Singapore O-Level L1R5 / L1R4 / ELR2B2 Calculator 2026

L1R5 is calculated by adding your English Language grade points (L1) to the points from your best 5 relevant O-Level subjects (R5). Grade points run from 1 (A1, best) to 9 (F9, worst) — so a lower total is better. For JC admission, your L1R5 must be 20 or below. Top JCs like Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong typically have Cut-Off Points (COPs) of 4–5, while most other JCs range from 7–18. HMTL bonus points (−2) may be subtracted if you took Higher Mother Tongue Language.

ELR2B2 is the aggregate score used for polytechnic admission. It consists of: English Language (E) + 2 Relevant subjects for your chosen course (R2) + 2 Best remaining subjects (B2). Like L1R5, lower is better. Different polytechnic courses have different relevant subjects — for example, an Engineering course might require Maths and Physics as the R2 subjects. All five Singapore polytechnics (NYP, NP, RP, SP, TP) use ELR2B2 for their admissions cut-offs.

Yes. If you sat Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) and received a Distinction, Merit, or Pass grade, you can deduct 2 points from your aggregate score. This is called the HMTL bonus. The deduction applies to both L1R5 and L1R4 calculations. So if your raw L1R5 is 8, with HMTL Distinction it becomes 6 — potentially opening more JC options.

For JC admission, an L1R5 of 10 or below is considered competitive, giving access to most JCs in Singapore. An L1R5 of 4–6 qualifies for elite JCs like Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong, and Victoria JC. For polytechnic courses, the cut-off ELR2B2 scores vary by programme — competitive courses like Nursing at Nanyang Polytechnic or Business Information Systems at Ngee Ann Poly can have cut-offs as low as 7–10.

MOE announced in March 2025 that JC admission criteria will change from 2028. The revised criteria will require students to include subjects from both the humanities and science/mathematics subject groups in their aggregate computation — a more balanced approach compared to the current system where students can choose any best subjects. This encourages broader subject combinations and reduces over-specialisation at the O-Level stage.