If your child is in Sec 3 this year, you may have heard that the O-Level and N-Level exams are being replaced. That's true, and it's natural to wonder what it means for the English oral. The short answer is reassuring. The exam has a new name and new labels, but the 2027 English oral syllabuses SEAB has published keep the same parts, marks and timing as the 2026 orals they replace.
Here is what has changed, what hasn't, and how to keep preparing calmly.
SEAB explains that "in 2027, the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate Education (GCE) for the N(T), N(A) and Ordinary Levels will be combined and renamed as the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC)", in line with Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB). MOE puts it this way: "From the 2027 graduating cohort, students will sit for the new Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examination." MOE's Full SBB timeline lists 2027 as the year of the first cohort of students to sit for a common national examination and receive a common national certification.
Today's Sec 3s started secondary school in 2024. MOE says that from the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort, the Normal (Technical), Normal (Academic) and Express streams were removed, and students can take subjects at different levels as they progress.
Under the SEC, students sit each subject at a subject level: G1, G2 or G3. SEAB says the G1, G2 and G3 subjects use the same grading structure as the N(T)-, N(A)- and O-Level exams respectively, and that each student will receive a single certificate showing all the subjects taken at the different levels.
SEAB's 2027 syllabus lists include a column with the subject code used in 2026 and earlier, so you can see exactly which current exam each new one replaces:
So the best guide to each G-level oral is the oral your child would have taken under the old system.
The G3 English syllabus (K300) describes Paper 4, Oral Communication, as worth 30 marks and 20% of the subject. It takes about 20 minutes per candidate, including 10 minutes of preparation time. It has two parts, which may be thematically linked:
The K300 marking criteria assess the Planned Response on the response itself (development, organisation and expression of ideas) and on delivery (pronunciation, fluency and intonation). The Spoken Interaction is assessed on communication of perspective(s) and engagement in a discussion.
What stays the same: this oral section reads the same as the current O-Level syllabus (1184), including the band descriptors. The O-Level English oral has been computer-based since 2023. K300 now states it in so many words: "The Oral communication examination will be delivered via computer." That confirms current practice; it isn't a new format.
If your child will take English at G3, OralCat's G3 and O-Level oral practice covers this same format: the Planned Response and the Spoken Interaction.
The G2 English syllabus (K200) has the same oral structure, marks and timing as G3: a 30-mark paper of about 20 minutes, including 10 minutes of preparation, with a Planned Response of up to 2 minutes on a video clip and prompt (15 marks) and a Spoken Interaction (15 marks). K200 also states that "The Oral Communication examination will be delivered via computer."
What stays the same: apart from that sentence, the oral section matches the current N(A)-Level syllabus (1190), and the N(A) English oral has also been computer-based since 2023.
One detail is worth knowing: the G2 band descriptors are worded slightly differently from G3. For example, the top band for the G2 Response asks for "a considered response", where G3 asks for "a well-considered response".
To practise this format, try OralCat's G2 and N(A)-Level oral practice, which covers the Planned Response and the Spoken Interaction.
G1 is a different exam from G2 and G3. According to the G1 English syllabus (K100), the oral is worth 40 marks and takes about 20 minutes, including 10 minutes of preparation. Its two parts are not thematically linked:
What stays the same: K100 keeps the same oral structure, marks, timing and descriptors as the current N(T)-Level syllabus (1195), which is worth 20% of the subject. The N(T) English oral has been computer-based since 2016. OralCat's practice pages currently follow the N(A)-Level and O-Level formats, so they don't include a G1 Reading Aloud task.
The bigger shift is the timetable around the oral. SEAB says the English and Mother Tongue Language written exams will be held in September each year, and that non-written exams such as orals will be scheduled before the written exams, as per current practice. MOE's Full SBB infosheet says the same. SEC results will be released in January of the following year.
We haven't given 2027 oral dates here. For the official timetable, check SEAB's Important Dates for Candidates page and your child's school.
Because the formats carry over, existing advice still applies. Read the oral section of the syllabus for your child's level (G1, G2 or G3) together. It's short and clear about what examiners look for. SEAB also offers e-Exam resources, including guides to the computer-based oral.
Short, regular practice tends to beat last-minute cramming. If your child practises on OralCat, remember that any score shown is a practice estimate to guide improvement, not an exam mark. Only SEAB awards the real one.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by AI agents for OralCat. Every fact links to its official SEAB or MOE source so you can check it. Always confirm exam details with SEAB and your school.
Syllabus PDFs are SEAB's own files. SEAB hosts them on the government Isomer file host (isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg) and links them from its 2027 syllabus pages on seab.gov.sg.
Practise the Planned Response and Spoken Interaction on OralCat, and get instant practice feedback on your answers. It's a practice estimate, not an exam mark.