Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Find answers to common questions about transferring to Dunman Secondary School, Mother Tongue Language options, and Full Subject-Based Banding for Secondary 1 students.
Transfer to Dunman Secondary School
1. My child/ ward has accepted an offer for DSA, can he/ she apply for a transfer to Dunman Secondary School?
Direct School Admission – Secondary (DSA-Sec) students are expected to honour their commitments to study in the allocated DSA-Sec school for the entire duration of the programme they are admitted to.
2. Can my child/ ward apply for a transfer due to medical reasons?
Please contact the school’s general office @ 6786 2668. For appeals that are based on medical reasons (serious medical conditions or severe physical impairments), please request through the posted school before 12:00 p.m. on 22 December 2025.
3. Can my child/ ward apply for a transfer to Dunman Secondary School due to any other non-medical reasons?
Primary 6 students who have just received their secondary school posting in 2025 may use the link below to appeal for transfer to Dunman Secondary School. Their PSLE score should meet the school’s cut-off point of the posting year. Transfer will be subjected to available vacancies and the school’s admission criteria.
Do note the following:
The personal information provided will solely be used for the purpose of appealing for secondary school transfer based on non-medical reasons.
The school will not disclose reasons for selection/ non-selection of students.
Students with pending appeals should still report to the posted secondary school on 2 January 2026.
The application is deemed to be unsuccessful if you do not hear from the school by 3 January 2026.
Please click here (opens in new tab) to appeal to transfer to Dunman Secondary School.
Mother Tongue Languages (MTL)
Higher Mother Tongue Languages (Higher Chinese/ Higher Malay/ Higher Tamil)
1. Does the school provide in-house HMTL lessons?
Dunman Secondary School does provide in-house HMTL lessons, which are held concurrently with MTL lessons during curriculum time.
2. Who are eligible to opt for HMTL subject in Sec 1?
Students who attained AL1/AL2 in Mother Tongue Language (MTL) or Distinction/Merit in Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMT), are eligible to study Higher Chinese/Higher Malay/Higher Tamil at secondary school level.
Students who are eligible for HMTL will be invited to opt-in or opt-out of the HMTL offer through Parents’ Gateway (PG) by 22 December 2025. Parents/ Guardians are to respond via PG by 26 December 2025 to indicate if they accept the offer(s).
3. For students who were not eligible for HMTL subject but are keen to take on HMTL, when can they apply for HMTL?
For Secondary 1 students who are offered G3 MTL but not eligible at the beginning of the year, may be offered HMTL at the end of Secondary 1.
The selection criteria will be based on their academic achievements in their end-of-year examination (overall academic performance and MTL end-of-year results) and by recommendation from their subject teachers. Only students who are selected will be offered HMTL in Secondary 2.
Mother Tongue Language at a Less Demanding Level (LDL)
4. What is MTL LDL?
Students who face exceptional difficulties coping with learning MTL will have the option to offer G1 or G2 MTL based on their performance at the PSLE.
S1 Mother Tongue Mapping: Overview of PSLE AL and Foundation grades relative to G1, G2, and G3 subject options
With greater flexibility afforded by the MTL offerings at G1, G2 and G3, MTL 'B' will be discontinued in secondary schools from 2024.
Foreign Languages (FL) or Asian Languages (AL) in lieu of Mother Tongue Language (Not as 3rd Languages)
5. Do students who have gotten approval to take FL/AL subjects in lieu of MTL in Primary School need to re-apply for the approval?
No. Secondary 1 students who have gotten approval to take a FL/ AL in lieu of MTL in Primary School do not need to re-apply for approval.
6. Does the school provide AL/FL lessons in school?
No. Students are required to learn the AL/ FL privately at the secondary level, as instruction is not provided by MOE. Students are required to provide documentation (e.g. marked assignment, result slip, payment receipt) to the school to show that they are learning AL/ FL regularly.
Application for Third Languages - L3s (FL/ AL/ CSP/ MSP)
7. Who are eligible to take Third Languages?
The L3s which students are eligible for are indicated on their S1 Option Form. If a particular L3 is not indicated, it means they are not eligible for that L3. Students should have indicated the choices of L3 via (i) the S1 Internet System or (ii) through his/her primary school.
Students who had applied for L3, will be informed of the results of their applications through Parents’ Gateway (PG App). For successful applicants, they will also be informed of the registration matters.
(For Foreign Languages (FL) such as French, German, Japanese and Spanish, students must obtain a PSLE Score of 8 or better. However, if number of applicants exceed the vacancies, applicants are selected based on PSLE results.)
8. Does the school provide L3s during school curriculum?
No. Students will have to attend their L3 lessons after school curriculum at the respective allocated Language Centres.
Application for Exemption
9. Who are eligible to apply for MTL Exemption?
Students may be eligible for MTL exemption if they:
Are Singaporeans returning from overseas in the middle of their primary school education journey.
Have been overseas for a long period of time and had no opportunity to learn an official MTL, a Non-Tamil Indian Language (NTIL) or an approved Foreign or Asian Language.
Have special educational needs, with severe difficulties in coping with overall learning.
Students who wish to apply for MTL exemption in secondary school are to contact HOD/ MTL for further advice. Applicants with medical conditions or special needs will need to submit all reports when applying for exemption and all applications are subject to approval by MOE.
Students who were exempted in primary school do not need to re-apply.
Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB)
With the implementation of Full SBB for Secondary 1 students starting from 2024, students who offer most subjects at G1 or G2 are eligible to offer English Language (EL), Mother Tongue Languages (MTL), Mathematics (MA) and Science (SCI) at a more demanding level from the start of Secondary 1 if they have performed well in these subjects at the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
Offering Subjects at More Demanding Levels (MDL)
1. What are the criteria for a student to be offered to take subject at a more demanding level?
Eligibility of students to offer subject(s) at a more demanding level:
Eligibility criteria of students to offer subject(s) at a more demanding level
2. How will I know if my child is offered with subject(s) at MDL?
Students who are eligible to take subject(s) at MDL will be notified through Parents’ Gateway (PG) by 22 December 2025. Parents/ Guardians are to respond via PG by 26 December 2025 to indicate if they accept the offer(s).
3. For information on Full SBB, please visit the MOE Website: https://www.moe.gov.sg/microsites/psle-fsbb/full-subject-based-banding/main.html (opens in new tab)
where you can find out all the information pertaining the Full SBB.