O-Level written papers start on Monday 19 October as planned, and MOE will consider moving them only if the 24-hour PSI forecast for the next day reaches the hazardous range, above 300. The Ministry of Education set out the exam and school-closure rules on Friday 16 October, at the government’s first haze press conference this year.
At 5am on Saturday the 24-hour PSI stood at 194 in the central region, 185 in the west, 179 in the east, 164 in the south and 145 in the north. All five readings sit in the unhealthy band.
Will the O-Level and A-Level papers go ahead?
Yes. The main written O-Level papers run from 19 October to 10 November. A-Level candidates sit the H2 Physics practical on 19 October and the H2 Biology practical on 22 October, before the written papers open with General Paper on 2 November. PSLE papers ended on 30 September.
Every candidate sits in an enclosed, air-conditioned room with air purifiers running. That arrangement is meant to stop a paper from being halted if the haze worsens halfway through a session.
O-Level papers are the ones most likely to move, because the health advisory for younger students is stricter. A-Level papers are less likely to be affected since the candidates are older, although MOE will still weigh actual conditions on the day.
Who announces a change, and how will families hear?
The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) announces any rescheduled paper publicly and moves it to the earliest practicable date. If schools close, the national exams set for that day are rescheduled, and the change comes out together with the closure notice.
School candidates hear through their schools. Private candidates hear from SEAB. MOE has flagged fake school-closure messages on social media and directs parents to its own channels and Parents Gateway.
There is a precedent. When MOE closed primary and secondary schools for a day on 25 September 2015, an O-Level practical set for that day moved to 29 September, and the PSLE went ahead on 1 October in enclosed rooms with purifiers.
What if a candidate is unwell on an exam day?
The candidate sees a doctor, gets a medical certificate, tells the school and applies for special consideration through the school. Haze-related illness goes through the same process as any other illness, and MOE’s position is that all candidates will be fairly assessed. Private candidates inform SEAB through its online feedback form and apply through the Candidates Portal.
SEAB accepts only a medical document that meets four conditions:
- a diagnosis by a doctor registered with the Singapore Medical Council
- dated on or before the affected exam date
- covering the exam date or exam period
- supplementary information on how the illness affected the candidate, whether they sat the paper unwell or could not sit it
Files sent with the application must not be password-protected.
When would schools close?
MOE will consider closing schools and moving students from pre-school to secondary level to home-based learning when the next day’s 24-hour PSI forecast is hazardous. The decision is generally made a day ahead on the National Environment Agency’s forecast and announced with the health advisory, so notice can be short. It is not tied rigidly to one number: students’ ages, vulnerabilities and health conditions also count.
A closure does not shut the gates. Primary and secondary schools stay physically open, and teachers supervise children whose parents have no other care arrangement. School-based student care centres keep running for existing students, and special education schools and special student care centres stay open.
MOE Kindergartens, Kindergarten Care and preschools licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency also stay open, with indoor activities in rooms with air purifiers. Kindergarten programmes and early intervention services such as EIPIC are suspended in that scenario, and parents are strongly encouraged to keep infants and young children at home. Junior colleges, Millennia Institute, polytechnics, ITE and universities are likely to keep in-person lessons.
What happens in school before that point?
At a 24-hour PSI of 201 to 300, schools drop outdoor activities and indoor physical activities, and all students stay in enclosed spaces with air purifiers. Every classroom already has one.
O-Level results are due between 13 and 15 January 2027, and A-Level results between 19 and 23 February 2027.
