The five entries at a glance
This table gives the English-requirement entry from each institution's own page, as read in October 2026. It is not a ranking or a conversion chart. The last column shows the role each entry plays, and the NUS Law row is here for comparison only: it does not mention O-Level.
| Institution | What its page lists | The role of the entry |
|---|---|---|
| Temasek Polytechnic (TP) | Two rows pair a Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level English grade with a minimum IELTS score: Grade B4 with IELTS 6.0 and Grade C6 with IELTS 5.5. Source: TP's international students page. | A pairing set by TP, tied by its page to each diploma course's own English requirement. |
| NUS (National University of Singapore) | “EL1119 C6” is one of the options listed for meeting the English Language requirement. The IELTS option on the same sheet is IELTS Academic, 6.5 in Overall, Reading and Writing. Source: NUS's English test scores sheet, marked as updated in September 2026. | A separate option alongside IELTS: a code and a grade, with no subject name. |
| SIT (Singapore Institute of Technology) | Table 2 has a row for “Cambridge 'O' Level English/ EL1119” with an acceptable score of C6, and a separate row for IELTS (Academic) with an acceptable score of 6.5. Source: SIT's international application guide, marked as updated as of 9 December 2025. | A separate row alongside IELTS, with the subject named. |
| SUSS (Singapore University of Social Sciences) | Applicants without a Grade C6 in GCE 'O' level English Language (or equivalent) may be required to take additional test(s). The next sentence is a separate rule, covered below. Source: SUSS's full-time undergraduate admission criteria. | A threshold that may lead to additional tests. That sentence names no IELTS score. |
| NUS Law | A high level of proficiency in the English Language, with five examples after “e.g.”: General Paper B, IELTS 7.0, TOEFL iBT 100, an SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 700 and AP English Language Grade 4. Source: NUS's international prospectus for AY2026/2027. | Examples of a general standard. O-Level is not mentioned. |
Four roles these entries play
The institutions do not use the O-Level grade in the same way, so each entry is worth reading for what it does and for what it leaves unsaid.
A pairing set by one institution (Temasek Polytechnic)
TP's is the only entry that gives two O-Level grades, each with its own IELTS score. Two other sentences on the same page change how to read it. The first says the IELTS/TOEFL requirement varies according to each diploma course's stipulated English Language requirement, so the IELTS figure is tied to the course, and this page cannot tell you the figure for yours. The second says the IELTS/TOEFL English requirement is for holders of any international qualifications except all GCE 'O' level, a list of countries the page names, and International Baccalaureate results.
So the same page pairs O-Level grades with IELTS scores and also words its IELTS/TOEFL requirement with exceptions that include all GCE 'O' level. How those statements fit together for a particular applicant is a question for TP, and this page does not guess.
A separate route alongside IELTS (NUS and SIT)
Both documents list EL1119 with Grade C6 as one way to meet the English requirement, and IELTS as another. Neither says that Grade C6 and IELTS 6.5 are the same level, and neither does this page.
NUS prints only the code and the grade. SIT's table writes out “Cambridge 'O' Level English/ EL1119” in the same row as C6, which is why this page reads EL1119 as the code for O-Level English; if NUS's entry matters to you, confirm with NUS which qualification it means. Our NUS page sets out what NUS's IELTS entry covers. SIT's guide adds that Table 2 applies to applicants presenting an international qualification where the language of instruction is not English, and that where a programme sets a higher requirement, the higher one applies.
A threshold that can trigger more testing (SUSS)
SUSS's sentence about Grade C6 is the only entry in the table that names no IELTS score itself, and its verbs matter: applicants without Grade C6 (or equivalent) “may be required” to take “additional test(s)”. The sentence names no test and does not define “equivalent”, so reading it as “IELTS counts as the equivalent” would add something SUSS did not write there.
The next sentence on the same page is a separate rule. It says applicants with qualifications where English is not the medium of instruction are required to submit an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5, or one of the other tests it lists. Which of the two applies to you depends on your own qualifications, and SUSS is the one to ask.
Examples of a standard, not a conversion (NUS Law)
The five NUS Law examples are introduced with “e.g.”. Examples are not a stated minimum, and listing them together does not make them equal. The prospectus also carries a footnote saying that different English Language requirements apply for Law, so ask NUS what it expects for Law rather than applying the general sheet's 6.5.
Why Grade C6 is not one fixed IELTS number
Grade C6 appears in four of the five entries. At TP it is paired with IELTS 5.5 for the diploma courses, while NUS and SIT list EL1119 C6 and IELTS 6.5 as separate entries, so there is no 6.5-against-5.5 comparison to make. These are different documents written for different programmes, so this page does not average them or turn them into a chart. If you meet a conversion chart elsewhere, check it against the institution's own page first.
A grade and an IELTS band are different kinds of result
On these entries the O-Level side is a single grade for English, such as B4 or C6. An IELTS result is built differently: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking are each scored from 0 to 9 in half-band steps, and the overall band is their average, rounded to the nearest half band. Two people with the same overall band can therefore have different skill scores, which is why an entry like NUS's, naming Reading and Writing as well as the overall band, needs reading in full. The band score calculator shows how four skill scores average into an overall band.
Five checks before you rely on any entry
- Match your qualification by name. If yours is not named on the page, do not assume it follows the O-Level entry. Ask the admissions office.
- Identify the role of the entry. A pairing, a separate route, a threshold and a list of examples each mean something different.
- Check the course and the test version. TP ties its requirement to each diploma course, and NUS notes that different requirements apply for Law. The SIT row names IELTS (Academic) and the NUS sheet's IELTS option is IELTS Academic; see IELTS Academic or General Training in Singapore for how the two tests differ.
- Check the edition and the intake. SIT's guide says it was updated as of 9 December 2025 and NUS's sheet as of September 2026. Look for the newest version on the institution's own site.
- Ask in writing if anything is unclear, and keep the reply.
What this page does not cover
- Other institutions. Only the four institutions above are covered; any other university, polytechnic or institute has its own rules. The IELTS entries of six Singapore universities are side by side on IELTS Scores at Singapore Universities: Six Compared.
- Visas. An institution's English requirement and a visa minimum are separate things, set by different bodies, and both can change. This page gives no visa or immigration advice; IELTS score for a student visa explains the difference.
- Your own case and outcomes. Whether you need IELTS, and at what score, is decided by the institution and the programme, not by this page and not by Band Booster IELTS. Meeting any of these entries does not promise a place, and no band is promised either.
If IELTS is the route you choose
You book the IELTS test itself with a test provider, not with Band Booster IELTS; see IELTS test centres in Singapore and computer-delivered IELTS in Singapore. Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not a school, a university, a test centre or the exam board, and it does not register students for IELTS.
It offers one-to-one online IELTS coaching with Mike, a CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi who scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (see About Mike). Every lesson is taught by Mike himself, live in English on Google Meet. A session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2, marked against the public band descriptors) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3, with feedback during the session), and sessions can focus on whichever skills you choose. See IELTS Writing feedback and IELTS Speaking coaching.
The booking page shows each time in your own time zone and your price in your own currency before you pay. A regular lesson lasts 60 minutes, a paid 30-minute trial can be taken once on a first booking, there is no subscription and no package, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot. No band, place or timeline is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions. The online IELTS tutor page for Singapore has the rest of the details.