A Punggol student admitted through Posting Group 2 (PG2) can learn Literature in English by reading a literary text closely, identifying how a writer creates meaning and supporting a personal interpretation with specific words, events or dramatic choices. PG2 is the Secondary 1 admission group, not an automatic Literature subject assignment. Under Full Subject-Based Banding, a pupil’s actual English and Humanities offerings are determined individually and by the school. The first practical step is to confirm whether the student studies Literature as a separate subject, in a Humanities combination or through literary activities in English lessons.

MOE’s published lower-secondary Literature syllabus builds learning across prose, poetry and drama, emphasising empathy, careful reading, varied perspectives and convincing explanation. SEAB’s 2027 graduating G2 Literature in English syllabus K228 includes prose and unseen poetry in Paper 1 and drama in Paper 2; it is not a Secondary 1 examination schedule. Families at Edgefield, Greendale, Punggol Secondary and Yusof Ishak Secondary should follow the actual school’s text selection and course availability. This guide shows how to approach character, theme, imagery, poetic voice, drama dialogue and evidence-based interpretation using original practice examples without copying protected literary passages or memorising an unrelated novel’s model essay.

• PG2: admission grouping; Literature offerings and subject levels must be checked with the school.
• Literature: study how writers’ choices shape meaning and readers’ understanding.
• Prose: examine narration, character, conflict, setting, sequence and relevant evidence.
• Poetry: attend to voice, image, sound, line breaks, form and shifts in tone.
• Drama: consider dialogue, stage directions, conflict and what an audience sees or hears.
• Interpretation: offer a reasonable reading supported by specific textual details.
• Evidence: select short relevant phrases and explain their effect; do not paste whole passages.
• SEC distinction: K228 is the 2027 graduating G2 Literature syllabus, not a compulsory offering for every PG2 pupil.
• Next step: read a short assigned passage, make one interpretation and show exactly how the words support it.

Definition lock: Literature is not identical to English Language

Posting Group 2 concerns Secondary 1 admission. G2 identifies an individual curriculum level; Literature in English is a subject distinct from English Language, although the two share valuable reading skills. A student may encounter literary texts in English lessons even when no separate Literature elective is offered. The availability of a distinct Literature course or later subject combination depends on the school and current eligibility. Parents should not infer it from the original posting group alone.

The difference matters educationally. In an English Language comprehension task, the child may need to retrieve information, explain an inference or write a summary. In Literature, the learner studies how a writer’s artistic choices shape a text’s meaning and how different interpretations can be argued with evidence. Both require reading carefully, but Literature gives special attention to form, style, ambiguity and emotional or intellectual response. Choosing the right skill prevents vague teaching.

Why Literature matters beyond the examination

Stories, poems and plays allow readers to encounter other perspectives and consider decisions they may never experience personally. Literature can develop empathy, reflection, attention to language and a willingness to explore uncertainty. MOE’s Literature syllabus describes ethical, aesthetic and intellectual aims, including understanding diverse views and communicating a reasoned personal response. These are educational goals in their own right, not simply techniques for collecting marks.

A teenager may read about a character who feels excluded, makes a difficult choice or misunderstands another person. The learner can investigate how the writing conveys those experiences, consider whether the characters’ decisions are justified and compare perspectives without assuming a single easy moral. The text becomes a safe place for thoughtful enquiry when discussion remains respectful. An appropriate classroom response is grounded in the literary work, not in judging classmates who see it differently.

Confirm which literary text the school actually assigns

Literature teaching depends substantially on the text. A novel, short story, poem and play use different conventions, and two schools may select different works. A student who memorises an online essay about the wrong text is not preparing meaningfully. Ask for the current school reading list and ensure the correct edition is available. Some schools use literary excerpts within English Language instead of offering an identical separate Literature programme.

For 2027 graduating G2 candidates, SEAB publishes prescribed text options for K228, while school-specific selection still matters. Secondary 1 pupils follow their own course and future cohort. Do not buy all titles on a national list or assume a book will remain prescribed in later years. Start with the text the student is actually studying, then learn how to interpret it independently.

The three major genres invite different questions

Prose is usually read through narrative voice, character, events and the unfolding of a story. Poetry invites attention to condensed language, image, sound and the arrangement of lines or stanzas. Drama is written to be performed and can be interpreted through dialogue, interaction, stage directions and audience experience. These are broad tendencies rather than exclusive rules; a poem may tell a story, and a play may contain poetic language.

Ask the learner which features are especially important for the assigned text. In a play, who has just entered the stage and what does another character know? In a poem, what changes when a line breaks unexpectedly? In prose, how does a narrator shape the reader’s understanding? A good student can adapt reading questions to the form instead of applying one generic comprehension template to every genre.

Read slowly enough to notice choices

A first reading should establish the broad situation and emotional or intellectual direction. On a second reading, notice words or structural features that create the effect. Students often rush to name literary devices because they have been told that ‘imagery’ and ‘metaphor’ sound sophisticated. But identifying a device without explaining why it matters does not demonstrate literary insight.

Ask what the passage makes the reader notice and how the writer achieves that result. Perhaps a repeated word creates insistence, a short sentence suggests finality or an apparently cheerful description contrasts with a character’s anxiety. The observation should lead to a reasoned explanation. Literature rewards the relationship between language and meaning, not the number of technical labels in an answer.

A literary interpretation is a claim, not a guess

Readers can reasonably disagree about a character’s motive or a poem’s effect. That does not mean every interpretation is equally supported. A strong reading identifies specific language or events, explains the relationship to the claim and considers the text as a whole. A guess based on one attractive phrase may fail when contradicted by later scenes. Good interpretation is open-minded and disciplined at the same time.

Parents can ask the child to offer two possible readings of a short assigned passage and identify evidence for each. Which interpretation accounts for more of the text? Where is the ambiguity genuinely unresolved? The point is not to force the adult’s personal preference. It is to develop reasoning that another reader can follow and challenge respectfully.

Summarising a plot is not yet analysing it

A student may spend an entire response retelling what happened: the character leaves home, meets a friend, argues and returns. This shows some comprehension but does not explain how the writer creates meaning. If the question asks why the argument is significant, the learner should focus on a relevant turning point, the character’s response and the language that reveals the conflict. Only enough plot context should be given for the interpretation to make sense.

Ask what the writer wants the reader to understand about the relationship, not merely which event occurred next. A useful literary paragraph may contain a brief reference to an event followed by close analysis of a specific description or exchange. Story knowledge is the foundation; analysis builds on it. Students should not be told that plot facts are worthless, but they need to learn when those facts support an argument and when they become unnecessary retelling.

Character study begins with decisions and contradictions

Characters are more than lists of adjectives. A person in a story may want to be kind but act selfishly under pressure, or appear confident while concealing uncertainty. Students can study these tensions through choices, dialogue, narrated thoughts and other characters’ responses. A writer may deliberately reveal one side of a person before another, changing the reader’s judgement over time.

A parent can ask what the character wants, what threatens that goal and what they do when challenged. Then identify a sentence or scene supporting the answer. A claim such as ‘the character is brave’ is incomplete without a specific action and explanation. It may also need qualification if the person behaves differently later. Literature allows complexity rather than requiring every character to fit one permanent label.

Narrative perspective limits what we know

A first-person narrator gives an account shaped by that narrator’s knowledge and viewpoint. A third-person narrator may provide different access to events or thoughts, depending on the storytelling technique. Students should ask who is presenting the story and whether the narration is fully reliable on a particular point. A narrator can misunderstand someone without intentionally lying. The writer may expect the reader to notice a gap between the account and other evidence.

Ask which facts are directly narrated and which are interpretations. A character saying ‘everyone disliked me’ may be reporting their own belief rather than an established fact about everyone. Later dialogue might support or challenge that belief. Reading carefully preserves this distinction. The student should avoid treating every confident statement in a fictional voice as the author’s objective judgement.

Setting can shape conflict and meaning

A setting is not simply a list of scenery details. A cramped room, unfamiliar town or public gathering can affect what characters notice, fear or decide. The writer’s description may also create a mood or establish social conditions. Students should explain how the chosen details contribute to the story rather than merely identify where it takes place.

For a wholly original practice example, imagine a character standing at the edge of a brightly lit hall but remaining reluctant to enter. The contrast between the welcoming room and the character’s hesitation can suggest an internal conflict. This invented sentence is not from an assigned novel. Ask what would change if the hall were described differently. The aim is to connect setting to character and effect, not to memorise that all dark places symbolise danger.

Theme is not just the topic

A text may be about friendship, but its theme could concern how trust is tested by misunderstanding. The broad topic is a subject area; a theme expresses a meaningful idea explored through the work. Students sometimes write ‘the theme is love’ and stop. A better interpretation explains what the text suggests about love, conflict, responsibility or another concern, based on particular situations and writing choices.

Ask the child to finish the sentence ‘This text explores the idea that…’ Then test the statement against relevant moments. Is it broad enough to account for the story but specific enough to convey an idea? A strong theme claim need not be a moral slogan. Some works deliberately leave tensions unresolved. Recognising that complexity can be part of thoughtful literary reading.

Conflict may be internal as well as external

Prose and drama often develop conflict between people, between personal desire and social expectations, or within a character facing competing values. A student who only looks for shouting may miss the most important tension. The writer might create conflict through silence, hesitation, an unanswered message or a decision not taken. These details can carry considerable meaning.

Ask what the character is struggling to reconcile. Which choice reveals that difficulty? How does the language guide the reader’s response? This connects the plot to psychological or ethical interpretation without requiring unsupported claims about a real person’s mental health. Literature gives students the opportunity to examine imagined human situations with care and nuance.

An invented prose example shows how analysis works

Consider this original sentence, written solely as a teaching example: ‘Mira folded the invitation into a square so small that the name on it vanished.’ The physical action is clear, but readers might infer discomfort, avoidance or a wish to make the invitation less visible. Which interpretation is best depends on the wider passage. The choice of ‘vanished’ may suggest how the character wants to remove the decision from immediate attention.

A weak response would declare that Mira hates the sender without more evidence. A stronger one would explain that the shrinking paper image may suggest reluctance or avoidance and acknowledge that further context is needed. This example demonstrates the difference between identifying imagery and explaining its possible effect. It is original material, not a quotation from a prescribed text.

Poetry’s speaker is not automatically the poet

Poems may use a speaker whose voice, circumstances and opinions differ from those of the actual writer. A student who reads ‘I’ and assumes every line is an autobiographical confession may make unsupported claims. Ask who seems to speak within the poem and what can genuinely be inferred from that voice. The poet may use a persona, imagined situation or uncertain perspective.

This distinction matters when writing about emotion. A speaker might express envy or fear without establishing that the poet personally feels the same way. A better answer says the speaker appears apprehensive and identifies the language that creates that impression. Literary evidence supports claims about the text; biography requires appropriate external sources. Keeping them separate is a sign of careful reading.

Images in poetry connect experience with an idea

Poetic imagery can draw on sight, sound, touch, movement or other sensory impressions to convey a thought or feeling. Students should not simply name ‘visual imagery’ and move on. Ask which image stands out and why the writer chose it. Does it create tension, suggest change or alter the reader’s understanding of the speaker? The answer must refer to the actual words of the assigned poem.

For an original practice line, consider ‘The last light lingered at the doorstep.’ The word ‘lingered’ can suggest reluctance to leave, depending on the surrounding poem. The reader should explain the effect without claiming that sunlight literally has intentions. This short invented line is not part of a copyrighted poem. The example shows how a familiar physical image can invite interpretation through word choice.

Sound patterns can reinforce meaning

Poems may use repetition, rhythm, alliteration, rhyme or other sound patterns. A student should hear the line and notice which sound feature matters, not force every available literary term into the answer. Repeated words may create insistence, while an unexpected change of rhythm can interrupt a previously smooth movement. The impact depends on context, not a fixed rule that every repeated sound is cheerful or threatening.

Ask the learner to read permitted lines aloud and identify what changes in pace or emphasis. Then explain how that auditory effect relates to meaning. A short relevant observation is better than describing a sound device with no purpose. The goal is appreciation of form as a writer’s choice, not a vocabulary contest about terminology.

Line breaks can change how an idea unfolds

In poetry, the end of a printed line is not always the end of the grammatical sentence. A phrase may continue into the next line, a technique often discussed as enjambment. The pause or expectation created by a break can affect how readers process the next word. Students should notice the syntax and punctuation as well as the visual lineation. Not every line break has the same emotional effect.

A parent can demonstrate with two completely original short lines arranged differently, asking how the reading changes. The student should avoid inventing an author’s motivation with certainty where several readings are plausible. A sensitive answer describes the observable structural feature and its likely effect in the whole poem. Poetry becomes more accessible when the child understands what the page layout contributes.

Contrast and shifts in tone are clues

A poem may begin with calm observation and end with anxiety, hope or irony. The change can occur through images, verbs, sentence length or an unexpected turn in the speaker’s perspective. Students who assign one emotion to the entire poem may miss its development. Ask where the shift occurs and which words establish the difference.

A useful response identifies the two attitudes and explains what changes between them. Do not simply write ‘the poet uses contrast’ without stating the contrast’s meaning. The writer may intentionally leave the change ambiguous or unresolved. A strong learner is able to explain a reasonable interpretation while acknowledging the evidence’s limits. Such analysis builds confidence with unseen poetry.

Drama exists for performance, not just silent reading

A play’s dialogue, stage directions, movement, pauses and spatial arrangements are designed with performance in mind. Students studying drama should consider what an audience hears or sees and how that shapes interpretation. A line spoken softly while one character turns away may carry a different implication from the same words shouted directly. The text can indicate such choices through context or stage directions.

Parents can ask what the characters know and what an audience knows at that moment. How might a pause alter the tension? Why does a character enter or leave then? Avoid replacing the assigned play with a film adaptation that changes dialogue or staging. A performance can support understanding but does not automatically reproduce the set text. Literary analysis should remain anchored in what is actually studied.

Stage directions are meaningful evidence

Stage directions may indicate movement, gesture, tone or position. They are not merely technical interruptions to skip when reading a play. A character who hesitates before answering may reveal uncertainty or social pressure, depending on the context. Students should explain how such a direction contributes to conflict, atmosphere or relationships. The direction is part of the dramatic form and can be evidence for interpretation.

Ask the learner to distinguish the spoken dialogue from instructions governing performance. If a response claims a character speaks angrily, does the script or context justify it? Actors may make different choices, but a school answer must explain the relevant basis. This encourages thoughtful theatre reading instead of treating a play as a short story with names before every line.

A character’s silence can matter as much as speech

In drama, one person may refuse to answer while another makes repeated demands. The silence can create tension or reveal a power imbalance, but its meaning depends on prior events and subsequent response. Students sometimes focus only on dialogue and overlook what is not said. A theatrical pause or withheld reply can be an artistic choice through which a playwright directs the audience’s attention.

Ask what the silence changes in the scene. Does it make another character impatient, create uncertainty or highlight an unspoken conflict? Support the interpretation with evidence from the script. A single pause does not automatically prove guilt or deceit. The best response recognises both the dramatic effect and any remaining ambiguity.

A fictional mini-scene helps explain dramatic tension

Imagine an original short exchange: one character asks whether a key has been returned; the other looks towards a locked cupboard but does not answer. The audience may suspect that the cupboard matters, though the scene does not yet establish what is inside. A student can explain how the glance and silence create anticipation. If the next line reveals a harmless reason, the original assumption may change.

This scenario is invented for the guide. It is not a passage from an assigned play. Its purpose is to show how dialogue and stage action combine to create dramatic information. Students should avoid claiming a precise motive before the script supports it. Close reading attends to what the playwright reveals and deliberately withholds.

Evidence and explanation belong together

A literature paragraph can begin with a clear interpretation, refer to a specific detail and explain how the language supports it. A weak response says a character is lonely and adds a quotation without interpreting the words. A stronger one identifies a repeated image of distance or exclusion and explains why it suggests loneliness in the passage’s context. The conclusion should fit the full text rather than rely on one isolated adjective.

Parents can ask the learner to draw an arrow from the evidence to the explanation: what does this word or action actually contribute? If the child cannot explain, the claim may need revision. Good writing is a chain of reasoning, not a collection of impressive quotations. Students should learn to select the strongest short evidence and analyse it closely.

Short quotations are usually more useful than copied paragraphs

Large blocks of copied literary text can crowd out the student’s explanation and may violate applicable copyright conditions outside authorised school use. For learning, encourage short, accurately attributed phrases that directly support the point, then focus on analysis. The writer should not misquote or edit a phrase in ways that reverse its meaning. If an assessment expects specific textual evidence, follow the teacher’s instructions.

Ask the teenager to choose one or two significant words and explain their connotations or placement. This creates more analytical value than copying half a page and declaring it vivid. For a text the learner cannot quote from memory, discuss how to locate the relevant scene accurately. Evidence must serve an interpretation, not substitute for one.

Avoid memorised device lists without understanding

A student may label every image as a metaphor, every repetition as emphasis and every unusual phrase as irony. Such labels can sound academic while contributing little to the actual question. The better approach begins with effect: what does the writer make the reader notice, expect or reconsider? Then identify the technique that creates that effect if it is relevant.

A literary device is a way of describing a particular artistic choice, not a magic scoring word. If the pupil can explain a contrast accurately without naming it, that is a useful foundation. Later, precise terminology can sharpen communication. The goal is to see how language works, not decorate a paragraph with disconnected terms.

A response can acknowledge multiple perspectives

MOE’s Literature aims include openness to ambiguity and appreciation of varied perspectives. When two interpretations are plausible, the student can compare the evidence supporting them rather than dismiss one as foolish. This does not require concluding that all readings are equally strong. One interpretation may account for more of the text, while another relies on an isolated detail or contradicts later action.

Parents can model respectful discussion by asking, ‘What would make someone read the scene differently?’ and ‘Which interpretation fits the whole work better?’ A literary classroom can become a place where the pupil learns to defend ideas without attacking the person offering an alternative. Such thinking supports conversation, civic literacy and intellectual humility.

Reading the entire work protects against cherry-picking

A passage may appear to show a character as selfish, while later chapters reveal information that changes the reader’s judgement. Students who rely on a short online quotation can misinterpret the whole work. MOE’s published lower-secondary genre guidance emphasises studying complete prose and drama works or appropriate ranges of complete shorter texts rather than substituting isolated excerpts as the entire curriculum.

Encourage regular reading of the actual assigned book or play. Use chapter summaries only as support, not replacements. After a reading session, ask what changed in the character or theme and which detail contributed. A teenager who knows the work’s development can answer unfamiliar questions with greater flexibility. Plot knowledge provides context; close analysis reveals significance.

The 2027 K228 syllabus is not a Secondary 1 timetable

For the 2027 graduating G2 Literature in English syllabus K228, SEAB specifies Paper 1 covering prose and unseen poetry and Paper 2 covering drama, with each paper carrying half the overall weighting. The paper durations and set texts are described in the official document. These details matter for the appropriate graduating cohort, but a child entering Secondary 1 in 2027 will not sit that examination in the same year.

Lower-secondary Literature lessons may use different texts, assessments and ways of responding. School availability is also important. Parents should not announce that every PG2 pupil must study a particular national set text or complete two graduating papers. A prudent family uses the syllabus to see the subject’s direction while working on the current course’s reading and writing skills.

Combined Humanities with Literature is a separate choice

SEAB’s 2027 G2 subject list distinguishes Literature in English K228 from Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in English) K231. These are not simply two names for one identical examination. A student considering later subject combinations should consult the actual school’s options and relevant syllabus, including which combinations are offered and how assessment works. Do not infer an upper-secondary option merely from lower-secondary enjoyment of a poem.

For a Secondary 1 student, the priority is meaningful reading now. If the teenager develops a strong interest in literary study, note genuine examples of engagement and ask the school about future options when the appropriate selection exercise arrives. Subject choices should reflect interest, readiness and the whole timetable, not an assumption about what PG2 means.

A Punggol library visit can support literary curiosity

Punggol Regional Library at One Punggol offers reading material and study spaces that can help teenagers explore novels, short stories and poetry, subject to NLB’s current catalogue and access conditions. A student can discover an author or genre beyond the school text, but that does not automatically make the book a set examination text. The educational advantage is wider reading exposure and an opportunity to discuss literary ideas voluntarily.

Ask the child to choose a manageable work and identify a character choice, interesting image or question about the theme. Discuss one passage without turning the whole visit into an exam. The separate PG2 library research guide covers logistics and source checking; here the purpose is learning to respond thoughtfully to creative writing. Pleasure and disciplined analysis can coexist.

A fictional learner who only retells the story

Imagine a fictional PG2 entrant, Kai, studying a short story. His answer describes every event but says little about the narrator’s attitude. His teacher asks him to select one particular description and explain how its wording shapes the reader’s judgement. Kai moves from a plot list to a claim with evidence and explanation. He then practises on a new paragraph without a model answer.

The example is invented and does not describe a real student or assigned text. Its educational message is that close reading changes what the learner does with evidence. Remembering the plot is helpful but not the whole task. The progress lies in seeing how language shapes interpretation and being able to communicate that insight independently.

Another fictional learner discovers the poem’s shift

Consider a fictional student, Amira, who reads an original school-approved poem and initially labels it sad from beginning to end. A second reading reveals that the final stanza changes from regret to cautious acceptance. Her teacher asks what words signal the shift and how that change affects the meaning of the whole poem. Amira revises her interpretation to reflect development rather than one fixed emotional label.

This invented learning scenario illustrates that poetry is not solved by matching every image to an emotion chart. The reader must follow structure, voice and change. A short well-supported explanation can be more persuasive than many memorised literary terms. When a new poem uses a different shift, the student should adapt the method rather than reproduce the old interpretation.

A useful weekly routine for prose, poetry and drama

One day can involve reading a short section of the assigned prose work and identifying a meaningful character decision. Another can focus on a poem’s voice, imagery and possible shift in tone. A third can involve reading a dramatic scene with attention to dialogue and stage directions. End with a short paragraph that makes a claim, selects relevant evidence and explains its effect. The schedule is an optional learning illustration, not a compulsory school programme.

If the child cannot yet understand the literal situation, slow down and establish it before demanding close analysis. If the learner can retell but not interpret, ask more questions about author choices. If the argument is sound but the writing is unclear, revise sentence structure and cohesion. Good teaching matches the cause of difficulty. Longer essays should come after the student can build a clear smaller argument.

How parents can coach without supplying interpretations

Parents may have strong memories of a novel or favourite poem, but a pupil should not be required to repeat the adult’s preferred meaning. Instead, ask the learner what detail stands out and why. Invite an alternative interpretation and compare the evidence. If a claim contradicts the text, show the relevant passage and let the student reconsider. This process develops intellectual ownership.

A tutor can offer useful feedback on precision, context and analytical writing, but should not promise that memorised model essays guarantee high marks. The best sign of learning is a fresh response to an unfamiliar passage. A child who can explain the effect of a new word choice or stage direction has gained a transferable literary skill.

Official sources, related guides and the next step

MOE’s published secondary Literature teaching syllabus describes prose, poetry, drama and close-reading aims. SEAB’s 2027 G2 Literature in English K228 syllabus details its graduating assessment, while the 2027 G2 subject list distinguishes K228 from Humanities K231. Confirm the assigned school’s actual subject availability and set reading.

For English Language comprehension rather than literary interpretation, use the PG2 comprehension guide. For broad reading opportunities and library access, see the PG2 library guide. Your next step is to use the actual assigned text, select one short passage and ask your child how a specific word, image or dramatic action changes the reader’s understanding.

Frequently asked questions about PG2 G2 Literature in English

Does every PG2 pupil take separate G2 Literature?

No. PG2 is the admission group. Literature offerings and subject levels depend on the school and the pupil’s actual subject combinations.

How is Literature different from English Language comprehension?

Literature focuses on artistic choices, form, style, meaning and reasoned personal response alongside close understanding of texts.

Which genres are important in lower-secondary Literature?

Prose, poetry and drama, as described in MOE’s published Literature teaching syllabus.

What is a strong Literature inference?

A relevant interpretation explained through specific language or events from the assigned work.

Should students memorise a list of literary devices?

Terminology helps only when it supports an explanation of the writer’s actual effect.

Is the speaker in a poem always the poet?

No. A poem’s voice may be an invented persona or a perspective different from the author’s biography.

Why do stage directions matter?

They help readers interpret movement, silence, emphasis and the dramatic experience of an audience.

What does 2027 K228 cover?

For the 2027 graduating G2 examination, Paper 1 addresses prose and unseen poetry, while Paper 2 addresses drama.

Is K228 the same as combined Humanities Literature K231?

No. They are separately listed SEC subjects with different syllabuses and structures.

What is one useful home practice task?

Choose one short assigned passage, make a justified interpretive claim and explain the effect of its specific words.

Editorial note, 1 November 2026: Example sentences, invented scenes and student situations are original teaching illustrations. No non-public-domain poem or assigned literary passage is reproduced. The K228 national examination specifications refer to the 2027 graduating cohort; actual lower-secondary courses depend on the school.