What MOE has already changed, what it has signalled it is reviewing, and what it means for your child. Grounded in MOE's 2026 Committee of Supply statements and parliamentary replies.
By Marcus Toh · 2026-07-11
The direction MOE keeps returning to is a move away from the overemphasis on academic results, or what it openly calls the education arms race. In its 2026 Committee of Supply debate, Minister for Education Desmond Lee said the Ministry will study further moves to break away from that culture in favour of more holistic development. So this is not one dramatic overhaul with a single switch-on date. It is a long running shift, and a fair bit of it has already happened.
Two of the biggest changes are already in place. The PSLE moved off the old aggregate T-score and onto wider Achievement Levels, which group children who perform at a similar level instead of separating them by a single mark. And across primary and secondary schools, mid-year examinations have been phased out, returning time that used to go into a whole second round of exams every year back to teaching.
| Change | When | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| All weighted assessments removed | From 2019 | Primary 1 and Primary 2 |
| Mid-year examinations phased out | 2019 to 2023 | All primary and secondary levels |
| Mid-year examinations removed progressively | From 2024 | Junior College and Millennia Institute |
Beyond what is already done, MOE has said it is prepared to look at how the high stakes milestone exams are run. That covers how the difficulty of these exams is calibrated, how much weight the results are made to carry, and how the Direct School Admission route can be improved. The Ministry has also said it will gather views from parents, students and teachers through its Education Conversations before it settles on anything.
One point MOE has been firm on is worth holding onto. In a March 2026 reply, it argued that it is not the exam itself that drives stress, but what the results are used for and the expectations placed on how a child performs. In plain terms, the paper is not the enemy. It is the meaning we load onto the number.
Some concrete changes further up the system already have dates attached. From 2028, students will need fewer subjects to qualify for junior college, and the polytechnic route is being widened for pupils who have one strong subject.
| Change | From | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Junior college admission | 2028 | Based on 5 subjects instead of 6 |
| Polytechnic admission | 2028 | Students may offer one Best subject at a minimum of G2 level |
I grew up fully inside the arms race. I chased every mark, treated each exam like it was the one that would decide the rest of my life, and by most measures it worked out. But the version of me that sat those papers believed the score was the point, and that belief followed me around long after the results slip stopped mattering.
So when I read that MOE wants to move away from an overemphasis on grades, I don't hear it as lowering the bar. I hear it as finally saying out loud what tutoring taught me, that the number was never the thing that made a child curious or resilient. The changes will take years, and the PSLE is not going anywhere soon. But you don't have to wait for the system to tell your child they are more than a grade. That part starts at home, and it starts now.