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PSLE English · Paper 1

PSLE English Paper 1: Writing

Time
1 h 10 min
Marks
50
Weighting
25%

Your child writes two pieces: a short functional piece and a composition.

What the examiners mark

  • The writing suits its purpose, its reader and the situation.
  • The ideas are relevant and well organised.
  • Grammar, spelling and punctuation are accurate.

Suggested timing

Situational writingAbout 20 min
Continuous writingAbout 50 min

The sections

SectionHow you answerMarksOn Zippy
Situational writingWritten14Guide
Continuous writingWritten364 model answers and a guide

Situational writing

Written1 task14 marksWriting lessons

Write a short email, letter or report for a given reader and reason.

How to answer

  1. Read the task. Note who you are writing to, why, and what happened.
  2. Underline every point the task asks you to include.
  3. Choose a tone that suits the reader. A principal needs a polite, formal tone.
  4. Write the points in a sensible order. Tick each one off as you go.
  5. Read it through once more for missing points and spelling.

Common mistakes

MistakeWhat helps
Leaving out one of the required points.Underline every required point before writing, then tick each off.
The wrong tone, such as a chatty ending in a letter to a principal.Write the same short message twice, once to a friend and once to a teacher.
Copying whole lines from the notice or poster.Practise rewording each point in your own words for the reader.
Read the situational writing guide

Continuous writing

Written1 task36 marksWriting lessons

Write a composition of at least 150 words on a given topic. It must be based on at least one of three pictures.

How to answer

  1. Read the topic carefully. Your whole story must be about it.
  2. Pick the picture that gives you one clear event to write about.
  3. Plan before you write. Keep to one main event over a short time.
  4. Build up to the key moment, and spend the most words there.
  5. End by showing what changed, or what the character learnt.
  6. Save five minutes to check tenses, spelling and punctuation.

Common mistakes

MistakeWhat helps
The story uses a picture but drifts away from the topic.Before writing, finish this sentence in one line, "My story is about … because …".
Too many events, so none of them has any detail.Plan one event only. Describe what happens in it step by step.
The ending rushes past the most important moment.Mark the key moment in the plan, and give it its own paragraph.
Repeated tense and agreement errors.Rewrite one paragraph with your child and correct every verb together.
Open 4 model answers and a guideAn act of kindnessA difficult decisionTrying something new

Format, marks and weighting from the SEAB syllabus.