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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on DSA Year 1
Dear Parents & Guardians
We thank you very much for your interest in the ACS (Independent) Direct School Admission. It is our
hope that this list of FAQ will help to answer any questions you may have. You may also wish to
access the school website http://www.acs.sch.edu.sg/acs_indep for more information.
While we understand that you may be anxious about the outcome of your son’s application, there is
no need to call to enquire about the status of your application. We assure you that all applicants
will be duly notified about the DSA outcome: successful students will receive a phone call from the
school and unsuccessful applicants will be informed via postal mail by the end of August. We ask for
your patience and understanding in this matter.
ACS (Independent) DSA Committee
A. Questions relating to DSA application
A1. What is DSA?
DSA stands for Direct School Admission. The Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise aims to
promote holistic education by giving participating schools greater flexibility in selecting students
while holding to the key principles of transparency and meritocracy. For students, the DSA provides
them the opportunity to demonstrate a more diverse range of achievements, talents and personal
qualities when seeking admission to secondary schools.
There are two DSA exercises for admission into ACS (Independent) Year 1, one for admission to the
Integrated Programme (a through train six-year course that leads to the International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme) and the other for admission to the Express Programme (a four-year course
which leads to the GCE ‘O’ Level examinations). Please visit the school website:
http://www.acs.sch.edu.sg/acs_indep and the IBO website https://www.ibo.org/ for more
information on the programmes.
A2. How do you select the students? What do you look out for?
For DSA-IP, students will be selected based on their Primary 4 to 6 school examination results,
outcomes of a Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) as well as submission of a detailed three-page
application form which includes personal portfolio (CCAs, leadership qualities, etc) and personal
statement (short essay).
For DSA–Express Programme, students will be selected based on their Primary 4 to 6 school
examination results, their personal portfolio and ability in niche areas (athletics, badminton,
bowling, international chess, cricket, rugby, sailing, softball, squash, swimming, tennis and
waterpolo).
A3. Are students who are not studying in the Singapore local schools eligible to apply for the
DSA? I am not sitting for PSLE; so can I apply for DSA? How and when do I apply?
Yes, you can participate in the DSA exercise. However, you are required to obtain a registration
number from MOE Customer Service Centre. The issuing of registration numbers from MOE Service
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Centre will commence from the 2nd week of May. The contact number for the MOE Customer
Service Centre is 6872 2220. The registration number should be submitted with your completed
application form to the school.
A4. When and how do I apply for DSA?
The ACS (Independent) DSA Exercise for Year 1 commences on 12 April 2014 and closes on 20 June
2014. All application forms, personal portfolio and personal statement and photocopies of
supporting documents must be received by the closing date, 20 June 2014.
DSA Express
Students applying for DSA-Express must participate in the selection trials for sports. Applications
and a payment of $30 for sport selection trial must be received before the closing date of the trial
date. Please refer to document “DSA Year 1 Time Frame, Registration for HAST & Sport Selection
Trials Annex”.
DSA IP
Students applying for DSA-IP must register for the Higher Ability Selection Test and must register
and make payment of $80 before the closing dates of their preferred HAST date.
Closing date for registration of the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST):
 12 June 2014 for 27 June 2014 HAST
 20 June 2014 for 3 July or 4 July 2014 HASTs.
IP applicants who wish to be considered to DSA Express may also register for the sports selection
trials. There is no addition payment necessary should you wish to register for the sports selection
trials and be considered for DSA Express.
A5. What are the DSA registration fees?
The DSA registration fees are as follows:
Application for
DSA Integrated Programme
DSA Integrated Programme & Express Programme
(IP applicants who are interested to be considered for
DSA-Express must register for Sport Selection Trials)
DSA Express Programme
Fees Payable
$80 (if taking the HAST)
$30 (if exempt from HAST)
$30
Payment may be made by cash or cheque (payable to ‘ACS (Independent)’).
Students on financial assistance schemes need not pay the DSA registration fees. Please provide
supporting documents with your application form.
A6. Can I apply for DSA in other schools too?
Yes, you may apply to as many schools as you wish for the DSA Exercise.
B. Questions on the Higher Ability Selection Test
B1. How do I register for DSA / HAST? How and where do I apply? When is the test and do I have
to pay for the test?
Only students applying for IP need sit the HAST. There are 3 HAST dates available and your HAST
registration must be received by the school before the registration deadline for the respective HAST
dates. The 3 HAST dates are: Friday, 27 June 2014 from 9 am to 11:30 am;
 Thursday, 3 July 2014 from 2:30 pm to 5 pm; and
 Friday, 4 July 2014 from 2:30 pm to 5 pm.
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The closing date for the HAST registration is 12 June 2014 for 27 June 2014 test and 20 June 2014
for 3 July 2014 or 4 July 2014 tests.
GEP students who obtained an Overall Percentage (based on English Language, Mother Tongue,
Mathematics and Science) of 80% in their Primary 6 First Semester Examination will be exempted
from the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). However you are still required to complete the 3page IP application form and submit it with photocopies of supporting documents by 20 June 2014.
To ensure that your documents are in order, we encourage applicants to register for the HAST
personally at the School Admin Office. To register, you will need to provide information on the
student’s name, Birth Certificate number, Primary school, date of birth, parents’ contact numbers
and home address. If you are not studying in a local school, you must obtain a registration number
from the Ministry of Education (contact MOE Customer Service Centre at 6872 2220) before you can
register for the HAST.
Another person may register on behalf of the student at the School Admin Office. The DSA
application forms are available from the School Admin Office upon HAST registration.
For IP application, a HAST fee of S$80 is payable either by cash or cheque made payable to ‘ACS
(Independent)’. The registration fee for IP applicants exempted from HAST is $30. NETS or Credit
Card payment are not available.
Completed DSA application forms together with the personal portfolio, personal statement and
photocopies of supporting documents must be submitted to the school by 20 June 2014. The
forms can be submitted personally or via postal mail.
B2. Do GEP students need to sit the HAST?
GEP students who obtained an Overall Percentage (based on English Language, Mother Tongue,
Mathematics and Science) of 80% in their Primary 6 First Semester Examination will be exempted
from the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). The registration fee for IP applicants exempted from
HAST is $30.
Such applicants are still required to complete the 3-page IP application form and submit it with
photocopies of supporting documents (all stapled or clipped together & please do not put in a file)
to ACS (Independent) – DSA Year 1 Application, 121 Dover Road, Singapore 139650 by 20 June 2014.
B3. Is your test the same as those conducted in other schools? Do we have to go for camps after
the test?
No, our test is not the same as other schools. If you have taken tests at other schools, you will still
be required to take our tests if you want to participate in our DSA exercise. We do not conduct
camps after the test. We would like to make the DSA exercise as simple as possible as students
should be spending their time preparing for the PSLE.
B4. What is the test about? Where can I get past years’ papers for the test?
The Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) comprises 3 test papers – Reading Comprehension (45
minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (40 minutes) and Abstract Reasoning (30 minutes). The total
duration of the HAST is about 2½ hours. All the papers consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQ)
and students only need to shade their answers. There are no past years’ papers for the test. A
Candidate Information Bulletin will be issued upon registration for the HAST. The Bulletin contains a
few sample questions that will provide a reference to the type of questions covered.
B5. What do I have to bring for HAST?
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Candidates are required to bring their EZ-link card or student pass and HAST registration slip for
identification purposes (If you have misplaced your HAST registration slip, your EZ-link card or
student pass will be used to verify your HAST registration). Students are required to bring HB or B or
2B pencils, eraser and sharpener for the test.
B6. I have taken the test in XYZ School. Do I have to sit for ACS (Independent)’s test?
Yes, you are required to register and take our test if you want to participate in our DSA exercise. The
question papers are not the same and hence students who have sat for XYZ School’s test will not
have an advantage over those who did not.
C. Questions on general DSA matters
C1. Is the DSA only for the Integrated Programme (IP)? What about the DSA for Express
programme?
The DSA exercise is for intake into the IP and/or the Express programme. For DSA-IP, applicants
must take the school’s HAST. IP applicants may also apply to be considered for the Express
programme by indicating so in the IP application form. IP applicants wishing to be considered for the
Express programme must sign up for the sports/games selection trial. The school will consider you
for the four-year Express Programme only if you are not successful for IP. All IP applicants will be
charged a HAST fee of $80 and there is no additional charge if you wish to participate in the
selection trials for consideration into the Express Programme.
Applicants who want to apply for the DSA Express programme only should have clear talents in the
school niche areas. Please refer to C2 for school niche areas. These applicants must register for the
selection trials for the niche sports and will be charged a sport selection trial fee of $30.
C2. My son plays golf; so will he be considered favourably? Do you have selection trials? How do
I register? What are the dates?
Golf is not our niche sport. Our niche sports are Athletics, Badminton, Bowling, International Chess,
Cricket, Rugby, Sailing, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Tennis and Waterpolo. He can list his sport on
the application form but priority will be given to the niche sports.
Selection trials are conducted for Athletics, Badminton, Bowling, Cricket, Rugby, Softball, Squash,
Tennis and Waterpolo. For Swimming, Sailing and Chess, the students’ national age group rankings
and national inter-primary school competitions will be used for consideration.
The
dates
of
the
selection
trials
are
posted
on
our
school
website
(http://www.acs.sch.edu.sg/acs_indep) under the document titled ‘DSA Year 1 Time Frame,
Registration For HAST & Sport Selection Trials’ and you will have to register at our School Admin
Office which opens from Mondays to Fridays (8 am to 5 pm) by the closing date as indicated in the
‘DSA Year 1 Time Frame, Registration For HAST & Sport Selection Trials’ document.
C3. Do I have to submit my completed forms personally? Can I mail them in? Do I have to attach
photocopies of testimonials, school results, etc?
We encourage registration and payment for HAST and Sport Selection Trials to be done in person at
our School Admin Office. This is to ensure that your registration is received in time for the
HAST/Sports Selection Trial deadline.
The completed application forms and photocopies of all supporting documents can be mailed to our
school at the address indicated on our application forms. There is no need to approach primary
schools for “Certified True Copies”. You are also not required to put your completed application
forms and documents in a file; the documents may simply be stapled or clipped together for
submission.
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C4. What is the number of places available for DSA? What is the PSLE cut-off point for entry to
ACS (Independent)? What is the PSLE cut-off point for IP?
IP
Express Programme
No. of DSA Exercise places available
80
50
No. Of PSLE Posting Exercise places available
80
200
Total Number of Places
160
250
As a guide, the PSLE cut-off point in 2014 was 249 for non-affiliated primary schools and 235 for
affiliated primary schools (i.e., ACS Primary and ACS Junior). For the IP, the PSLE cut-off point was
253 for both non-affiliated and affiliated primary schools.
D. Questions relating to DSA outcomes
D1. When will we know the test result? When will I know whether I am successful? Will the
school inform us?
The HAST results will not be revealed to students or parents.
The HAST result is not the only criteria for consideration. The school also considers applicants’
Primary 4 to 6 exam results, their personal portfolio and personal statement. As such, please ensure
that the three-page application form is completed and submitted with photocopies of supporting
documents to our school by 20 June 2014. There is no need for “Certified True Copies” of the
documents by the primary schools. Photocopies will suffice. You will be informed to bring along the
original copies if you are required to come down to the school.
All applicants will be duly notified about the DSA outcome. Successful and short-listed candidates
will be contacted by phone sometime from 3rd week of August to meet the Principal and collect the
offer letters. All successful candidates will be contacted by telephone. If you are not contacted, it is
likely that you are unsuccessful in the DSA exercise and will be informed in writing via postal mail or
email by the end of August. Please call the school only after end of August if you still do not receive
either a call or letter from the school.
D2. Will there be interviews?
Interviews will only be conducted if deemed necessary, for instance to establish some facts.
Students will be duly informed.
D3. Do I need to submit anything else before you call us?
There is no need to submit anything else if you have not been informed by the school to do so.
D4. If I have been informed that I am successful in my application, do I have to accept the offer
immediately?
There is no need to accept any offer during the DSA exercise period. Students who are given
Confirmed Offers or Waitlist offers will only exercise their DSA option in October (tentatively on 20
October 2014). MOE will issue School Preference Form to successful DSA students (Confirmed
Offers or Waitlist Offers) through their primary schools and these students will indicate their
choices. Upon release of PSLE results in November, students who have received DSA Confirmed
Offers or Waitlist Offers will know the outcome of their DSA choices and be informed of the school
they are posted to. They will not take part in the MOE Central Posting exercise.
D5. Is my Confirmed Offer for DSA dependent on my PSLE results?
The Confirmed Offer from ACS (Independent) is guaranteed, so long you are eligible for the Express
Stream based on your PSLE results (PSLE score of 200 and above).
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D6. If I accept your offer can I also accept other schools’ offers? How many offers can I accept?
You can receive as many confirmed offers as possible. However, schools appreciate that you inform
them if you do not intend to take up their confirmed offer. This would allow schools to offer the
place to other students on the waitlist.
D7. I received a waitlist offer. How and when do I know that my offer is changed to confirmed
offer?
You will only know upon release of PSLE results.
D8. What is this DSA Preference Option?
Students who are given Confirmed Offers and Waitlist Offers will be issued with this DSA Preference
Option form by MOE through their primary schools in October. The form will show all the offers
that the student has and he has to indicate his first choice, second choice, etc. Upon the release of
PSLE results, as long as he is posted to Express Stream his DSA choices will be considered and he will
then be informed of his posted school. Once you are posted to a school via your DSA Preference
Option you will not participate in the MOE Central Posting exercise based on PSLE results. In
addition you will not be allowed to transfer to other secondary schools.
D9. From previous years of the DSA Exercise, how many students apply via the DSA exercise and
how many will be successful in the application to ACS (Independent)?
The school receives about 800 DSA applications; of which only 80 and 50 will be offered the IP and
Express Programme respectively.
The school takes in more students via the PSLE posting exercise; another 80 and 200 for the IP and
Express Programme respectively.
E. Questions relating to IP, IB & Mother Tongue subject in the school
E1. What is the IP? What is IB? Do local universities recognize IB diploma?
IP stands for Integrated Programme - a six-year through train programme. Students spend six years
in ACS (Independent) and are not required to sit for the GCE ‘O’ level examination. In their fifth and
sixth years, they do the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) which is an
established pre-university course of study. ACS (Independent)’s IP students will sit the IB Diploma
examinations, not the GCE ‘A’ level examination.
As the IB programme is a university-bound course of study, most of our students will apply for a
university course of study after obtaining their IB Diploma. The local universities recognise and
accept the IB Diploma. University admission will depend on the university and the course applied
for. The IB Diploma is a very well-recognised international pre-university qualification and
established universities around the world readily give places to IB Diploma graduates.
Please access the school website: http://www.acs.sch.edu.sg/acs_indep and the IBO website
https://www.ibo.org/ for more information on the programmes.
E2. If I offer Higher Mother Tongue in primary school, do I have to do Higher Mother Tongue in
secondary school?
Upon release of the PSLE posting results, students will be informed by MOE on their eligibility to
offer Higher Mother Tongue (HMT) in secondary school. Students are given the option to offer HMT
or Mother Tongue (MT). Please inform the school during the Secondary 1 registration exercise which
will take place on the next day after the release of MOE posting in December.
A student will only be allowed to drop HMT if he is not coping well with the subject. A HMT student
will be required to sit for the MT GCE ‘O’ Level examination in Secondary 3 and the Higher MT GCE
‘O’ Level examination in Secondary 4. If a student does not perform well in the Secondary 3 MT GCE
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‘O’ Level examination, he may request to drop HMT and re-take the MT GCE ‘O’ Level examination
in Secondary 4.
E3. I am exempted from Mother Tongue in primary school. Do I have to offer Mother Tongue in
your school?
If you have been exempted from offering Mother Tongue by MOE in the primary school, the
exemption will still be applicable in ACS (Independent).
If you are an IP student, the exemption will carry through until the end of Year 6. For International
Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma all Year 5 and 6 students are required to do a Group 2: Language
Acquisition subject – Language B or Language ab initio (beginner). Students who are exempted from
Mother Tongue will offer ab initio languages such as French, Spanish, Mandarin and Malay. These
ab initio subjects are offered in the school during curriculum time.
E4. Do you offer Chinese B in your school? How do I apply to do it?
Yes, Year 1 to 4 students can opt to do Chinese B. Students will be required to inform the teachers
during the Secondary 1 registration exercise at the school.
E5. Can I opt to do Hindi, Punjabi or other Non-Tamil Indian Languages in your school? Are the
classes conducted in the school?
Hindi is conducted in our school with a special arrangement with a private Hindi teacher but
students will be required to pay for the cost of these lessons. Students who wish to offer Punjabi or
other Non-Tamil Indian Languages will be required to offer these languages outside school and after
school curriculum hours.
F. Questions on CCAs
F1. What are your CCAs and how many CCAs must my son take?
We have a very wide range of CCAs. Please refer to the MOE booklet “Choosing Your Secondary
Schools” for the full range of CCAs available in our school. It is compulsory for all our Year 1 to 4
students (equivalent to Secondary 1 to 4) to have two CCAs; one of which must be a uniformed
group.
G. Questions on School Fees and Financial Matters
G1. What are your school fees per month?
Fees charges for 2014 are as follows:-
Level
Citizenship
Singaporean
Singapore PR
Express Year 1 to Year 4
Foreigner (ASEAN)
Foreigner (Non-ASEAN)
Singaporean
Singapore PR
Integrated Programme
(IP) Year 1 to Year 4
Foreigner (ASEAN)
Foreigner (Non-ASEAN)
Singaporean
International
Baccalaureate Diploma
Singapore PR
Programme (IBDP) Year 5 Foreigner (ASEAN)
School
Fee (per
month)
$280
$410
$905
$1,050
$300
$435
$945
$1,100
$450
$645
$1,455
Misc Fee
(per
month)
$45
$45
$45
$45
$45
$45
$45
$45
$50
$50
$50
Total Fee
(per
month)
$325
$455
$950
$1,095
$345
$480
$990
$1,145
$500
$695
$1,505
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to Year 6
Foreigner (Non-ASEAN)
$1,675
$50
$1,725
G2. Does your school offer scholarship? How do I apply?
Students who are Singapore Citizens and who have obtained a very high PSLE score may be awarded
the EESIS (Edusave Entrance Scholarships for Independent Schools) by MOE. There is no need to
apply for EESIS as these awards are conferred by MOE. All awardees will receive an EESIS letter from
MOE upon the release of the PSLE results.
EESIS is tenable for studies at any Independent School (IS) offering the Integrated Programme (IP) at
Secondary 1. The annual Scholarship quantum is $2,400, or the annual school fees charged by the IS
less the annual amount of school and standard miscellaneous fees paid by pupils in
government/government-aided schools, whichever is lower, less any other subsidies provided by
MOE or the school for IS fees.
G3. Do you have financial assistance scheme? How do I apply?
The MOE Independent Schools (IS) Bursary and the ACS (Independent) Financial Assistance Schemes
are available for application for Singaporean Citizens only. We regret the school does not offer any
financial assistance schemes for Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) or International Students.
Singapore Citizens applying for the MOE ISB need only satisfy either the Gross Household Income
(GHI) or the Per Capita Income (PCI) criterion. PCI is computed based on the GHI divided by the
number of members in the household (including parents, siblings and grandparents). The income
criteria for MOE IS Bursary are as follows:Monthly Gross
Household Income
Not exceeding
$2,500
Per Capita Income
Benefits
Not exceeding $625
100% subsidy of school and miscellaneous
fees
Free textbooks and school attire (2 sets) at
Secondary level; $750 bursary at Junior
College level
75% subsidy of national exam fees (100%
subsidy for students under MSF Public
Assistance Scheme)
90% subsidy of school and miscellaneous
fees
70% subsidy of school and miscellaneous
fees
50% subsidy of school and miscellaneous
fees
33% subsidy of school and miscellaneous
fees
$2,501 - $4,000
$626 - $1,000
$4,001 - $5,000
$1,001 - $1,250
$5,001 - $6,000
1,251 - $1,500
$6,001 - $7,200
$1,501 - $1,800
Apart from the MOE Independent Schools Bursary or the ACS (Independent) Financial Assistance
Schemes, Singapore Citizens may also apply for various financial assistance schemes such as the
Pacific Healthcare and the Class of 1978 Bursaries to help cover the cost of school fees and other
school payments.
H. Questions on Other School-related Matters
H1. What are your school hours?
The school curriculum hours are as follows:Year 1 to Year 4
(Sec 1 to Sec 4)
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
Wednesday (Week A)
7:30 am to 2:40 pm
7:30 am to 1:40 pm
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Year 5 to Year 6
H2.
Wednesday (Week B)
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Friday
7:30 am to 1:00 pm
Monday
Tuesday, Wednesday (Week A) &
Thursday
7:30 am to 4:00 pm
7:30 am to ranges from
2:40 pm till 4:00 pm
Wednesday (Week B)
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Friday
7:30 am to 1:00 pm
Can students apply to ACS (Independent) Boarding School? What are the fees?
Yes, the Boarding School Fees are as follows:
ACS (Independent) Students
Singapore citizen
Singapore PR
Foreigner
Non ACS (Independent) Students
Singapore citizen
Singapore PR
Foreigner
Fees per semester
$3,700
$4,440
$5,000
$4,900
$5,880
$6,600
For more information on the ACS (Independent) Boarding School, please refer to
http://sites.acsindep.edu.sg/boarding_school/Site/Foreword.html
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