How is the ELR2B2 aggregate calculated?

ELR2B2 adds five O-Level / SEC subjects: English Language (EL), two subjects Relevant to your chosen polytechnic course (R2), and your two Best remaining subjects (B2). Each grade scores its number — A1 = 1 up to F9 = 9 — so a lower total is more competitive, with 5 (five A1s) the best possible. CCA bonus points are then subtracted to give your net ELR2B2.

What ELR2B2 score do I need to get into a polytechnic?

For the Joint Admissions Exercise, a net ELR2B2 of 26 or lower makes you eligible for general polytechnic courses (the Diploma in Nursing allows up to 28). Individual diploma course cut-off points are competitive and usually much lower than 26, and they change each year — use this score to shortlist courses, then check current figures on MOE CourseFinder.

Which subjects count as the 2 relevant subjects?

The two relevant subjects (R2) are course-specific — MOE assigns each polytechnic diploma course one of four ELR2B2 types (A, B, C or D), and the type fixes which O-Level subjects count as relevant. Check your target course on MOE CourseFinder. The best-two (B2) are simply your two best remaining subjects, which can include elective subjects.

How do CCA bonus points work for polytechnic admission?

You can earn up to 2 CCA bonus points: a CCA grade of Excellent (A1 or A2) gives 2 points and Good (B3 to C6) gives 1 point. These are subtracted from your raw ELR2B2 to give the net aggregate used for admission. There is no Higher Mother Tongue bonus for polytechnic admission.

ELR2B2 Calculator (Polytechnic Admission)

Work out your net ELR2B2 for Singapore polytechnic admission from your O-Level / SEC grades — English plus two course-relevant subjects plus your best two others. A lower score is better; the general qualifying bar is 26 or lower. This free tool from Ancourage Academy uses the official MOE JAE rules.

Reviewed by Min Hui, Founder & Academic Director at Ancourage Academy, using the official MOE Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) ELR2B2 rules. Last reviewed 13 July 2026.

Pick your O-Level / SEC grade for each slot. A lower aggregate is better — the best possible is 5 (all A1). Polytechnic-eligible when your net ELR2B2 is 26 or lower (Nursing, ELR2B2-C: 28 or lower).

A1 = 1
A2 = 2
B3 = 3
B4 = 4
C5 = 5
C6 = 6
D7 = 7
E8 = 8
F9 = 9

EL — English Language

Your English Language grade (always counted).

R1 — Relevant subject

A subject relevant to your chosen poly course (course-specific — check MOE CourseFinder).

R2 — Relevant subject

The second course-relevant subject for your course.

B1 — Best other subject

Your best (lowest-point) remaining subject.

B2 — Best other subject

Your next best remaining subject.

Bonus points (optional)

Up to 2 CCA bonus points (CCA grade Excellent = 2, Good = 1).

Pick a grade for every slot to see your ELR2B2.

Rules per MOE JAE polytechnic admission. Free Ancourage Academy tool, not an official MOE calculator.

O-Level / SEC grade points

Each counted subject scores its grade number; a lower total ELR2B2 is more competitive.

Singapore-Cambridge O-Level / SEC G3 grade points
Grade	Points
A1	1
A2	2
B3	3
B4	4
C5	5
C6	6
D7	7
E8	8
F9	9

A1–C6 are subject passes; D7 and E8 are sub-passes and F9 is a fail. Each grade still scores its leading digit (A1 = 1 … F9 = 9) and counts toward the ELR2B2 aggregate — the long-standing Singapore-Cambridge convention.

How ELR2B2 works

EL is your English Language grade (always counted). R2 are two subjects relevant to your chosen diploma course — MOE assigns each course an ELR2B2 type (A/B/C/D) that fixes which subjects qualify, so check your course on MOE CourseFinder. B2 are your two best remaining subjects. The raw total minus up to 2 CCA bonus points gives your net ELR2B2, and a net of 26 or lower (28 for the Diploma in Nursing) meets the general qualifying bar.

What changes from the 2028 polytechnic intake

The 26-or-lower bar above applies to the 2026 and 2027 Joint Admissions Exercise. From the 2028 intake (under Full Subject-Based Banding), one of your two Best subjects (B2) is counted at the G2 level instead of G3, and the general qualifying net ELR2B2 moves to 22 or lower (Diploma in Nursing: 24 or lower). MOE describes this as a re-basing that follows the G2 change — not a tightening of the bar. This calculator uses the current 2026–2027 rules.

Common questions

How is the ELR2B2 aggregate calculated?: ELR2B2 adds five O-Level / SEC subjects: English Language (EL), two subjects Relevant to your chosen polytechnic course (R2), and your two Best remaining subjects (B2). Each grade scores its number — A1 = 1 up to F9 = 9 — so a lower total is more competitive, with 5 (five A1s) the best possible. CCA bonus points are then subtracted to give your net ELR2B2.
What ELR2B2 score do I need to get into a polytechnic?: For the Joint Admissions Exercise, a net ELR2B2 of 26 or lower makes you eligible for general polytechnic courses (the Diploma in Nursing allows up to 28). Individual diploma course cut-off points are competitive and usually much lower than 26, and they change each year — use this score to shortlist courses, then check current figures on MOE CourseFinder.
Which subjects count as the 2 relevant subjects?: The two relevant subjects (R2) are course-specific — MOE assigns each polytechnic diploma course one of four ELR2B2 types (A, B, C or D), and the type fixes which O-Level subjects count as relevant. Check your target course on MOE CourseFinder. The best-two (B2) are simply your two best remaining subjects, which can include elective subjects.
How do CCA bonus points work for polytechnic admission?: You can earn up to 2 CCA bonus points: a CCA grade of Excellent (A1 or A2) gives 2 points and Good (B3 to C6) gives 1 point. These are subtracted from your raw ELR2B2 to give the net aggregate used for admission. There is no Higher Mother Tongue bonus for polytechnic admission.

Aiming for polytechnic?

Ancourage Academy's O-Level / SEC subject tuition helps strengthen the subjects in your ELR2B2 aggregate. First Academy trial (usually $18).

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Deciding between paths? Read our JC vs Polytechnic guide, compute your JC score with the JC admission (L1R5 / L1R4) calculator, or browse all our free education calculators.