At Senior Middle a student follows a stream. The three usual ones are Science (理科), Commerce (商科) and Arts (文商科 / 文科), and the stream decides most of the timetable for three years.
What every stream shares
Three languages are compulsory across all streams — Chinese, Malay and English — and together they take up a substantial share of teaching time, commonly cited at around half. Mathematics is standard in every stream as well.
This is a real difference from IGCSE, where a student can build a subject list with one language in it. A UEC student carries three languages to the end of Senior 3 whatever they intend to study afterwards.
What each stream adds
- Science — Advanced Mathematics I and II alongside Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
- Commerce — Business Studies, Bookkeeping and Accounts, Accounting, and Economics.
- Arts — History, Geography, Art and Art Appreciation, and Computing and Information Technology.
The lists are not identical from school to school. A smaller school may not run every subject in a stream, and a subject only runs if enough students take it — the same constraint that shapes subject choice in any school system.
Taking a subject outside the stream
Registration for the examination is done subject by subject, by code, which means the examination itself is not what limits a combination. What limits it is the school: whether the class exists, whether it clashes on the timetable, and whether the school allows a science-stream student to add a commerce subject.
Schools differ on this, and some are much more flexible than others. It is a question to put to the school directly — and to put early, while the Senior 1 timetable is still being set rather than after it has been.
Choosing a stream
The stream is chosen at the start of Senior Middle and is the decision that shapes the next three years. Two things are worth weighing beyond the student's current results:
- What the intended course asks for. Degree requirements name subjects. A course that requires Physics is not satisfied by strong grades elsewhere.
- How hard it is to move later. Changing stream after Senior 1 means catching up on a year of subjects the student has not taken, which is harder in the sciences than almost anywhere else.
高中阶段的学生按分流上课。常见的三个分流是理科、商科与文科（文商科），分流决定了往后三年大部分的课表。
各分流共同的部分
三种语文在所有分流都是必修——华文、马来文与英文——三者合计占去相当大的授课时数，常见说法是约一半。数学同样是各分流的标准科目。
这与 IGCSE 有实质差别：IGCSE 的学生可以只带一种语文组成科目清单，而独中生无论之后打算读什么，都要把三种语文修到高三结束。
各分流各自加什么
- 理科——高级数学 I 与 II，加上物理、化学与生物。
- 商科——商业学、簿记与会计、会计学，以及经济学。
- 文科——历史、地理、美术与美术鉴赏，以及电脑与资讯工艺。
各校的科目表并不完全相同。规模较小的学校未必开齐一个分流的所有科目，而任何科目都要有足够人数才开得成——这与其他学制里的选科限制是同一回事。
加修分流以外的科目
统考是按科目代号逐科报名的，因此限制组合的并不是考试本身，而是学校：这一班开不开、课表会不会冲堂，以及学校是否允许理科班的学生加修商科科目。
各校做法不同，有些学校弹性大得多。这要直接问学校，而且要趁高一课表还在编排时就问，别等编好了才问。
怎么选分流
分流在高中一开始时选定，是决定往后三年的那一个决定。除了学生目前的成绩，还有两件事值得衡量：
- 目标课程要求什么。学位的入学条件会指明科目。要求物理的课程，不会因为你其他科考得好就放行。
- 之后有多难转。高一以后转分流，意味着要补上整整一年没修过的科目；在理科，这比在其他分流都更难。
More in this section本部分其他文章
UEC独中统考 UEC
- What is UEC, and who runs it?什么是统考？由谁主办？
- How is UEC graded?统考如何评分？
- Which subjects make up the UEC science stream?统考理科包含哪些科目？
- Which subjects make up the UEC commerce stream?统考商科包含哪些科目？
- What is English like in UEC, and is it enough?统考的英文是什么样的？够用吗？
- When is the exam, and who may sit it?统考什么时候考？谁可以报考？
- Where is UEC recognised?统考在哪里获得承认？
Next step下一步
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