What is the AEIS?
The Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS) is run by Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) with the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB). It admits international students to mainstream schools at Primary 2β5 and Secondary 1β3 in the following January. A supplementary exercise (S-AEIS) is held in February/March for admission in the same year (Primary 2β4 and Secondary 1β2 only).
Key dates
- AEIS 2026: tests 1β3 September 2026; outcomes released 10β21 December 2026; school starts January 2027.
- AEIS 2027: applications expected to open around June/July 2027; tests in September 2027.
- S-AEIS 2027: applications in January 2027; tests in early March 2027.
- Fees (2026): S$340 for primary, S$630 for secondary, plus GST, non-refundable.
The golden rule: one level below
Candidates are tested on the syllabus of the level preceding the one they apply for. Applying for Primary 4 means the Primary 3 Mathematics syllabus; applying for Secondary 2 means Secondary 1 English and Mathematics.
Primary applicants (P2βP5)
Since 2022 there is no MOE English paper for primary levels. Applicants must first obtain a Cambridge English Qualifications (CEQ) result at or above the MOE threshold, taken within the 12 months before the July application window, and then sit the AEIS Mathematics paper.
| Applying for | CEQ test | Minimum score | Maths content tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary 2 | A2 Key for Schools | 100 | Primary 1 |
| Primary 3 | A2 Key for Schools | 120 | Primary 2 |
| Primary 4 | A2 Key for Schools | 130 | Primary 3 |
| Primary 5 | B1 Preliminary for Schools | 140 | Primary 4 |
Mathematics paper, Primary 2/3: Part 1 β 29 multiple-choice questions in 25 minutes; Part 2 β 17 short-answer questions in 40 minutes. Primary 4/5: Part 1 β 30 MCQ in 35 minutes; Part 2 β 8 short-answer and 6 open-ended questions in 50 minutes. No calculators; working must be shown.
Secondary applicants (S1βS3)
English (2 h 10 min): Part 1 is a composition (Sec 1: 200β300 words from 2 topics; Sec 2: 250β350 words from 4 topics; Sec 3: 300β400 words from 4 topics). Part 2 is 50 compulsory multiple-choice questions: reading comprehension (2 passages), comprehension cloze (2 passages), vocabulary (10) and grammar (10).
Mathematics (2 h 15 min): Part 1 β 34 MCQ in 30 minutes; Part 2 β about 20 short-answer and 10β15 open-ended questions in 1 h 45 min. No calculators; method marks are awarded for working.
Placement
Admission is not guaranteed. Successful candidates may be placed at the level applied for or one to two levels lower, depending on performance and vacancies near the declared residential address. Roughly one in five applicants receives a place, so early, targeted preparation matters.
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Sources: MOE AEIS pages and eligibility checker (verified September 2026), SEAB AEIS test details, MOE 2021 Primary Mathematics Syllabus, MOE 2020 Secondary Mathematics Syllabus, Cambridge English exam formats. This site is an independent preparation service and is not affiliated with MOE, SEAB or Cambridge.