Students that finished O level will have to decide whether to go JC or Poly. In this article, we will provide you 3 differences between JC and Poly.
1) Duration of JC and Poly
Junior College lasts for two years where your child will take the A level examination and use their results to apply for courses in universities.
In contrast, Polytechnic lasts for three years (1 more year as compared to Junior College) where your child will be graded based on GPA (Grade Point Average). Based on the GPA, they can apply for courses in universities as well.
Do take note that not all schools preparing students for A level require two years duration. Millennia Institution provides similar subjects and curriculum as well but students will undergo three years duration in their program.
2) Grading System
Students going to Junior College will be graded based on A level. The maximum point a student can get for A level is 90. Students are required to take H1 and H2 subjects for A level. Let’s see below on how to calculate the A level rank points:
Students are required to take 3 H2 content-based subject, 1 H1 content-based subject, H1 General Paper, H1 Project Work and H1 Mother Tongue (not required to take only if you passed higher mother tongue in secondary school). The calculation is a little tricky depending on whether you wish to include H1 Mother Tongue. If you wish to understand more on the calculation, please click here.
Students going to Polytechnic will be graded by modules that they have taken throughout their courses. The grading comes in the form of GPA (Grade Point Average) which provides an overview of a student’s academic performance. The maximum GPA you can get is 4. Please see the table below for a general guideline on the grade points for the various grades you get in Poly.
3) School Life
For Junior College, it’s pretty much the same as secondary school. You will need to wear school uniform. You will have your tutorials in class and when you are learning new chapters you will usually go to lecture theatre. Don’t expect to skip classes without your teachers informing your parents!
For Poly, you will get a glimpse of what university life is! You are not required to wear school uniform anymore. You are treated as an adult and you will have your freedom to choose whether to attend lectures. No one is going to ask why you did not attend (my advice is, please attend!).
That’s pretty much the important things you need to know about the differences between JC and Poly. If you have finished O level and you are contemplating about whether to go JC or Poly, you can check out Should I go to Junior College or Polytechnic?