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What is affiliation actually worth at S1? MOE's own numbers

Per MOE's February 2025 parliamentary reply: the average cut-off difference between affiliated and non-affiliated students is about 7 AL points in Posting Group 3, about 2 in Posting Group 2, and about 1 in Posting Group 1 - with the median mirroring the average in all three groups. Since the 2019 S1 posting exercise, affiliated secondary schools must reserve 20% of places for non-affiliated students; MOE adds that it will continue to adjust this balance as circumstances change.

Context

Students from an affiliated primary school can qualify for their affiliated secondary school at a less demanding cut-off, and for years families argued about how large that advantage really is - until MOE published the averages.

What this means for your family

The numbers cut both ways, and both readings are useful. For a family in an affiliated primary school aiming at the affiliated secondary - especially in PG3, where the average gap is about 7 points - affiliation is a real, quantified widening of reach, and listing the affiliated school appropriately is worth doing deliberately. For everyone else, the same numbers say: do not read an affiliated school's published cut-off as your bar - the number non-affiliated applicants actually face is on average tighter, by roughly the gap for that Posting Group, though the 20% reservation keeps the door genuinely open. Note what the figures are: averages across schools, mirrored by medians, not a per-school promise - individual schools vary, and MOE has said the balance itself may be refined over time.

Steps you can take now

  1. Establish whether your child's primary school is affiliated to a secondary school at all, and which one - affiliation is specific, not assumed.
  2. If affiliated: place the affiliated school on the slate where genuine preference puts it, knowing the reach advantage for your Posting Group.
  3. If not affiliated: mentally tighten the published cut-off of any affiliated school on your list by the average gap for the Posting Group before judging fit.
  4. Treat these figures as planning context with a date on them - MOE has explicitly said the balance may be adjusted in future years.

How to know you’re done

You know your affiliation status, what it is worth on average for your Posting Group, and your six-choice slate reflects the tighter or wider bar your child actually faces.

Sources and check dates

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