At the orientation stage, pupils are placed in one of three language streams, namely EM1, EM2, and EM3, according to their abilities. Pupils in the EM1 and EM2 streams do English, Mother Tongue, Mathematics and Science. Pupils in the EM3 stream do Foundation English, basic Mother Tongue and Foundation Mathematics. Pupils who obtain the necessary standards are then admitted to the Special, Express or Normal stream in secondary schools. At the secondary level, pupils have the choice of three courses designed to match their learning abilities and interests.
Pupils undergo four to five years of secondary education with different curricular emphases.
The majority of pupils undergo the Special course or Express course whilst the rest enter the Normal course. The four-year Special course provides able pupils with the opportunity to study English and the Mother Tongue at a higher level, that is, Higher Chinese, Higher Malay or Higher Tamil. Unlike pupils in the Special course, pupils study English and the Mother Tongue, that is, Chinese, Malay or Tamil. Those who meet the criteria go on for a fifth year of study. The curriculum is geared towards strengthening pupils' proficiency in English and Mathematics.