What is the SEC? The Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate
From 2027, the GCE O-Level and N-Level certificates are replaced by a single national qualification: the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC). Instead of being placed in one stream, students take each subject at a G1, G2 or G3 level, and the certificate lists every subject at the level they sat it.
Key facts
| Replaces | GCE O-Level and N-Level |
| First exam | 2027 |
| First cohort | Entered Secondary 1 in 2024 |
| Subject levels | G1, G2, G3 |
| Certificate | One national SEC listing all subjects |
What the SEC is
The Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) is the new national secondary qualification, jointly developed by Singapore's SEAB and Cambridge. It replaces the separate O-Level and N-Level certificates with one certificate, first awarded in 2027.
The change goes hand in hand with full Subject-Based Banding, which removes the old Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams and lets students take each subject at the level that suits them.
How G1, G2 and G3 work
Every subject is offered at up to three levels — G1, G2 and G3 (“G” for General). These map from the old streams: Express → G3, Normal (Academic) → G2, Normal (Technical) → G1. G3 is the most demanding (its papers are the former O-Level standard); G1 is the most foundational.
Because banding is by subject, a student is no longer locked into one stream. A child who is strong in Mathematics but still building English might take G3 Mathematics and G2 English — a combination the old streaming system did not allow.
What the certificate looks like
Rather than an “O-Level certificate” or an “N-Level certificate,” a student receives a single SEC that lists each subject alongside the level (G1, G2 or G3) at which it was taken and the grade achieved. This gives a fuller, more accurate picture of what a student can do across different subjects.
Who is affected, and when
The first cohort affected entered Secondary 1 in 2024 and will sit the first SEC examinations in 2027. Students who entered earlier continue under the existing O- and N-Level system. Full Subject-Based Banding has been rolling out across secondary schools, so most schools are already teaching in subject-level bands.
What it means for pathways
Post-secondary pathways — Junior College, Polytechnic and ITE — continue, with admission based on the subjects and levels on the SEC. Because G3 papers carry the former O-Level standard, students taking G3 subjects are positioned for the same options as before; the difference is flexibility, since a student can mix levels rather than being defined by a single stream.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SEC harder than the O-Levels?
No — G3 papers are pitched at the same standard as the old O-Level. What changes is structure: one certificate, and subjects taken at G1/G2/G3 levels rather than within a single stream.
When is the first SEC exam?
2027, for the cohort that entered Secondary 1 in 2024.
Can my child mix subject levels?
Yes. Under full Subject-Based Banding, each subject is taken at its own G1, G2 or G3 level, so a student can take, for example, G3 Maths and G2 English.
Do the O- and N-Levels still exist?
They are being phased out. Students who entered Secondary 1 before 2024 finish under the old system; from the 2024 cohort onward, it's the SEC.
Ready for the SEC
LearnUp teaches English across G1, G2 and G3 and Chemistry at G3, aligned to the SEC. Explore the programmes on BrainBuzz.
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