Preparing for your PSLE English composition writing is not a task that is too difficult to overcome. It is actually quite fun and very interesting, and it is also another way to learn more about happenings and events around the world.
The PSLE English composition writing has taken a new dimension since 2015, with new ways introduced to get pupils to write essays. Instead of giving the pupils two fixed scenarios and asking them to choose one and write a composition, they now get three pictures with a topic. Using at least one of those three pictures, they are required to write a composition on the given topic.
The change in the PSLE English syllabus makes it more challenging for pupils, but it doesn’t mean that the exam has become harder: they just need to be better prepared to take the exam, and preparation for the PSLE English composition writing paper is not a tasking thing.
Read Widely
Read as much as you can when preparing for your PSLE English composition writing. Read newspapers, magazines, and novels, as these will all help to broaden your knowledge on essay writing and how to write stories based on given topics. Reading will also give you ideas for your stories and your plots, making it easier for you to create twists and turns and make an interesting, compelling composition.
Reading also improves and expands your vocabulary, teaching you new words daily and making you more fluent in your sentence construction and the way you use words and phrases.
Always Check The Dictionary For Words You Don’t Understand
Keeping a dictionary at hand is a very important thing when preparing for your PSLE composition writing. A dictionary is a book full of words and their meanings, and also contains phrases, idiomatic expressions, and also serves as a thesaurus, giving you the synonyms and antonyms of words so that you know which words to use in place of others and which words mean the opposite of other words.
Always look up words in your dictionary to see what they mean and how they work in conjunction with other words. Check for words that you know, but don’t understand, because understanding what those words mean will increase your vocabulary and increase your knowledge of words and how to use them. In composition writing, understanding the meanings of words is essential, as it will minimize grammatical errors and make your story flow with ease, making it easy and simple to read.
Keep A Vocabulary Book
A vocabulary book is a book in which you write down the words that you have learnt. Every new word that you learn, write it in your vocabulary book. Keeping a vocabulary book is essential, as it guides you in how you see words. Words you do not understand, or haven’t heard before, can be written down in it to be checked in a dictionary later, and after you have found out what the word means, you can check it off, or even write the meaning down beside it in your book for future reference.
A vocabulary book basically helps you keep track of the words you learn every day, and with it, it becomes easier for you to note which words mean the same thing and can be used in place of others; which can be used in argumentative essays or expository essays; and what they mean when used in certain phrases or sentences.
Explore Creativity
Try writing your own stories and essays and give them to your parents or tutors to grade. Watch informative channels like the news to have an idea of what is happening around you. Go out and spend time in nature. Meet up with friends and have fun playing games. Creativity opens up the brain, giving it new ideas and information to play with, and this gives you a better chance
Creativity opens up the brain, giving it new ideas and information to play with, and this gives you a better chance of writing a good composition for your PSLE English paper.
Practice With A Mentor/Tutor
As it is said, practice makes perfect. Always practice your writing skills, becoming conversant in all forms of composition writing: expository, argumentative, descriptive, and so on. Practice your composition writing with a tutor or a mentor, so that they will grade your writing when you are done and give you pointers on how you can improve your writing. Practicing your composition writing will give you a feel of how it would be writing in the actual PSLE hall.
Your English tutor can give you a mock exam using past PSLE English question papers, timing you and marking your paper with the appropriate marking scheme. Practicing will make you a most proficient composition writer, and this will boost your confidence as you enter to write the paper because you are secure in the knowledge that you know your words, phrases, sentences, and punctuations; and you will be able to pass the PSLE English paper with flying colours.
Conclusion
In preparing for the PSLE English composition writing paper, your child has to approach the process as a fun, new act of learning. Your child should be open and willing to read more and read widely, reading newspapers, magazines, and novels that they might not read if left to their own devices. Reading opens up an entirely new world for them, not just teaching them new words and adding to their vocabulary.
Encourage your children to use their dictionary to look up new words and the meanings of words they do not understand, having a dictionary handy is essential when preparing for the PSLE English composition writing test, and so is having a vocabulary book. A vocabulary book helps your child keep track of all the words he or she has learned, and also shows them how much their knowledge of words and their meanings has grown.
Being creative and exploring creativity opens up the brain to create more storylines, plots and scenes, that won’t be of an average grade but will earn your child high scores in the exam. Practicing with a mentor or tutor increases your child’s confidence, better preparing them for the PSLE English writing test, and setting them up for success in the exam.
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