Night Webinar – Changes to PSLE in 2025

By WR!TERS@WORK

Changes to PSLE English in 2025

Taking the PSLE exam at the end of Primary 6 may be a nerve-wracking experience for many primary school students. The demands of the English PSLE are high, and WRITERS AT WORK is here to help students be well-prepared to face these challenges. Students sitting for the PSLE English exam in 2025 will face some new changes to the assessment mode and weightage of marks. WRITERS AT WORK teachers help students prepare for English Papers 1, 2, and 4, so that these changes will not catch them off guard.

Paper 1 (Situational Writing and Continuous Writing)

There will be changes to the PSLE English Paper 1 involving the sections Situational Writing and Continuous Writing. The changes made to Paper 1 involve the weightage – now, the paper will be worth 25% of the total final grade, after the removal of 5 marks. Situational writing will be reduced from 15 marks to 14 marks, and continuous writing will be reduced from 40 marks to 36 marks. The duration of the exam will remain the same.

For situational writing, the criteria of Language and Organisation will have a 1 mark reduction, and the relevant change is that the student needs to use the information given in the stimulus to come up with their own logical deductions. Instead of only gathering 6 key pieces of information from the stimulus provided, students will need to articulate their own perspective or viewpoint based on what they see via a logical deduction. As for continuous writing, the format remains unchanged – there is a slight change of a reduction in 4 marks.

Paper 2 (Visual Text Comprehension and Editing)

The changes to Paper 2 involve Visual Text Comprehension and Editing. In Paper 2, the skills students will be tested on are language use and comprehension. Paper 2 comprises 9 sections. Students will be evaluated based on their ability to understand and apply language conventions. Now, Paper 2 will be worth 45%, with 5 marks removed. The 5 marks will be removed from 2 out of 9 sections within the paper. There are 3 marks removed from Visual Text Comprehension and 2 marks removed from the Editing section. Instead of 8 questions, the Visual Text Comprehension will only comprise 5 questions and will only be worth 5 marks. Furthermore, the Editing section will only have 10 questions instead of 12, with 5 questions for spelling and 5 for grammar – this will only be worth 10 marks.

Paper 4 (Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation)

Parents and students alike must be wondering where all the marks deducted from Papers 1 and 2 are going. These marks are being transferred to another paper – they will not just fly away into thin air! Spoiler alert – all these marks are going to Paper 4 instead! Paper 4 is the oral paper, where students need to evaluate a visual stimulus and converse about it. There will be an increase from 15% to 20% in Paper 4, with the addition of 10 marks. The Reading Aloud section will have a total of 5 marks added, while the Stimulus-based Conversation section will have an addition of 5 marks.

There are a number of very significant changes which will affect Paper 4.

1. Drawings Replaced by Real-Life Pictures

In the old format, students will have to analyse and interpret drawings – these drawings are typically very simple and have clean lines to illustrate characters and events well. However, in the new format, the visual stimulus will be a real-life photo instead of a drawing. Students will need to interact with the real-life photo the same way they interact with the drawing.

2. The Visual Stimulus Will No Longer Be Thematically Linked to “Reading Aloud” Passage

In the old format, the visual stimulus (drawing) would usually be thematically linked to the “reading aloud” passage. For example, if the drawing was about a recycling event in school, the passage would also have “saving the environment” as a theme. However, in the new format, the “reading aloud” passage may be totally unrelated to the visual stimulus.

3. Addition of Marks

As mentioned previously, 5 marks will be added to Reading Aloud and 5 marks will be added to Stimulus-Based Conversation. This makes an increase from 15% to 20% in Paper 4.

How Will These Changes Affect Our Students’ Preparation?

Parents and students should note that the old format of Paper 4 is easier due to the following reasons: (1) the main message and key details are usually explicitly stated; (2) the drawing/picture is simpler to understand; (3) there usually may be text to accompany the drawing, (4) the secondary message can usually be found printed or drawn in the poster; and (5) there is easier access to evidence. Arguably, the new format of Paper 4 is more difficult because students will face a greater challenge in interpreting visual cues and the emotional context and may be thrown off by too much or too little visual stimuli. Moreover, with a real-life picture, there is room for subjective interpretation and the lines will not be as clear-cut.

Students need to be eloquent and confident speakers who need to know many details about the subject matter they are discussing. Furthermore, they need good media literacy skills, and they must be able to draw inferences based on the given context. Parents and teachers will need to help prepare their children with the necessary exam skills and stay updated with the current curriculum to get them used to the new format. To develop these higher order thinking skills, parents should listen to audiobooks with their children, get them to replicate paragraphs from audiobooks, and ask them to read aloud from passages. Don’t dawdle and take this opportunity to get your child used to the new changes in the PSLE English syllabus by registering with WRITERS AT WORK English tuition classes today.

Attain Stellar Results With W@W!

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 practice 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@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. W@W 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 W@W makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS@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@WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. Is Creative Writing Good for Kids?

Creative writing is good for children as it teaches them how to use their imagination. Children have a vivid imagination and will enjoy coming up with different storylines and characters. Through the use of creative writing, children can express themselves using the English language, which is also good for their emotional development and maturity.

2. What are Good Creative Writing Topics?

A good start is to write about what you know. Students can start by writing about things that are familiar to them, such as school or family. Then, students can move on to more complex topics, requiring them to use their imagination about events which would be unlikely to happen in real life, such as a fairytale or an adventure story. Older students can write descriptive essays about being in a situation or about more abstract concepts, such as regret.

3. How to Begin a Story?

A good story should have just the right amount of exposition to illuminate the setting and the characters for the reader without giving away the entire plot. The story should begin where it is relevant, and the general gist of the situation should be outlined. The writer should know how to move the plot along from where they start easily, and the story should flow logically.

4. What are the Basic Steps in Creative Writing?

A good first step would be to plan out the story – it is important that the story follows a Plot Curve which has a logical sequence of events and a clear conclusion. The main and supporting characters should be clear – there should not be a whole village of characters – just enough to further the plot. Moreover, the central conflict of the story should be clear.