GEP Replacement 2027: What P3 and P4 Parents Should Know

Updated 26 October 2026. Every fact below is from MOE pages read that day.

If your child is in Primary 3 this year, they are the first cohort under the new approach. If your child is in Primary 2, it is your turn next year. This guide puts what MOE has announced in one place, and says plainly what MOE has not published yet.

The changes on one timeline

What replaces the GEP in 2027?

MOE's March 2026 announcement replaces the single GEP track with two layers of support.

Children no longer change schools. MOE says students "will no longer need to transfer" to one of the nine primary schools that host the GEP today. MOE also says the modules are different from the school curriculum and are not designed to prepare students for examinations.

Which children are affected?

MOE's GEP page states that the GEP in its current form will "cease admitting new Primary 4 students" from 2027, and that existing classes continue until the last batch completes Primary 6 in 2028.

How are students identified now?

The old route had two tests in Primary 3, a screening test and a selection test. The new route has one.

The 2024 announcement spoke of identification "from Primary 4 to 6". The 2026 Committee of Supply materials are more specific: the end of each semester in Primary 4 and 5. We follow the later wording.

Because the modules are domain-specific, a child strong only in Mathematics can be stretched in Mathematics. Under the GEP, selection looked at strengths across several domains.

What are the advanced modules?

• Subject modules. English, Mathematics or Science. Two hours a week during term time, after school.
• Interdisciplinary modules. Run in the school holidays.
• Teachers. Specially trained teachers who have experience teaching students with academic strengths and talents.
• Aim. MOE says they cultivate curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, along with psychosocial skills and a community of like-minded peers.

In a September 2024 parliamentary reply, MOE added that students can exit the programmes or modules at any time if they find them unsuitable, and that the aim is not to introduce higher subject levels ahead of time.

Where are the 15 designated centres?

MOE's Committee of Supply 2026 infographic names the 15 primary schools and the nearest MRT station for each.

MOE says students attend the centre near their own primary school, and that it will review the list "at appropriate junctures", for example as student numbers shift.

What happens to the nine GEP schools?

The nine schools listed on MOE's GEP overview page are Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Catholic High School (Primary), Henry Park Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School, Nanyang Primary School, Raffles Girls' Primary School, Rosyth School, St. Hilda's Primary School and Tao Nan School. Their current GEP classes run until 2028. From 2027 they take no new GEP students at Primary 4, and children from other schools no longer transfer in for the programme.

What has MOE not published yet?

As of 26 October 2026, we could not find these on MOE's site:

• How and when parents of the August 2026 Primary 3 cohort hear the outcome. MOE said schools would give parents more details about the identification process later in 2026.
• How places at each designated centre are allocated.
• The date of the 2027 Primary 3 exercise. MOE describes the exercise as taking place in August.
• Any test format or sample questions for the one-stage exercise.

We will update this page when MOE publishes them. Be wary of any site that states these details without an MOE link.

Should you prepare your child for the exercise?

MOE's own 2026 briefing for parents is direct about this. It says the identification exercise covers English and Mathematics only, because pupils only start Science in Primary 3, and it describes the modules as "explicitly de-linked from PSLE". It also warns that accelerating a child's development "may cause more harm than good", and asks parents to support learning without pressure, focusing on growth and discovery rather than performance.

If your child is struggling with the Primary 3 or 4 syllabus itself, that is a separate question, and one where steady help does pay off.

What should P3 and P4 parents do now?

• Primary 3 in 2026. MOE said schools would give parents details of the process. If your child is identified, ask the school which provisions it offers and which designated centre your child would attend.
• Primary 2 in 2026. Your child will take part in the one-stage exercise in Primary 3. Since later entry points exist in Primary 4 and 5, one result is not the final word.
• Every family. Strong foundations in English, Mathematics and Science serve a child well whether or not they join a module. Secondary 1 posting is still based on the PSLE Score, and none of MOE's GEP announcements mentions a change to it. Our PSLE 2027 page tracks that.

If your child is ready for more stretch in one subject, or needs steadier footing before Primary 4, we arrange primary Maths tuition, Primary 4 Maths and Primary 4 Science tuition, at home or online.