JC Subject Combination Guide (Singapore): H1/H2/H3, Contrasting Subjects, and How to Choose
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)12 Dec 2025, 00:00 Z
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Q: What does JC Subject Combination Guide (Singapore) cover?
A: How JC subject combinations work (H1/H2/H3 + contrasting-subject rules), how to shortlist combinations that match university prerequisites, and what to verify from your JC’s official subject combination booklet.
TL;DR
A common pattern is four content subjects (often 3 H2 + 1 H1, or 4 H2) plus General Paper and Project Work—but details vary by school and cohort.
Many JCs apply a contrasting subject principle (e.g., Science students take a Humanities/Arts subject; Arts students take Mathematics). Verify the exact rule from your school’s official subject combination list.
Start from university prerequisites, then work backward to a combination you can sustain with your CCA and weekly revision time.
If you’re still at the Year 2 → Year 3 selection stage (IP/secondary), start here: https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/Integrated-Programme-subject-combination-and-promotion-criteria.
If your goal is to keep university options open (and not get surprised by prerequisites later), use our uni-planning checklist as your “source of truth”:
https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/Singapore-University-Subject-Prerequisites-and-Subject-Planning-Guide-2026
1 | What is a “JC subject combination”?
A JC subject combination is your bundle of A-Level subjects. It affects:
- what you will study and be assessed on for the next two years,
- which university courses remain open (prerequisite-dependent courses),
- how heavy your weekly load feels (content depth + lesson/practical time).
Every JC publishes an official subject combination list / booklet (often updated yearly). Use it as the source of truth for:
- subjects offered (including niche subjects like Further Mathematics, Computing, KI/ELL, Art/Music, and MOELC languages),
- prerequisites and cut-offs (especially for oversubscribed subjects),
- whether “non-standard” combinations can be proposed and how approval works.
2 | H1 vs H2 vs H3 (what changes)
H1 vs H2 is mainly about depth and assessment scope:
- H2 is typically the full “main track” subject; H1 is commonly the lighter variant (where offered).
