In Singapore, they used the GPA system in primary and secondary schools. This grading system is based on the grades of 1 to 6, where 1 is the highest. At least a grade of 3 is required for a student to move on to the next level.

In primary schools, they will give students a report card, which will show their cumulative GPA for that term.

In secondary schools, an annual report card will show their GPA for each subject and their overall cumulative GPA.

When applying for post-secondary schools, such as junior colleges or polytechnics, you must provide your cumulative GPA.

Even though the size of Singapore's higher education system is tiny, they perform very well on the world stage. For example, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore.

Therefore, it's good to pay attention to how the GPA system works and whether it differs from the overseas universities.

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How is the Singapore GPA Calculated?

In Singapore, there are two different ways of calculating your GPA. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and the Unadjusted Grade Point Average (UGPA).

You will need to choose which system you want to use for your application. This is because each institution may have its own method of calculating your GPA from one to another institution.

The difference is that the UGPA does not consider any grade for a subject you have repeated.

Calculating your GPA in the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) System

We calculate the CGPA by taking the grades of all subjects in a semester and dividing them into the number of subjects. The result is then multiplied by 10 to convert it into a percentage.

They then add the CGPA up from all semesters in your academic year to get your cumulative GPA.

You can also use the CGPA calculator to do this for you quickly! If you have repeated any subjects, such as mathematics or English, they will include them in your calculation, but they will not affect your final CGPA if they are repeated.

For example, if you have repeated mathematics and scored a B+, they will include it in your calculation but not affect your final CGPA.

This is because if you have repeated any subject, you have already failed it once before, so repeating the issue again does not affect your GPA anymore.

If you repeat a subject, repeating the issue again does not affect your GPA anymore.

If you have repeated a subject, you can calculate your GPA in the same way as above by taking the CGPA of the first attempt and subtracting the grade from the second attempt.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels.

Why is Singapore Using Different Grading Systems?

The Singapore government has changed its grading system to a "uniform" system instead of using different approaches in different schools for primary and secondary schools.

The idea behind this is to provide consistency for students in their learning experience, which may lead to a better learning environment.

This uniformity may also be because of a desire to prepare students for higher education studies at universities overseas.

However, it's still important to note that Singapore does not use the same grading system as all universities overseas.

For example, if you are applying for a Master's degree in the United States, you will need to provide your GPA for each subject and your overall cumulative GPA.

In addition, the UGPA system may not be used by some universities overseas, so it is vital to understand how the different grading systems work to make sure that you are comparing like with like when you are applying for university overseas.

You can also refer to our guide on calculating your GPA if you need more help! It will definitely improve your chance of university academics and help you understand more about your academic grades.

After all, many overseas students desire to become graduate students in Singapore and vice versa! So it's better to check whether they can regard you as an eligible student or not.

That way, you can enjoy your choice of courses more!

Achieve Your Academic Goals with Cudy

In conclusion, the CGPA is the most common GPA system used in Singapore and overseas, especially for international degree courses. However, if you are applying for a local degree course, your university may use the UGPA instead. The UGPA is less common than the CGPA, but they still use it for some local degree courses, such as medicine. 

Cudy works to help students achieve their academic goals. As a student, you will get to learn from the best tutors online when you register in Cudy. You will have the easiest time finding a tutor based on your location, your course, and the subjects you need help with.