All About Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE)

PSLE English Syllabus & Exam Format

PSLE English Language Overview

Given that the English Language is Singapore’s official language, all students in Singapore will have to learn and master English in all forms of communication. The PSLE English Language syllabus and examinations will help students to be better English students, speakers and readers.

Of all subjects in the PSLE, English language is most likely the most important for primary school students. Without a strong foundation in this commonly-used language, students will find it difficult to communicate, learn and play, thus hindering their development.

In addition, since most subjects are taught in English, other than Mother Tongue Languages, understanding English will be necessary to learn the other PSLE subjects well. With how content-heavy the PSLE subjects are, we certainly do not want to pile more learning difficulties on our students.

This is the reason why many parents give their children plenty of help to master their English language, such as encouraging them to read more and having supplementary English tuition classes. You can always prepare yourself well for the PSLE examinations by securing a strong foundation in the English language!

Learning Objectives of English Language

Being able to read, write and examine the English Language well is an important skill to have for all Primary 6 students entering Secondary Schools next year.

As such, the English Language examinations in the PSLE hopes to that students can meet these learning objectives of the English Language:

Write clearly and effectively to suit purpose, audience and context
Use the correct expression and tone in different contexts
Generating and expressing relevant ideas
Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation
Use different vocabulary correctly, clearly and accurately

PSLE English Language (0001)

PSLE English is a comprehensive assessment for your English abilities, testing you on your writing, comprehension, argumentation, critical listening and verbal communication.

This will be in the forms of contextual writing, multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and open-ended questions. Every student will sit a combined examination duration of 3 hours 45 minutes.

In total, the PSLE English examinations has a total of 200 marks. Every student’s total score will be translated into a percentage out of 100% to be used for the Achievement Levels (AL) score calculation.

There are four key components of the PSLE English examinations that will test your English language proficiency.

Each component differs slightly from another due to the difference in assessment and format, but in general, PSLE English wants to test you in:

Your ability to write clearly, appropriately and effectively
Your appropriate and correct use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and tone
Your generation, organisation and expression of ideas
Your inferential and understanding of text and language in different settings/li>
Your inferential and understanding of text and language in different settings/li>
Your fluency, pronunciation, articulation and intonation in speaking English

PSLE English Language (0001) tests students in four components, each in its own paper.

Paper	Component	Marks	Weightage	Duration
1	Situational Writing and Continuous Writing	55	27.5%	1 hour 10 minutes
2	Language Use and Comprehension	95	47.5%	1 hour 50 minutes
3	Listening Comprehension	20	10%	35 minutes
4	Oral Communication	30	15%	10 minutes
Total		200	100%	3 hours 45 minutes

PSLE English Paper 1 uses Situational Writing and Continuous Writing to test you on your English writing skills and ability. Paper 1 is 1 hour and 10 minutes long and is fully open-ended.

Situational Writing (15 marks)

You will need to write a short letter, report or email that answers the situation and suits the purpose, audience and context.

Marking Scheme:

Component	Marks	Requirements
Task Fulfilment	6	Provide the necessary information and show understanding of purpose, audience and context
Language, Organisation and Context	9	Use of correct grammar, spelling and punctuation with a logical organisation of ideas
Total	15

Continuous Writing (40 marks)

You will need to write a composition, with a minimum of 150 words, on a given topic. The topic will include three pictures that is meant for individuals to have their own interpretation of the topic. You can choose to write either a narrative, recount of expository essay.

Marking Scheme:

Component	Marks	Requirements
Content	20	Possess appropriate ideas that has development and interest value
Language and Organisation	20	Use of correct grammar, spelling and punctuation with wide use of vocabulary. Writing needs proper sequences, paragraphs and linking of ideas.
Total	40

PSLE English Paper 2 uses a mix of MCQs and open-ended questions to test your inferential and understanding of various texts. You will attempt nine different components across the two booklets of Paper 2, which is 1 hour and 50 minutes long.

Many students have found Paper 2 rather challenging due to the grammar cloze, comprehension cloze, editing, and synthesis and transformation sections.

Component	Marks	Description
Grammar	10	MCQ in Booklet A
Vocabulary	5	MCQ in Booklet A
Vocabulary Cloze	5	MCQ in Booklet A
Visual Text Comprehension	8	MCQ in Booklet A
Grammar Cloze	10	Fill in 10 blanks with choice of helping works
Editing for Spelling and Grammar	12	Identify any spelling or grammatical errors and correct them
Comprehension Close	15	Fill in 14 blanks without helping words
Synthesis and Transformation	10	Combine sentences together without changing the meaning or making any tense, spelling and punctuation mistakes
Comprehension Open-Ended	20	Answer questions on the provided passage and use of language
Total	95

PSLE English Paper 4, or more commonly known as the Oral Examination, is an open-ended, verbal assessment. Students will be required to read and converse with the examiners for the Oral Communication. It is also one of the more intense exams in the PSLE, given the short 5 minutes of examination.

Reading (10 marks)

You will read a short passage for the examiners to assess your pronunciation, articulation, fluency and expression.

Stimulus-Based Conversation (20 marks)

A picture will be provided to you for the conversation. You will be giving your personal responses to three prompts from the examiners. You need to extend your responses by giving opinions, explanations, experiences, examples or suggestions.

In addition, you need to answer your prompts using the correct grammatical structures, appropriate vocabulary and maintain eye contact.

PSLE Foundation English (0031)

PSLE Foundation English is different from Standard PSLE English with the lower requirements for understanding and mastery of the English Language. While Foundation English has the four components and papers as Standard PSLE English, the scope and difficulty are reduced.

This is to provide more time and resources for students to build a strong foundation for English and to prepare them adequately for learning English at a higher level in the future.

The combined duration is a shorter 3 hours 15 minutes and has a total of 150 marks.

Similar to the Standard PSLE English, there are four key components to test your English language proficiency at a foundational level:

Your ability to write clearly, appropriately and effectively
Your appropriate and correct use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and tone
Your generation, organisation and expression of ideas
Your inferential and understanding of text and language in different settings
Your critical listening skills
Your fluency, pronunciation, articulation and intonation in speaking English

PSLE Foundation English Language (0031) tests students in four components, each in its own paper.

Paper	Component	Marks	Weightage	Duration
1	Situational Writing and Continuous Writing	40	26.7%	1 hour 10 minutes
2	Language Use and Comprehension	60	40%	1 hour 20 minutes
3	Listening Comprehension	20	13.3%	35 minutes
4	Oral Communication	30	20%	10 minutes
		150	100%	3 hours 15 minutes

PSLE English Revision Notes & Resources

Like all languages, the English language requires a strong foundation of the language and understanding of its uses for you to excel in it.

In order to achieve this, you can learn and revise your English language using our free downloadable English revision notes and resources.

These PSLE English Resources are obtained and packaged from top schools and tutors in Singapore and are proven to help you to deepen your understanding and get closer to the PSLE English Language Distinction.

Like all languages, the English language requires a strong foundation of the language and understanding of its uses for you to excel in it.

In order to achieve this, you can learn and revise your English language using our free downloadable English revision notes and resources.

Get your free PSLE English Resources

Free Primary School Test Papers

For most subjects in the PSLE, practice is the most effective way of learning them well for the Examinations. Other than knowing the content required, you also need to learn how to manage your time, exam stress and reduce distractions.

Therefore, practicing your PSLE exam strategies on past year primary school test papers can keep you sharp, focused and ready to ace the PSLE English Language examination. Download our free P6 English Exam Papers and start preparing for the PSLE today!

Download our free test papers

Important PSLE Dates for PSLE English

Keep track of the next upcoming PSLE English examination so that you can plan and prepare yourself adequately for this important examination paper. Remember, you can perform well in any PSLE subject paper when you are well-prepared with the knowledge, well-equipped with the right stationery and mentality and well-rested the night before.

Date	Upcoming PSLE Dates for English	Time
Oct 01	English Language Paper 1	08:15 am
Oct 01	English Language Paper 2	10:30 am
Oct 01	Foundation English Paper 1	08:15 am
Oct 01	Foundation English Paper 2	10:30 am

See all Important PSLE Dates

Master your English Language with PSLE English Tuition

Having trouble with the English language but you have no idea how to improve it? Or do you need professional guidance to make sure you stay focused?

With PSLE English home tuition, you can now get exceptional and personalised help in the English language in the comfort of your house. Our English tutors are well-equipped to teach the latest PSLE English syllabus and are professional to make sure you can learn, revise and practice more effectively than ever.

Nobody goes into battle alone. We are ready to give you the help you need to excel in the PSLE English language examination.