PSLE composition practice: model essays with examiner notes
These model compositions show how a PSLE story earns its marks. Each one has notes that point to the exact lines that score, so your child can see why.
What your child has to do
In continuous writing, your child gets one topic and three pictures. They write a story of at least 150 words. The story must use at least one of the pictures.
How it is marked
The composition is marked out of 36.
| Part | Marks | What examiners look at |
|---|---|---|
| Content | 18 | Ideas and plot, how well the story fits the topic and pictures, and how well it holds together |
| Language and organisation | 18 | Vocabulary, sentence variety, grammar, spelling and punctuation |
Both parts carry the same marks. A strong plot full of language errors will not score well. Neither will neat writing about a story where nothing much happens.
Warm up: plan before you read a model
Before opening a model, give your child 2 minutes to plan a story of their own.
✍️ Your turn
Pick a theme: kindness, a difficult decision, trying something new, or a celebration. In 1 or 2 sentences, plan one small event. Say who is in it, what happens and what the character learns.
The model essays
Each page has a short plan, 3 writing tasks, the full composition and examiner notes.
| Model essay | Theme |
|---|---|
| An act of kindness | Helping someone |
| A difficult decision | Making a hard choice |
| Trying something new | A first time that takes courage |
| A memorable celebration | An event or festival |
How to use them with your child
- Show your child the topic and pictures first.
- Give them 2 minutes to plan their own story.
- Open the model together and compare. Ask where the model adds detail they left out.
- Read the examiner notes last. They show why each line scores.
Do not read the model to your child first. Let them plan their own story before they see it.
For the other task in Paper 1, see the situational writing guide.