6 is 45 to 64. AL7 is 20 to 44. AL8 is below 20. The bands are wider in the middle on purpose. A mark of 64 and a mark of 45 are both AL6.
How does Foundation level count?
Foundation grades are A, B and C on the result slip. For the PSLE Score they map to standard AL6, AL7 and AL8. Foundation A is 75 to 100 and counts as AL6. Foundation B is 30 to 74 and counts as AL7. Foundation C is below 30 and counts as AL8.
What PSLE Score is Posting Group 3?
A PSLE Score of 4 to 20 is Posting Group 3, and most subjects start at G3. Scores 21 and 22 can be Posting Group 2 or 3. Scores 23 and 24 are Posting Group 2. A score of 25 can be Posting Group 1 or 2. Scores 26 to 30 are Posting Group 1 when English Language and Mathematics are both AL7 or better.
Does the AL decide the secondary school?
The PSLE Score decides the order of posting, together with citizenship and school choice order. The score does not name a school. Cut-off points are the score of the last student posted to that school in the previous exercise. Those ranges are on the secondary school cut-off guide.
Sources
- Ministry of Education, “How will the current PSLE scoring system benefit your child?” Standard AL mark ranges from AL1 (90 and above) to AL8 (below 20). Foundation A, B and C map to AL6, AL7 and AL8. The PSLE Score is the sum of four subjects, from 4 to 32. Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.moe.gov.sg/psle-fsbb/psle/psle-scoring-system
- Ministry of Education, “What are Posting Groups”, updated 26 February 2026. Score bands for Posting Groups 1, 2 and 3, and the indicative G1, G2 or G3 level at the start of Secondary 1. Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.moe.gov.sg/secondary/s1-posting/how-to-choose/what-are-posting-groups
- Ministry of Education, PSLE Score Calculator resource page, the same AL ranges and posting-group table. Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.moe.gov.sg/psle-fsbb/resources/score-calculator
- Tutor Circle, secondary school cut-off points for the 2026 intake, from MOE SchoolFinder ranges. Use these after you have a PSLE Score, when you are comparing schools. https://tutorcircle.sg/2027-singapore-secondary-school-rankings