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The PSLE English Examination Format: A Comprehensive Guide for Students and Parents

Understanding the PSLE examination format is key to preparing for the examination. It helps teachers and parents direct focus, allocate resources, and provide accurate assessments of the child’s progress. At Mavis, we are committed to providing a targeted approach through our English and The Write Stuff (TWS) Curricula to value your child’s learning, which will translate to improved learning outcomes and better results.

Format at a glance: 

*MCQ: Multiple Choice Questions 

       OE: Open Ended Questions

Paper 1 (Writing) 

Situational Writing 

Students are to write letters, emails, reports, etc., both formal and informal, based on a given context. 

Our Mavis The Write Stuff (TWS) curriculum exposes our students to different text types. It directs them to pay attention to the Purpose, Audience, Context, and Tone of their Situational Writing. We guide them step by step through analysing the question and the given information and provide scaffolds to help them start writing. We will provide feedback at the end of each writing assignment and give them a model of situational writing to compare with their work. All these help them become writers of great clarity and purpose. 

Continuous Writing 

Students must write a 150-word narrative, exposition, etc, essay based on the given topic and at least one of the three accompanying pictures.

Our Mavis The Write Stuff (TWS) curriculum covers a wide range of topics through discussions.  We drill into our students on how to use the story mountain to plan their narratives before writing. Through our different writing skill activities, we continually enrich them with vocabulary to help them write literally and figuratively from various points of view. Our timely and valuable feedback on their Writing also helps them build on their strengths and improve their weak areas. All these are keys to assisting them in writing compelling narratives.

Paper 2 (Language Use & Comprehension)

Paper 2 consists of both Multiple-Choice Questions and Open-Ended Questions. The language use component tests the student’s mastery of grammar and vocabulary in context. The comprehension component requires students to employ reading strategies to comprehend passages and draw out, infer and evaluate relevant information for their answers. 

In Mavis, our decades of experience with PSLE exam trends and formats have helped us create an unrivalled English Curriculum in the industry. Our formulaic approach to teaching grammar helps students use logic rather than intuition when solving grammar problems. Our regular curated vocabulary exercises expose students to new words in different real-life contexts. Students at Mavis are taught how to identify clues from texts and annotate their passages to help them better comprehend and do their comprehension. 

Paper 3 (Listening Comprehension) 

This paper consists of 20 Multiple-Choice Questions that test the student’s ability to actively listen to and comprehend various spoken English in different contexts. Seven texts will be read out, and students will be given time to read the questions before each text is played. 

In our In Mavis’s The Write Stuff (TWS) Curriculum, we recognise the increasing complexity of the Listening Comprehension paper in PSLE. As such, we have started them early in Primary 4 to help and build students them up progressively. Through regular and consistent practice, coupled with guidance from our dedicated teachers, your child can quickly pick up the main ideas and look for details in the text and visuals. All these will help your child excel in this paper. 

Paper 4 (Oral Communication) 

Paper 4 consists of two parts: Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation. Both parts are not on the same topic.

Reading Aloud: students are tested on their pronunciation, clarity of articulation, fluency, expressiveness and rhythm. 

Stimulus-Based Conversation

Students must share their thoughts and actively engage in relevant Conversations with the examiner about a given situation. 

Here at Mavis, we believe in giving every child as many opportunities as possible to speak up in our TWS and English classes. This builds up their confidence. Curated oral practice aligned to the PSLE syllabus is also regularly given to them to assess their speaking proficiency and correct their tone and pronunciation. Additionally, our students are guided to develop well-considered responses in the Stimulus–Based Conversations.  All these make them effective communicators of the spoken English language. 

Final Words 

Our focus and targeted approach based on the PSLE examination format will help your child no matter where his/her start point is. Your child will benefit from the decades of experience and accumulated knowledge evident in our high-quality learning materials and lesson delivery by our dedicated teachers. Start your child early and sign up for our exciting English and The Write Stuff curriculums now!