Science practicals wrapped up on 13 October, the big common papers like English and Maths are still ahead, and the main written block runs to 10 November 2026.
By Marcus Toh · Published
The main written block for the 2026 O-Level runs from 5 October to 10 November 2026, just over 5 weeks according to SEAB's exam calendar.
Mother tongue oral and listening papers were sat back in July and August, and the science practicals wrapped up this week. What is left now is the stretch of written papers most candidates associate with the O-Level itself.
Before the written papers took over, each science subject ran its own practical exam at the bench rather than on paper. These ran across four separate dates between 30 September and 13 October 2026, each in shifts so every candidate used the same setup.
| Date | Subject | Practical paper |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Sept 2026 | Chemistry | Paper 3 (6092) |
| 5 Oct 2026 | Physics | Paper 3 (6091) |
| 8 Oct 2026 | Combined Science (Phy/Chem, Phy/Bio, Chem/Bio) | Paper 5 (5086/5087/5088) |
| 13 Oct 2026 | Biology | Paper 3 (6093) |
The complete timetable runs to dozens of lines across every subject combination, covered in full in Podsee's O-Level 2026 exam timetable. Below are the papers that the largest number of candidates sit between now and 10 November 2026.
| Date | Subject | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | English Language | Paper 1 and Paper 2, back to back in the afternoon |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Computing, Economics and Humanities (Geography or History) | Written papers on the same day for different subject groups |
| 21 Oct 2026 | Mathematics | Paper 1 |
| 23 Oct 2026 | Mathematics | Paper 2, the final Mathematics paper |
| 26 Oct 2026 | Additional Mathematics | Paper 1 |
| 27 Oct 2026 | Chemistry | Paper 2, the written paper, since the practical was on 30 September |
| 28 Oct 2026 | Additional Mathematics | Paper 2, the final Add Maths paper |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Physics | Paper 2, the written paper, since the practical was on 5 October |
| 30 Oct 2026 | Biology | Paper 2, the written paper, since the practical was on 13 October |
| 3 Nov 2026 | Chinese, Malay, Tamil and Higher Mother Tongue | Paper 1 and Paper 2 on the same day |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Chemistry and Physics | Paper 1, the final written papers for both sciences |
| 10 Nov 2026 | Combined Science and Biology | Paper 1, closing out the main written block |
The method that moves marks in this stretch is the same one that works at prelims: timed past papers done under real exam conditions, marked honestly, with the specific reason for every lost mark written down. Podsee's guide on working past papers instead of rereading notes walks through it in full.
If a specific paper such as Mathematics or Additional Mathematics still feels shaky with weeks of papers to go, browse secondary Maths tuition centres on Podsee and book a trial lesson before the next one.
Once the final paper closes on 10 November 2026, the next milestone is results day. SEAB and MOE both list the 2026 O-Level results as releasing tentatively between 13 and 15 January 2027, after which students move into the Joint Admissions Exercise.
Podsee's guide to what happens on O-Level results day covers that window and the JAE process that follows it in more detail.
Stop running a post mortem after every paper this week. I know that sounds like strange advice with the O-Level finally here, because the instinct the moment your child walks through the door is to ask how it went and start fixing whatever sounds wrong.
But the main written block runs for just over five weeks, from 5 October all the way to 10 November, and in three years of tutoring I have never once seen a single paper decide the whole diet. The students who settle in treat every paper as closed the second they leave the hall, because dwelling on today's mistake only costs tomorrow's attention.
So let each paper end at the door, keep the routine steady between now and 10 November, and save the real conversation for January when the results actually arrive. Your child has weeks of papers still ahead of them, and every one of those is still fully theirs to get right.
Registration for private candidates sitting the 2026 Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level year end examinations ran from 7 April to 20 April 2026, according to both MOE's and SEAB's exam calendars.
SEAB issued the Year-End Examination Entry Proof by 25 June 2026. Candidates who had not received theirs by 26 June 2026 were told to contact SEAB directly.
SEAB issues the Science Practical Examination Schedule at least 7 days before the actual practical exam date, the same notice period that applied to this year's Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Combined Science practicals.