What Is the SEC? A Guide to the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate and Chinese Language Examinations

From 2027, students in Singapore will sit for a new national examination:

the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate, or SEC.

The SEC will replace the Singapore-Cambridge GCE N(T)-Level, N(A)-Level and O-Level examinations. It is being introduced alongside Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB), under which students can take different subjects at different subject levels according to their strengths, learning needs and progress.¹²

This means that, instead of thinking of a student as belonging entirely to the Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) course, it is more useful to look at the level at which the student takes each individual subject.

Under the SEC, subjects are offered at:

G1, G2 and G3.

A student may therefore take Chinese Language at one subject level, Mathematics at another, and Science at yet another.

The final SEC certificate will reflect both the subjects taken and the subject levels at which they were examined. SEAB has also stated that there is no change in the overall standards of examinations under the SEC.¹

What do G1, G2 and G3 mean?

G1, G2 and G3 are subject levels.

Broadly, they build on the standards previously associated with:

Source: MOE’s Full SBB subject-level framework.²

However, under Full SBB, these labels apply to subjects, not to the student as a whole.

For example, a student may take:

• G3 Chinese Language
• G3 Mathematics
• G2 English Language
• G2 Science

These subjects can all appear on the same SEC certificate.

This is one of the central ideas behind Full SBB: students can take different subjects at different levels instead of being placed within a single academic course for every subject.

Is Posting Group the same as G1, G2 or G3?

No.

Students entering Secondary 1 are assigned to Posting Group 1, Posting Group 2 or Posting Group 3 for admission purposes.

However, a Posting Group does not permanently determine the subject level for every subject a student takes.

Under Full SBB, students may take individual subjects at different levels where appropriate.²

So it is more accurate to say:

“The student takes Chinese Language at G2.”

rather than:

“The student is a G2 student.”

The distinction is important because G1, G2 and G3 describe the level of a subject, not a permanent label for the student.

What changes under the SEC?

One major change is that the previously separate N(T)-Level, N(A)-Level and O-Level examinations will be brought together under one national qualification.

From 2027, graduating students will take the SEC examinations at their respective subject levels and receive one SEC certificate showing the subjects and subject levels they sat for. Results will be released in January of the following year.¹

The SEC continues to be jointly examined and awarded by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board, the Ministry of Education, Singapore, and Cambridge International Education.¹

Does the SEC make examinations more difficult?

Not simply because the name has changed.

SEAB states that there is no change in the overall standards of examinations under the SEC.

For Chinese Language, the new SEC subject codes also show a clear continuity with the previous examinations.

Source: SEAB’s 2027 subject lists, including previous subject codes.³

SEAB lists these subjects under the 2027 SEC G1, G2 and G3 syllabuses.

So students and teachers who are already familiar with the existing Chinese Language examination formats are not starting from zero in 2027.

How are SEC grades reported?

The grading scales differ by subject level.

For G3 subjects, grades follow the familiar:

A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8 and 9

For G2 subjects:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

For G1 subjects:

A, B, C, D and E¹

SEAB has also published official grade mappings for situations where results taken at a higher subject level need to be converted for progression purposes.

For example, a G3 result may be mapped to a G2 grade when required for the computation of certain post-secondary admission scores.¹

This does not mean that G3 and G2 students sit the same paper. They still take examinations at their respective subject levels.

Chinese Language under the SEC

For Chinese, the main SEC subjects are:

G1 Chinese Language — K120

G2 Chinese Language — K220

G3 Chinese — K320

Higher Chinese — K355

Although all four develop proficiency in Chinese, their assessment structures are different.³

The differences are not simply a matter of “easy, medium and difficult”. As the subject level rises, there is generally a shift towards longer texts, more complex written expression, deeper reading comprehension and greater precision in language use.

G1 Chinese Language: K120

The G1 Chinese Language examination places strong emphasis on practical communication.

The 2027 assessment consists of three papers:

Source: SEAB K120, printed pp. 3–6.⁴

This means that Oral and Listening Comprehension together make up 65% of the subject.

That is an important feature of G1 Chinese Language.

Students are expected not only to read Chinese, but also to understand spoken Chinese and communicate effectively in everyday situations.

G1 Paper 1: Writing

Paper 1 lasts 30 minutes and carries 10% of the overall grade.

Candidates respond to an online post and must write at least 75 Chinese characters.

They complete the writing task on a computer using Hanyu Pinyin input. Candidates may also use a dictionary approved by SEAB.⁴

This means that G1 students need more than basic writing ability.

They also need to be comfortable with:

• understanding the task requirements;
• organising a short written response;
• entering Chinese characters accurately using Hanyu Pinyin; and
• checking their work on screen.

G1 Paper 2: Language Use and Reading Comprehension

Paper 2 lasts 40 minutes and carries 25% of the overall grade.

It contains 15 multiple-choice questions covering:

• Language Use;
• Reading Comprehension I; and
• Reading Comprehension II.

The reading materials may include practical texts such as posters, advertisements and notices, as well as short passages. Candidates answer on a computer.⁴

The focus is therefore strongly connected to practical reading: understanding information, locating relevant details and making sense of everyday Chinese texts.

G1 Oral Examination

The oral component carries 45%, making it the single largest part of the G1 Chinese Language examination.

It consists of:

Reading Aloud — 15%

and

Conversation — 30%

Before the examination, candidates are given 10 minutes to read the passage silently and view the video stimulus.

During the Conversation component, candidates discuss the video and respond to questions from the examiner.⁴

For G1 students, this means oral communication is not an optional extra. It is central to the assessment.

G1 Listening Comprehension

Listening Comprehension carries another 20%.

Candidates answer 10 multiple-choice questions based on seven audio texts. These may include:

• everyday conversations;
• advertisements;
• stories; and
• news reports.

Candidates listen to the recordings and answer the questions based on what they hear.⁴

Again, the emphasis is clear:

G1 Chinese Language places substantial value on the ability to understand and use Chinese in practical situations.

G2 Chinese Language: K220

G2 Chinese Language has a more balanced assessment structure:

Source: SEAB K220, printed pp. 3–6.⁵

Compared with G1, writing and reading become much more significant.

G2 Paper 1: Writing

Paper 1 lasts 2 hours and carries 30%.

It consists of two sections.

For Functional Writing, candidates choose one of two questions and write at least 120 Chinese characters. The task is based on an email context.

For Composition, candidates choose one of three questions and write at least 240 Chinese characters.

The composition types include:

• narrative writing;
• expository writing; and
• argumentative writing.

Source: SEAB K220, printed pp. 3 and 5.⁵

Compared with G1, the student is expected to produce substantially longer and more developed written responses.

G2 Paper 2: Language Use and Reading Comprehension

Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 30 minutes, carries 30%, and is an e-Examination.

Candidates answer on a computer and submit their responses through SEAB's electronic examination system.

The paper contains 28 questions covering:

• Cloze Passage;
• Reading Comprehension I; and
• Reading Comprehension II.

Reading Comprehension II includes open-ended responses rather than only multiple-choice questions.⁵

This is an important step up from G1 because students are increasingly required to express their understanding in their own answers.

G2 Oral Examination and Listening Comprehension

The G2 Oral Examination carries 30%.

It includes:

Reading Aloud — 10%

and

Conversation — 20%

Candidates receive 10 minutes of preparation time before the examination.

Listening Comprehension carries 10%.

There are 10 multiple-choice questions, based on three short dialogues or spoken texts and three comprehension passages. The six audio texts may include everyday conversations, advertisements, explanatory texts, stories and news reports.⁵

G3 Chinese: K320

G3 Chinese corresponds broadly to the previous O-Level Chinese examination.

Its assessment places greater emphasis on reading comprehension, written expression and accurate language use.

The examination structure is:

Source: SEAB K320, printed pp. 3–6.⁶

Paper 2 therefore has a slightly greater weighting than at G2.

G3 Paper 1: Writing

Paper 1 lasts 2 hours and carries 30%.

For Functional Writing, candidates choose one of two email tasks and write at least 150 Chinese characters.

For Composition, candidates choose one of three questions and write at least 300 Chinese characters.

The composition types include narrative, expository and argumentative writing.⁶

The progression from G2 to G3 is therefore not simply about using more difficult vocabulary. Students are expected to develop ideas more fully and sustain longer pieces of writing.

G3 Paper 2

G3 Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and carries 35%.

The paper includes several distinct areas of language and reading assessment, including:

• Cloze Passage;
• Word Substitution;
• Reading Comprehension I; and
• Reading Comprehension II.

The Word Substitution component is particularly familiar to many G3 Chinese students. Candidates identify words that are inappropriate in context and replace them according to the requirements of the question.

Reading Comprehension II also requires open-ended responses, so candidates must not only understand the passage but also express their answers accurately and concisely.⁶

G3 Oral Examination and Listening Comprehension

The G3 Oral Examination carries 25% and includes Reading Aloud and Conversation.

Listening Comprehension carries 10% and consists of 10 multiple-choice questions based on three short dialogues or spoken texts and three comprehension passages.

The materials may include everyday conversations, advertisements, explanatory texts, stories and news reports.

The published G2 and G3 syllabuses describe the same listening-text structure.⁵⁶ This structure alone does not establish that G3 passages are longer or require deeper information processing. For both levels, a useful learning habit is to follow the meaning of the whole passage rather than rely on isolated keywords.

What about Higher Chinese?

Higher Chinese continues under the SEC.

It is listed as a G3 subject and has the subject code:

K355

The corresponding subject code before 2027 is 1116.

Higher Chinese is a separate subject from G3 Chinese and has a different assessment structure.³⁷

How is Higher Chinese assessed?

Higher Chinese consists of three papers:

Source: SEAB K355, printed pp. 3–6.⁷

Unlike G1, G2 and G3 Chinese Language, Higher Chinese does not have a separate Listening Comprehension component.⁷

This does not mean listening is unimportant. Listening and viewing skills are integrated into broader language use, especially during the oral examination.

Higher Chinese Paper 1

Paper 1 lasts 2 hours and carries 40%.

For Functional Writing, candidates choose one of two questions and write at least 220 Chinese characters.

Tasks may include forms such as:

• email; and
• online forum writing.

For Composition, candidates choose one of three questions and write at least 500 Chinese characters.

Possible text types include:

• narrative;
• expository;
• argumentative writing; and
• speech writing.⁷

The demands on organisation, language control and development of ideas are therefore considerably higher.

Higher Chinese Paper 2

Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and carries 40%.

It includes areas such as:

• language use;
• error correction;
• reading comprehension; and
• summary writing.

For the summary task, candidates are required to condense information from a specified section of a passage into a response of about 80 Chinese characters.⁷

This reflects the stronger emphasis in Higher Chinese on close reading, language precision and the ability to process and reorganise information.

Higher Chinese Oral Examination

The Higher Chinese Oral Examination carries 20%.

It differs from the oral examination for G1, G2 and G3 Chinese.

Instead of Reading Aloud followed by Conversation, candidates complete:

Oral Presentation

and

Discussion

Candidates first view a video stimulus and then deliver an oral presentation of no more than two minutes on the given topic.

This is followed by a discussion with the examiner.⁷

The emphasis is therefore on the ability to organise ideas, develop a viewpoint, support it with explanation and respond to follow-up questions.

Comparing the four Chinese subjects

The overall progression becomes clearer when the four subjects are placed side by side:

Sources: SEAB 2027 K120, K220, K320 and K355 syllabuses, printed pp. 3–6; subject codes from the 2027 subject lists.⁴⁵⁶⁷³

The assessment structure shows that the difference between the levels is not merely “how difficult the Chinese is”.

There is also a gradual shift in what students are expected to do with the language.

G1: practical communication comes first

At G1, Oral and Listening Comprehension together make up 65% of the overall result.⁴

Students need to be able to:

• understand everyday spoken Chinese;
• respond to practical situations;
• read accessible real-world texts; and
• produce simple written communication.

The emphasis is strongly functional.

G2: a more balanced profile

At G2, Writing, Reading and Oral each carry substantial weight.⁵

Students need a more balanced command of:

listening, speaking, reading and writing.

They are also expected to handle longer written texts and begin responding to reading passages in their own words.

G3: greater emphasis on reading, writing and language precision

At G3, students encounter more demanding reading tasks, open-ended comprehension questions and specific language-use components such as Word Substitution.

They are expected to interpret texts more carefully and express answers with greater precision.

Higher Chinese: deeper reading and more developed expression

Higher Chinese places 80% of the assessment on Papers 1 and 2.⁷

Students are expected to handle:

• longer and more complex reading texts;
• extended writing;
• close language analysis;
• summary writing;
• oral presentation; and
• sustained discussion.

The emphasis shifts further towards higher-level comprehension, written expression and the articulation of viewpoints.

An important SEC examination-timing change

Under the SEC, written papers for English Language and Mother Tongue Language (MTL) will be conducted in September.

Written papers for other subjects will follow in October and November.

MOE has also stated that there will be one written examination sitting for all MTL subject levels, including Higher MTL.⁸

For Chinese Language students, this has an important practical implication:

Chinese revision cannot be left until the very end of the year.

By the second half of Secondary 4, preparation for the written Chinese Language examination will already be approaching its final stage.

Does a student have to take every subject at the same level?

No.

This is one of the most important features of Full SBB and the SEC.

A student may take different subjects at different subject levels.

For example:

G3 Chinese Language
G3 Mathematics
G2 English Language
G2 Science

can all appear on the same SEC certificate.

The SEC therefore presents a student's achievement across individual subjects rather than assigning the student one overall academic stream.¹²

Is it still accurate to talk about “streams”?

The traditional Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) course labels are becoming less useful under Full SBB.

In everyday conversation, people may still loosely refer to G1, G2 and G3 as different “streams”, but this is not the most accurate terminology.

A better description is:

subject level.

For example:

“She takes Chinese Language at G3.”

is more accurate than:

“She is in the G3 stream.”

This distinction reflects the purpose of Full SBB: a student may demonstrate different strengths in different subjects.

What does the SEC mean for Chinese Language learning?

The introduction of the SEC does not mean that students suddenly need a completely new way to learn Chinese.

The underlying language skills remain the same.

Students still need to develop:

• listening;
• speaking;
• reading;
• writing;
• oral interaction; and
• written interaction.

What changes is the importance of preparing according to the specific Chinese Language subject level the student is taking.

For a G1 student, regular practice should place strong emphasis on:

• Listening Comprehension;
• Conversation;
• practical reading;
• short functional writing; and
• Chinese typing using Hanyu Pinyin.

For a G2 student, preparation should increasingly include:

• email writing;
• composition writing;
• reading comprehension;
• electronic examination practice;
• oral communication; and
• Listening Comprehension.

For a G3 student, practice should also target:

• Cloze Passage;
• Word Substitution;
• open-ended Reading Comprehension;
• Functional Writing;
• Composition;
• Oral; and
• Listening Comprehension.

Higher Chinese students need sustained practice in:

• extended reading;
• language use and error correction;
• summary writing;
• longer compositions;
• Oral Presentation; and
• Discussion.

One of the biggest ideas behind the SEC

Under the old system, it was common to describe a student mainly by course:

Express.

Normal (Academic).

Normal (Technical).

Under Full SBB, the focus shifts towards a more subject-specific question:

What level is this student taking for this particular subject?

A student may be particularly strong in Chinese and take it at G3 or Higher Chinese, while taking another subject at G2.

Another student may show exactly the opposite profile.

That is why the SEC certificate records subjects together with the subject levels at which they were taken.

It gives a more detailed picture of the student's academic profile.

The key points to remember

From 2027:

The Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) replaces the N(T)-Level, N(A)-Level and O-Level examinations.

Students take subjects at G1, G2 or G3.

Different subjects may be taken at different subject levels.

Students receive one SEC certificate showing the subjects and levels they sat for.

For Chinese, the main subjects are:

G1 Chinese Language — K120

G2 Chinese Language — K220

G3 Chinese — K320

Higher Chinese — K355

English Language and Mother Tongue Language written papers will be conducted in September, with one MTL examination sitting across the subject levels.⁸

And perhaps most importantly:

the change to the SEC does not mean that the overall examination standards have suddenly changed.

What has changed is the way students' subjects and subject levels are organised and presented.

Final thoughts

The most important idea behind the SEC is not simply that the N- and O-Level examinations have been given a new name.

It reflects a broader shift under Full Subject-Based Banding:

from asking which course a student belongs to, towards asking which subject level best suits the student in each subject.

For Chinese Language, that means the most useful questions are no longer simply:

“Which stream is the student in?”

Instead, ask:

Which Chinese Language subject is the student taking?

What does that subject require?

Which skills should the student practise next?

Once those questions are clear, the SEC system becomes much easier to understand.

Official references

Sources checked on 27 September 2026. PDF page numbers refer to printed page labels, not viewer page positions. Learning suggestions and interpretive comparisons are the author's teaching guidance; official requirements are supported by the sources below.

Source notes

1. SEAB — Secondary Education Certificate (SEC): timetable, grading and certification. Applies from 2027; see Examination Timetable, Grading System, and Results Release and Examination Certificate. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. MOE — Secondary School Experience and Post-Secondary Pathways: today versus under Full SBB. See secondary admission, G1/G2/G3 subject levels and the secondary-school experience, from the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. SEAB — 2027 G1 school-candidate syllabuses · 2027 G2 school-candidate syllabuses · 2027 G3 school-candidate syllabuses. See the Chinese / Higher Chinese rows and the 2026 and earlier subject-code column. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. SEAB / MOE — 2027 G1 Chinese syllabus (K120). Printed pp. 3–4: examination format; pp. 5–6: assessment blueprint, question counts and weightings. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. SEAB / MOE — 2027 G2 Chinese syllabus (K220). Printed pp. 3–4: examination format; pp. 5–6: assessment blueprint, question counts and weightings. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. SEAB / MOE — 2027 G3 Chinese syllabus (K320). Printed pp. 3–4: examination format; pp. 5–6: assessment blueprint, question counts and weightings. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

7. SEAB / MOE — 2027 Higher Chinese syllabus (K355). Printed pp. 3–4: examination format; pp. 5–6: assessment blueprint, question counts and weightings. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

8. MOE — Committee of Supply 2024: consolidated examination timetable. See Consolidated examination timetable, applicable to the SEC from 2027. ↩ ↩²