What subjects do I study at SOTA? Do they study academic subjects?

At SOTA, all students go through a six-year integrated arts and academic curriculum that culminates in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or an IB Career-related Programme. Subjects include: English Literature; Mother Tongue Language; Mathematics; Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology); Humanities and Social Sciences (History, Geography, Economics, Social & Cultural Anthropology); Specialized Arts (Dance, Film, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts); Theory of Knowledge; the Extended Essay; and Creativity, Action & Service. Read more about our curriculum.

What subjects do students study during their first year in SOTA?

In Year 1, students do subjects in English Language & Critical Thinking; Literature in English; Mother Tongue Languages; Humanities & Social Sciences (Geography and History); Coordinated Science; Mathematics, Integrated Arts, Media Education, Experiential Education and either Dance, Music, Theatre or Visual Arts.View subjects studied by year.

Where do the students go to after their education in SOTA?

SOTA graduates have gone on to further their education in illustrious schools both in Singapore and abroad. Graduates have also been recognised for their achievements in a spectrum of fields. View the list of schools and scholarships.

What if I am exempted from taking Mother Tongue Language? Do I need to re-apply for exemption?

If you have received approval for exemption from Mother Tongue Language from the Ministry of Education (MOE) while you were in primary school, please indicate this on the online application form, and provide a photocopy of the MOE Mother Tongue Language Exemption Letter when you submit the supporting documents for Talent Academy applications. You do not have to re-apply for the exemption upon joining SOTA. Read about SOTA’s Mother Tongue Language Programme.

What if I am offered to take up NTIL (Non-Tamil Indian Languages) or Asian/Foreign Language in-lieu of Mother Tongue Language?

Students may seek MOE's approval through the school to offer a Non-Tamil Indian Language (NTIL e.g. Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu of Hindi). Currently, SOTA offers Hindi in the curriculum. For students who have obtained approval at primary level are not required to reapply. They must continue to offer the approved NTIL at secondary or pre-tertiary levels. NTIL students (except for Hindi) are also required to attend lessons with NTIL community groups and sit for examinations set by the Board for the Teaching and Testing of South Asian Languages (BTTSAL).

Students whose Mother Tongue is an Asian/Foreign Language can seek approval from MOE through the school to offer an Asian/Foreign Language as MTL-in-lieu. Students granted approval at the primary level must continue learning the language at secondary and pre-tertiary levels. Upon admission to Year 1 in SOTA, a new application will be submitted to MOE through the school so as to be on the MOELC waiting list. Students will need to arrange for private study and provide evidence to the school that they are receiving regular instruction from a private centre or tutor. For French, German and Japanese, students may only be admitted to MOE Language Centre (MOELC) subject to availability of vacancies.

These MOE-approved subjects will be considered as a MTL subject, and assessment grades will be taken as part of the promotion criteria from Year 1 to 4.

To fulfil the MTL requirement for admission to the local autonomous universities, students offering NTIL or Asian/Foreign Language MTL-in-lieu are required to sit for the GCE 'O' and 'A' level examinations in Year 4 and 5 respectively, and to attain a minimum 'S" grade in the GCE 'A' level H1 Mother Tongue Examinations.

In Year 5, these students may offer Spanish B (online course) or Language Ab Initio (Chinese, Spanish-online course or French-online course) in preparation for the IBDP. Read about SOTA’s Mother Tongue Language Programme.

Is a third language available at SOTA?

SOTA offers a rigorous Arts and Academics curriculum. If time permits, students may attend Third Language courses at Ministry of Education Language Centre (MOELC). However, the Third Language result cannot be used to replace any subject in school and it does not count towards meeting the school's promotion criteria.

Students who are eligible to take up a Third Language will be notified of their eligibility by MOE upon release of the PSLE results. Read about Third Language Programme (MOE).

How is SOTA’s Music programme different from schools with Music Elective Programme (MEP)?

The approach to the programme is different with music at SOTA developed as an art form, not just as a subject. Read what the SOTA music programme covers and how it differs from other MEPs.

Will SOTA’s programme prepare me for professional examinations (eg. ABRSM)?

The purpose of the music programme is not to prepare students for examinations such as ABRSM, but to develop the student’s musical and intellectual capacities. However, students can take ABRSM exams if their Instrumental Study teachers deem it useful for their learning as external assessment can be a useful learning tool. Read what the SOTA music programme covers.

What are the options for Music students?

Based on their admission auditions, music students may be placed into either Creating or Performance Tracks to better support their musical talents. Students in Creating Track will still attend Instrumental Study lessons, but will also attend and be assessed on a creating module focused on compositional tools and processes. Students in the Performance Track will have a more focused Instrumental Study, which is one of the main components of assessments. They will commence with the creating modules from year 3. Students who begin in the Creating Track may switch to Performance Track in year 3 depending on their performance in years 1 and 2.

Students with an interest in Jazz and Pop music have the opportunity to apply to start in or switch to the Jazz and Pop track. Emphasis will be placed on jazz (this is a broad definition of the term that will include areas of pop, fusion, blues, funk, music from Latin American and so on). Percussionists are not currently being considered for a switch to drum-set in jazz. The combination of mallets, snare and drumset offers the best possibilities in development and already covers jazz and pop. Furthermore, the chamber music groups further augments these possibilities.

Are there Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) in SOTA?

There are no CCAs offered in SOTA. Students specialise in their chosen art discipline and they usually spend their time after school hours practising their art discipline or attending rehearsals for their various performances.