2024 PSLE Composition Exam Analysis – The CCA Open House

By WR!TERS@WORK

2024 PSLE Composition Exam Analysis – The CCA Open House

[With FREE PSLE Model Composition!]

In this year’s PSLE English Paper 1, students were tasked with the composition topic of “Trying Something New” accompanied by a trio of visual prompts featuring a CCA fair, a sandwich, and a tent — each is a relatable image that students have likely encountered before.

For the uninitiated, these seemingly simple prompts might appear overwhelming, causing students to draw on a blank. It’s worth bearing in mind that while such open-ended PSLE English Composition questions tend to focus on things that Primary school students may already be familiar with! When unpacked, these question prompts can offer an excellent opportunity for creativity and clear expression.

UNPACKING the Simplicity of the 2024 PSLE Question

Composition questions can serve as valuable writing cues. Fortunately for WRITERS AT WORK students, our teachers have long prepared them for this precise moment. UNPACKING composition questions involves a detailed process of analysis and not jumping to false conclusions about the exam question. WRITERS AT WORK students are trained to first read the question carefully, then break down every word to identify the question’s key requirements.

For example, action verbs such as “TRYING” would imply that the story should be written with elements that were ongoing, or still happening in the present. Students will do well to use tenses that accurately reflect this. “SOMETHING” would imply that the event, activity or object is singular. Understanding the denotation of what “NEW” is would entail the experience is something foreign to the writer or character. Bringing all this together, we can extrapolate our prompts into more specific questions: 

• Introduction: What NEW experience are they TRYING for the first time?
• Body: What challenges do they face during this experience?
• Conclusion: What is SOMETHING they can learn by the end?

Very Mindful, Very Demure, Very Useful

One valuable piece of advice we give our students is to always be aware of their surroundings. WRITERS AT WORK students understand the need to be observant to everyday details, like posters, events, or even food labels. These experiences, no matter how big or small, can contribute to growing a broader base of material that students can draw from. Mindful observations help build awareness and an attention to detail, something useful when it comes to writing a description, illustrating a scene or setting the mood. It also makes responding to visual prompts easier. If you’ve seen festival posters around town, or watched classmates try new activities, these familiar experiences become material for your stories. While having extra ammunition is a boon, lacking the structure, a strategic plan and accuracy of aim would still prevent students from reaching their fullest potential.

To demonstrate our approach to writing, below is a model composition writing that uses the WRITERS AT WORK methods and strategies. Where words appear in bold, they help answer and address the composition question with the chosen picture of the CCA Fair:

CCA Open House

By WRITERS AT WORK Curriculum Writing Team

Open houses were loud, pulsing with enough energy to turn a mundane school hall into Times Square on New Year’s Eve. My school was no different. While everyone else dived in like fish to water, I felt about as buoyant as a bowling ball. My booth had been put together with the kind of hope that felt like tossing a paper aeroplane into a hurricane and praying it would fly.

Under the banner “CCA open house,” my booth was a quiet outpost lined with books, with a forlorn sign proclaiming “Library Club.” This was my first time manning a booth at the annual co-curricular activity (CCA) open house, a job I never imagined I would take. When our school mandated participation in a CCA, I chose the Library Club. If you had social anxiety like I did, every conversation felt like walking a tightrope with a crippling fear of heights. I did not join for a love of the Dewey Decimal system or the scent of ageing paper; I joined because it was the one club that cherished silence. Books, unlike people, demanded nothing from you.

Now, I was the last member of what might be the school’s least popular CCA, and that meant I was the lone ambassador at the open house, tasked with the Sisyphean job of recruiting newcomers to a club that whispered in a world that preferred to shout. As graduation loomed, so did the ultimatum: attract new members or watch the Library Club disappear. For once in my life, I was stepping up to save the one place where I could truly be myself.

The soccer team boasted a foosball table, the drama club performed flamboyant monologues, and the band showcased new instruments. Then, there was me, standing beside a dusty stack of books, trying to sell silence and introspection while avoiding eye contact. It was my first real venture outside the library’s comforting walls, and I felt glaringly out of place and utterly terrified.

The rules seemed simple: make eye contact, smile, be engaging. But for me, eye contact was like staring into the sun—too bright, too direct. Students and parents flowed past my table like water around a rock, drawn toward louder, flashier attractions. Every glance that slipped away felt like a quiet rejection.

Then I saw him—a lanky kid clutching a well-worn copy of “Matilda” against his chest like a shield, looking as out of place as an apostrophe in a maths problem. He scanned the crowded open house with the same reluctance I felt. Our eyes met, and suddenly, a thread of connection tied us together, two people lost in the noise. For a moment, I saw my younger self in him—new to the school, clutching books like armour, searching for safe harbour. There was a flicker of recognition, and an instinctual urge to throw him a lifeline like someone once did for me.

Tapping into a reserve of courage I usually saved for killing spiders, I waved him over. Clearing my throat, I said, “That’s a great book. Are you a fan of prodigies or just into girls named Matilda?”

He cracked a smile. “Both, I guess,” he replied, stepping closer. “I’m trying to figure out the formula myself. I’m Lucas, by the way.” I laughed.

Encouraged by his interest, I stepped even further out of my comfort zone. “If you like Roald Dahl, we’ve got more books over here. Interested in joining the club? It’s pretty quiet,” I added, hoping the promise of peace appealed to him as much as it did to me.

Lucas stepped closer, and I guided him through our collection, as well as how the library had helped me. He listened intently, and when he signed up, it felt like a small victory, not just for the club but for me. For the first time, I felt seen, no longer just the invisible girl behind a book.

As the open house wound down and the crowd thinned, Lucas helped me pack up the booth. “Thanks for talking to me,” he said as we folded the banner. “I didn’t think I’d find anyone else who liked quiet places too.”

And that was the funny thing about life: sometimes you set out to find new members for your dying club but ended up finding someone who reminded you why you loved it in the first place. I was glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to try something new. Though I only acquired one new member, it felt like a monumental success. It was not about the numbers; it was about the connection, the reminder that this quiet space we had carved out among the books mattered. It mattered to me, and now, it mattered to someone new. That was more than enough.

Attain Stellar Results with WRITERS AT WORK!

English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practise writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.

At WRITERS AT WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. WRITERS AT WORK reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how WRITERS AT WORK makes a difference, feel free to explore our website, watch our YouTube videos and catch us LIVE on TikTok!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS AT WORK has expanded to 9 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS AT WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. How Long Should You Study for PSLE?

Parents should take around a year or two to prepare for PSLE as learning about subjects like English requires a long-term effort, as opposed to short cramming.

2. Is PSLE Compulsory?

PSLE is compulsory for everyone to enter secondary school in Singapore.

3. How to Study for PSLE?

Parents should make a list of everything a child should study for all their PSLE subjects. Engaging a tuition teacher or practicing with workbooks and past year papers may help students tackle the exam format of PSLE and feel more confident taking the exam.

4. How Do I Motivate My Child to Do PSLE?

Children should be motivated to do PSLE by being taught that it is important for their future. Explaining to them the reasons to do the exam may work better than forcing them to study.