---
title: "G2 Grade Conversion for Poly and PFP: Singapore 2028"
seo_title: "G3 to G2 Grade Conversion Singapore: Poly and PFP 2028"
description: "From the 2028 PSE, G3 grades map downward to G2 equivalents for polytechnic and PFP aggregates. The published table, worked examples, and what never converts."
author: "Gabriel"
author_url: "https://ancourage.academy/authors/gabriel"
published_at: 2026-09-12
modified_at: 2026-09-12
category: "teaching"
tags: ["Full SBB", "G2", "G3", "Polytechnic", "PFP", "Secondary", "Singapore", "SEC"]
canonical: "https://ancourage.academy/articles/g2-grade-conversion-poly-pfp-admission-singapore"
source: "https://ancourage.academy/articles/g2-grade-conversion-poly-pfp-admission-singapore"
language: "en-SG"
word_count: 2334
reading_time: "PT12M"
cover_image: "https://ancourage.academy/academic-pic/study2.jpg"
reviewed_by: "Min Hui"
---

# G2 Grade Conversion for Poly and PFP: Singapore 2028

From the 2028 PSE, G3 grades map downward to G2 equivalents for polytechnic and PFP aggregates. The published table, worked examples, and what never converts.

**From the 2028 Post-Secondary Admissions Exercise (PSE), a G3 or O-Level grade converts downward into a G2 equivalent grade on a four-row table published by MOE: A1 to B3 becomes Grade 1, B4 to C6 becomes Grade 2, D7 becomes Grade 3, and E8 becomes Grade 4.** That single mapping decides how a G2 subject counts towards polytechnic and Polytechnic Foundation Programme admission — and it is the piece of Full Subject-Based Banding most parents have never seen. This guide from [Ancourage Academy](https://ancourage.academy/academy), whose [secondary tuition programmes](https://ancourage.academy/courses/academy/secondary) teach both G2 and G3 classes, sets out exactly where the conversion applies and where it does not.

The conversion matters because Full Subject-Based Banding lets one student sit different subjects at different levels. A Secondary 4 student may offer five subjects at G3 and one at G2. Post-secondary admission needs a single number, so MOE publishes a rule for putting grades from two scales onto one scale. **The rule only ever runs in one direction — G3 down to G2, never G2 up to G3 — and that asymmetry is the most consequential fact in this article.**

## Why a G2 Grade Needs a Conversion at All

**G3 and G2 are graded on entirely different scales, so they cannot be added together without a translation step.** G3 uses the familiar A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8, 9 scale inherited from the O-Level. G2 uses the numeric 1 to 6 scale inherited from the N(A)-Level. A "2" and a "B4" are not comparable until one is expressed in the other's terms.

Under [Full Subject-Based Banding](https://ancourage.academy/articles/full-subject-based-banding-guide-singapore), mixed-level subject combinations are the norm rather than the exception, so this is no longer an edge case. MOE's own position is stated plainly on the admissions pages: GCE O-Level and N(A)-Level results are treated as equivalent to G3 and G2 respectively, which is why the same table serves the last O-Level cohorts and the first [SEC cohorts](https://ancourage.academy/articles/sec-exam-2027-singapore-new-national-examination) without amendment.

## The Official G3-to-G2 Grade Mapping Table

**MOE publishes the mapping as a four-row table on the polytechnic and PFP admission pages — G3 A1 to B3 becomes G2 Grade 1, B4 to C6 becomes Grade 2, D7 becomes Grade 3 and E8 becomes Grade 4 — and it stops at E8.**

| G3 / O-Level grade | G2 / N(A)-Level equivalent |
| --- | --- |
| A1 to B3 | 1 |
| B4 to C6 | 2 |
| D7 | 3 |
| E8 | 4 |

Three things follow from the shape of that table, and each is worth reading slowly:

-   **It compresses.** Three G3 grades (A1, A2, B3) collapse into a single G2 Grade 1. A student who works from B3 up to A1 gains nothing at all in an aggregate computed at G2 level, though it may matter elsewhere
-   **It has no fifth row.** The published table ends at E8. A G3 grade of 9 is still mapped — MOE’s own PFP worked example shows it becoming a G2 grade 5 — but it is then set aside. MOE states that “G3/O-Level grade 9 and G2/N(A)-Level grade 5 and 6 cannot be used for ELMAB3 aggregate score computation for PFP admission”. Read that scope literally: those grades are barred from the PFP and polytechnic aggregates, not from every aggregate — the ITE aggregates admit them for computation, though they still cannot satisfy a subject-specific minimum entry requirement
-   **It is one-way.** There is no published G2-to-G3 mapping and no G1-to-G2 mapping. A grade can be read downward but never upward, which is why a G2 subject can never be substituted for a required G3 one

Which subjects a student offers at G2 varies by school, but the humanities are among the most common. The G2 Combined Humanities syllabuses run as [K229, K230 and K231](https://ancourage.academy/articles/sec-g2-combined-humanities-k229-k230-k231-singapore) from 2027, and a grade earned in one of them enters an aggregate at G2 level with no conversion step at all — the table above exists only for grades earned at G3.

## Where the Mapping Is Used: ELR2B2 for Polytechnic

**For polytechnic admission from the 2028 PSE, exactly one slot in the ELR2B2 aggregate may be filled by a G2 subject — the second-best subject, B2 — and that slot is always computed using the G2 equivalent grade even when the subject was taken at G3.**

| Slot | Subject requirement | Grade used |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EL | G3 English Language | G3 grade |
| R1 | Any 1 best-scoring G3 relevant subject | G3 grade |
| R2 | Any 1 best-scoring G3 relevant subject | G3 grade |
| B1 | 1st best-scoring G3 subject | G3 grade |
| B2 | 2nd best-scoring subject, at G2 _or_ G3 | **G2 equivalent grade** |

The eligibility bar moves with the arithmetic. From the 2028 PSE the ELR2B2 net aggregate score must not exceed 22, and for the Diploma in Nursing the ELR2B2-C net aggregate must not exceed 24. Net means gross minus CCA bonus points: an "Excellent" CCA grade of A1 or A2 earns 2 points and a "Good" grade of B3 to C6 earns 1 point for graduates of a national secondary school. The full criteria are on the [MOE polytechnic diploma course admission page](https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/pse/polytechnic-diploma-course).

Note the practical consequence. Because B2 is scored on the compressed G2 scale, a strong G3 result in that slot is worth less than it looks — a G3 B3 and a G3 A1 both land on Grade 1. Students weighing [the polytechnic route against JC](https://ancourage.academy/articles/jc-vs-polytechnic-singapore-which-path) should know which of their subjects is likely to fall into B2 before deciding where to spend revision time.

## Where the Mapping Is Used: ELMAB3 for the PFP

**The Polytechnic Foundation Programme goes further: the whole ELMAB3 aggregate is computed at G2 level, so every G3 grade a student holds is mapped down before anything is added up, and the resulting gross aggregate must not exceed 12.**

ELMAB3 is English Language plus Mathematics (or Additional Mathematics) plus the three best-scoring subjects, B1, B2 and B3. MOE states that the aggregate "is computed using G2 equivalent grades only" and that G3 grades will be mapped to equivalent G2 grades before computation. Our [guide to the PFP, Sec 5, DPP and ITE pathways](https://ancourage.academy/articles/n-level-pathways-pfp-sec5-dpp-ite-guide-singapore) covers the application windows and the Sec 5 reporting rule that catches families out every January.

Two limits are easy to miss:

1.  **Five countable subjects are needed.** ELMAB3 requires English, Mathematics and three others. A student whose English or Mathematics sits only at G1 cannot form the aggregate at all, because there is no G1 mapping to borrow from
2.  **Cluster minimum entry requirements still apply** on top of the aggregate. MOE's course information, as published in 2026, reflects 2026 admission and is due to be refreshed in mid-2027 for the 2028 intake, so any MER quoted before then is provisional

## What Does Not Convert: JC, MI and G1

**For junior college and Millennia Institute admission from the 2028 PSE, every subject used in the aggregate must be taken at G3 — there is no G2 slot and no conversion at all.**

The L1R4 gross aggregate must not exceed 16 for JC and 20 for MI, and it is built from First Language plus four relevant G3 subjects. Our [L1R4 parent guide](https://ancourage.academy/articles/l1r4-jc-admission-2028-parent-guide-singapore) works through the slot-by-slot computation and the bonus-point changes. What this article adds is the boundary: a student aiming at JC gains nothing from a strong G2 grade, because that grade cannot enter L1R4 in any form.

G1 sits outside _this_ mapping. There is no published G1-to-G2 conversion, so a G1 grade cannot be read up into the polytechnic or PFP aggregates. It does not follow that a G1 grade counts for nothing after Secondary 4: MOE computes a separate ITE aggregate on G1 equivalent grades for 3-year Higher Nitec entry, where the admission requirement is set at G1 and even a G1 grade of E can be used in the computation. The boundary is between the polytechnic ladder and the ITE one, not between G1 and every post-secondary aggregate. It is still a reason to look hard at [whether a subject should move up a level](https://ancourage.academy/articles/g2-vs-g3-subject-levels-full-sbb-guide) during lower secondary, while [the school's own promotion criteria](https://ancourage.academy/articles/sec-3-to-sec-4-promotion-criteria-singapore) still allow it.

## Same Subject at Two Levels: Which Grade Counts

**For the PFP ELMAB3 aggregate and the G2-scored B2 slot in the polytechnic ELR2B2 aggregate, a student who has sat the same subject at both G2 and G3 keeps the better of the two after mapping — MOE's published example makes the rule concrete, and it never lets a G2 result fill a slot that requires G3.**

In MOE's worked case, a student has taken Mathematics at both levels: Grade 1 at G2 in Secondary 4 and B4 at G3 in the fifth year. The G3 B4 maps down to Grade 2. Because the actual G2 Grade 1 is better than the mapped Grade 2, the G2 Grade 1 is used in the aggregate. The rule is not "the level you sat most recently" and not "the higher level" — it is whichever grade is better once both are expressed at G2.

This matters most for students who retake a subject at a different level between Secondary 4 and Secondary 5, and for those combining results across two examination years, which the PSE explicitly permits.

## What This Changes for a Sec 3 Subject-Level Decision

**The mapping turns subject level into a pathway decision rather than a difficulty decision, and the two routes point in opposite directions: keep the subjects needed for junior college at G3, because direct polytechnic admission scores only the B2 slot at G2 while the PFP computes its whole ELMAB3 aggregate on G2-equivalent grades.**

-   **If JC is on the table, protect G3 breadth.** Four relevant subjects plus a first language must all sit at G3. Dropping a subject to G2 to protect a grade can quietly remove a JC option two years later
-   **If polytechnic is the target, one G2 subject is survivable** — the B2 slot exists precisely for that. A student who is genuinely stronger at G2 in one subject loses very little
-   **If the PFP is the target, the whole aggregate runs at G2 anyway,** so the marginal value of a G3 A1 over a G3 B3 is zero in the aggregate. Effort is better spent on the weakest countable subject
-   **Do not treat G2 as a permanent ceiling.** Subject-level movement is a school decision made at junctures the school sets, on performance in the subject and a holistic assessment, and the case for moving up is made with evidence over two or three terms

These trade-offs sit alongside the elective choices made at the same time — our [Sec 3 subject combination guide](https://ancourage.academy/articles/sec-3-subject-combination-guide-singapore) covers A-Maths, pure versus [Combined Science](https://ancourage.academy/articles/combined-science-vs-pure-science-singapore), and the humanities decision.

## How Ancourage Academy Supports G2 and G3 Students

**Our secondary classes are taught at the level a student is actually sitting, in [small groups of three to six](https://ancourage.academy/faq#class-sizes), at [Bishan](https://ancourage.academy/find-us/bishan) and [Woodlands](https://ancourage.academy/find-us/woodlands).**

For a student on the borderline, the useful question is not "can we move up" but "which two subjects would carry the aggregate". We start with a diagnostic against the actual aggregate the student is aiming at, then target the subjects that move it. Book a [trial class (usually $18)](https://ancourage.academy/trial-class) for that assessment, or [WhatsApp us](https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=6588498106&type=phone_number&app_absent=0) with your child's current subject levels and we will talk it through.

## Common Questions About G2 Grade Conversion

### What is the G3 to G2 grade conversion table?

**MOE publishes four rows: A1 to B3 maps to Grade 1, B4 to C6 maps to Grade 2, D7 maps to Grade 3, and E8 maps to Grade 4.** The table is used for post-secondary aggregates from the 2028 PSE and appears on both the polytechnic diploma course and Polytechnic Foundation Programme admission pages.

### Can a G2 grade be converted up to a G3 grade?

No. MOE publishes only a downward mapping, from G3 to G2. There is no upward conversion, which is why junior college and Millennia Institute admission requires every aggregate subject to have been taken at G3, and why a strong G2 result cannot substitute for a missing G3 one.

### Does a G1 subject count towards polytechnic admission?

Not in the aggregate. There is no published G1 to G2 mapping, so a G1 grade cannot enter ELR2B2 or ELMAB3. The practical risk is not exclusion but arithmetic: ELMAB3 needs English, Mathematics and three other countable subjects, so a student whose English or Mathematics is only at G1 cannot form the aggregate.

### If I take a subject at both G2 and G3, which grade is used?

The better one after mapping — in the PFP ELMAB3 aggregate and the G2-scored B2 slot of the polytechnic ELR2B2 aggregate, the only places a G2 grade is used. MOE's worked example has a student with G2 Mathematics Grade 1 and G3 Mathematics B4. The B4 maps down to Grade 2, which is worse than the Grade 1, so the G2 Grade 1 is used. Applicants may also combine results from up to two examination years.

### What ELMAB3 score do I need for the PFP from 2028?

The ELMAB3 gross aggregate, computed on G2 equivalent grades, must not exceed 12, and the applicant must also meet the minimum entry requirements of the cluster applied for. A G3 grade of 9 and G2 grades of 5 and 6 cannot be used in that computation for PFP admission.

### What ELR2B2 score do I need for polytechnic from 2028?

The ELR2B2 net aggregate must not exceed 22, and 24 for the Diploma in Nursing on the ELR2B2-C aggregate. Net is the gross aggregate minus CCA bonus points — 2 points for an Excellent CCA grade, 1 point for Good. Individual courses also set their own minimum entry requirements.

### Does this conversion change under the SEC in 2027?

No. MOE treats GCE O-Level and N(A)-Level results as equivalent to G3 and G2, so the same table serves both the final O-Level cohorts and the first [SEC cohorts](https://ancourage.academy/articles/sec-exam-2027-singapore-new-national-examination). What changes in 2027 is the certificate and the syllabus codes, not the way grades from two levels are put onto one scale.

Related: [G2 vs G3 subject levels](https://ancourage.academy/articles/g2-vs-g3-subject-levels-full-sbb-guide) · [Poly Early Admissions Exercise](https://ancourage.academy/articles/poly-eae-early-admissions-exercise-guide-singapore) · [O-Level / SEC preparation](https://ancourage.academy/articles/o-level-preparation-guide-singapore) · [Choosing a secondary school](https://ancourage.academy/articles/choosing-secondary-school-singapore)

## Related Courses

- [Secondary Programmes](https://ancourage.academy/courses/academy/secondary) — G1, G2 and G3 classes taught at the level your child is actually sitting
- [Sec 3 E-Maths (G2)](https://ancourage.academy/courses/academy/secondary/s3/e-maths-g2) — G2 Mathematics support for students building a countable ELMAB3 aggregate
- [Sec 4 English](https://ancourage.academy/courses/academy/secondary/s4/english) — English anchors ELR2B2 and ELMAB3, and is one of two options for L1 in L1R4
- [Trial Class (Usually $18)](https://ancourage.academy/trial-class) — A diagnostic against the aggregate your child is actually aiming at

## Sources

- [Polytechnic diploma course — admission criteria from 2028 PSE](https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/pse/polytechnic-diploma-course) — Ministry of Education, Singapore
- [Polytechnic Foundation Programme — PSE admission](https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/pse/pfp) — Ministry of Education, Singapore
- [Junior college and Millennia Institute — admission criteria from 2028 PSE](https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/pse/jc-and-mi) — Ministry of Education, Singapore
- [PSE eligibility](https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/pse/pse-eligibility) — Ministry of Education, Singapore
- [ITE (3-Year Higher Nitec) — admission criteria from 2028 PSE](https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/pse/ite-3-year-higher-nitec) — Ministry of Education, Singapore