Mother Tongue Languages
Find out if your child is eligible for Higher Mother Tongue or a Third Language, and what steps to take to secure their place.
(I) Higher Mother Tongue
HMTL offers students the chance to study Chinese, Malay or Tamil at a more advanced level. It is a four-year course leading to the GCE O-Level examination for HMTL in Sec 4.
MOE criteria to offer HMTL
Students must get either:
PSLE MTL Score of AL1/AL2 OR
HMTL score of Distinction/Merit
For students who are eligible (meet MOE's criteria) to offer HMTL, MOE HMTL option form will be sent via Parents Gateway. Parents/guardians will be required to respond through the PG consent forms by 24th December 2025, 12:00 pm.
Students who perform well in G3 MTL during Secondary 1 and show a strong interest in the subject will have the opportunity to take Higher Mother Tongue starting in Secondary 2. Please encourage your child to continue putting effort into Mother Tongue Language and inform the Mother Tongue Language teacher of their interest in taking Higher Mother Tongue Language in Secondary 2, so the teacher can provide support and guidance.
(II) Third Language
Eligible students who have applied will be notified of their application outcome through Parents Gateway on 19th December 2025, 6.00 pm.
Successful applicants assigned to Malay Special Programme (MSP)/ Chinese Special Programme (CSP) zonal centres or Ministry of Education Language Centre (MOELC) should refer to the respective zonal centre or MOELC website for registration instructions to accept their offer. Students who do not register by the specified deadline will have their spots reallocated to applicants on the waiting list.