Job specific Information
“Please list every subject you studied in your O-Level / SPM (or an equivalent secondary-school qualification), together with the grade you received for each subject.”
What are “O-Levels / SPM”?
These are secondary/high school qualifications commonly used in Singapore and Malaysia:
- O-Level = Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level
- SPM = Malaysian Certificate of Education
- or equivalent = an equivalent qualification from another country’s education system
If you completed high school in Japan, you would normally provide the subjects and grades from your Japanese high school transcript, as the equivalent qualification.
For example
You could enter something like:
- English – Grade A
- Mathematics – Grade B
- Japanese – Grade A
- Science – Grade A
- Social Studies – Grade B
The exact subjects and grades should match your official high school academic records/transcript as closely as possible.
In short: they want to know what subjects you studied in secondary/high school and what grades you achieved in each subject.
Certainly. Here are natural English equivalents you can use for your Singapore Airlines application.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 普通科高校卒業 | Graduated from a General Academic High School |
| ４年制大学 法学部 政治学科卒業・学士号取得 | Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Faculty of Law, [University Name] |
| 短期大学２年卒業 | Completed a Two-Year Junior College Programme |
| 専門学校２年卒業 | Completed a Two-Year Vocational School Programme |
| 大学院卒業 | Master’s Degree / Graduate Degree (depending on the degree obtained) |
Recommended wording for an application form
If the application asks you to enter your education history, I recommend using the following format:
Education（取得資格）
- General Academic High School Diploma（普通科高校）
- Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Faculty of Law（一例：４年生大学法学部政治学科卒業）
- Two-Year Junior College Diploma（短大）
- Two-Year Vocational School Diploma（専門学校）
- Master’s Degree / Graduate Degree（大学院）
Important note about 「大学院卒業」
「大学院卒業」can be translated differently depending on what qualification you received:
- Master’s Degree in [Subject] → if you completed a master’s programme
- Doctoral Degree (PhD) in [Subject] → if you completed a doctoral programme
- Completed Graduate Studies in [Subject] → if you completed graduate school but did not receive a degree
Understanding the Different Educational Qualifications
The following are different educational qualifications used in Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries.QualificationFull NameEducation LevelGCE O-LevelGeneral Certificate of Education Ordinary LevelSecondary SchoolGCE A-LevelGeneral Certificate of Education Advanced LevelPre-UniversityIBInternational BaccalaureatePre-UniversityNITECNational Institute of Technical Education CertificateTechnical/Vocational EducationSPMSijil Pelajaran MalaysiaSecondary School in Malaysia
1. GCE O-Level
GCE O-Level stands for General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level.
It is a qualification obtained after completing secondary school. Students study a number of subjects and receive individual grades for each subject.
Examples of subjects include:
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- History
- Geography
- Literature
For applicants who completed their education in Japan, this may generally correspond to the secondary or high school level, although the education systems are not exactly the same.
2. GCE A-Level
GCE A-Level stands for General Certificate of Education Advanced Level.
It is a pre-university qualification that students usually obtain after completing their secondary education.
A typical educational pathway is:
Secondary School → GCE O-Level → Junior College / Pre-University Education → GCE A-Level → University
Therefore, a Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year university is a higher academic qualification than a GCE A-Level qualification.
3. International Baccalaureate (IB)
IB stands for International Baccalaureate.
The qualification usually referred to is the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP).
It is an internationally recognised pre-university qualification, similar to the GCE A-Level.
A typical educational pathway is:
Secondary Education → IB Diploma → University
Therefore, an IB Diploma is not a university degree. It is mainly used as a qualification for university admission.
4. NITEC
NITEC stands for National Institute of Technical Education Certificate.
It is a Singaporean qualification in technical and vocational education.
It focuses on practical and career-related skills in areas such as:
- Hospitality
- Business Services
- Engineering
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Other Technical and Vocational Fields
NITEC is not a university degree.
5. SPM
SPM stands for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, also known as the Malaysian Certificate of Education.
It is a secondary school qualification in Malaysia.
Students study multiple subjects and receive individual grades for each subject.
For example:
- English – A
- Mathematics – A+
- Bahasa Melayu – A
- Science – B+
What Does This Mean for Your Singapore Airlines Application?
If the application asks:
Please state all your ‘O’ Levels / SPM (or equivalent) subjects taken and grades obtained.
This means that you are required to provide the subjects you studied during your secondary or high school education and the grades you received for each subject.
For someone who completed their education in Japan, the most relevant equivalent would generally be their Japanese high school education.
Therefore, you should list the subjects and grades shown on your official Japanese high school transcript.
For example:Japanese SubjectEnglish Translation国語Japanese Language数学Mathematics英語English理科Science社会Social Studies地理Geography歴史History