Full Subject Based Banding
Find out how Full Subject-Based Banding works at ACS(BR), where students learn together across mixed classes and take subjects at the level that suits them best.
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) was one of 30+ secondary schools which implemented Full Subject-Based Banding (FSBB) in 2022.
Full SBB in Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)
From 2024 Secondary 1 cohort, students will be posted into secondary schools through three Posting Groups (PG 1, PG 2 and PG 3), assigned based on students’ PSLE Scores.
Students eligible to opt for subjects taken at a more demanding level (MDL) should receive an application form, based on the following criteria:
As part of the Full SBB, our school has implemented mixed form classes at Secondary 1. Secondary 1 students will be grouped in mixed form classes, comprising students from different courses of study. Students will attend lessons in their respective form classes for the following Common Curriculum subjects:
Character and Citizenship Education, Music, Physical Education, Art, Design & Technology, as well as Food and Consumer Education.
For the remaining academic subjects, namely English, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics, Science, and Humanities (after Secondary 1), students will be attending lessons based on their subject classes at a higher or lower demanding level (MDL or LDL). The subject classes will be organised based on their respective course levels [G1, G2 or G3].
The learning experiences gained through the mixed form classes create a valuable setting for students to mingle, build meaningful friendships, and appreciate different perspectives. It can also help reduce the inadvertent labelling associated with streaming.
Under Full SBB, the GCE O- and N-Level will be replaced with the new Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examinations. This will apply from the 2024 S1 cohort onwards. From 2027, the national certification will reflect the subject level at which each subject is taken.
ACS(BR) FSBB School Experience
Find out what students who have gone through SBB have to say here.
Reflections from Isaac Wong, 4 Abraham (2022)
I was offered to take up English at the Express level in Secondary One. It was a fairly straightforward decision for English as I had attained an ‘A’ grade in the PSLE and English is often deemed to be my forte and I swiftly took up the offer. Subsequently, I was also offered for Mathematics at the end of Secondary One.. However, I believed that Mathematics was my achilles heel. Nevertheless, after some coaxing from the my parents and teachers, I eventually decided to accept the offer as it would be beneficial to me, especially in the GCE ‘N’ Level Examinations because of the highly favourable conversion of the Express grade to the Normal (Academic) grade.
My Subject-Based Banding journey started off with me reaping mediocre results. I had Bs for English, and was failing my E Math in Secondary Three. Admittedly, I developed a blase attitude towards my learning. However, after some reflection, I figured that it was my attitude that needed improvement and not my grades per se. I realised that adjustments take time, and that results will turn around if I continue to put in the effort. This was when I started to see improvements in my grades.
Post-script: Isaac attained A2 for English and A1 for Elementary Mathematics in the 2022 GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations.
You can obtain more information on Full SBB from the MOE microsite https://www.moe.gov.sg/psle-fsbb/full-subject-based-banding/main (opens in new tab).
For more information on how our school would implement Full SBB, you can contact us at acsbr@moe.edu.sg (opens in new tab).