How to Ace the New PSLE Oral Exam in 2025

The PSLE Oral English Paper is getting a major upgrade in 2025—and if your child is in Primary 6, it's essential to understand what these changes mean and how to prepare effectively. With the Oral component’s weightage increasing from 30 to 40 marks, this section now plays an even more significant role in determining your child’s overall English grade.

In this post, we’ll break down the latest PSLE Oral format, with a special focus on Stimulus-Based Conversation (SBC), and share practical strategies to help your child succeed.

🗣️ What’s New in PSLE Oral 2025?

The revised Oral Exam consists of two components:

1. Reading Aloud

• Weightage increased from 10 to 15 marks.

• A preamble is now included, outlining the purpose, audience, and context of the passage—requiring students to adjust tone and expression accordingly.

2. Stimulus-Based Conversation (SBC)

• Marks increased from 20 to 25.

• Stimuli have shifted from illustrations to real-life photographs.

• Students must respond to three main prompts, focusing on observation, personal connection, and opinion-based responses.

💡 Why the Increased Weightage Matters

With Oral now accounting for 40 out of 200 marks (or 20% of the total English grade), doing well here can significantly boost your child’s PSLE score—even compensating for weaker areas in writing or comprehension. This makes strong oral communication skills not just valuable, but strategic.

🧠 How to Prepare for Stimulus-Based Conversation

Here are 5 targeted strategies to help your child excel under the new format:

1. Sharpen Observation Skills

What it means: Students must examine a photograph and describe relevant details clearly and accurately.

Practice tips:

• Use newspaper or online images and ask your child to describe what they see in 3-4 sentences.

• Focus on who, what, when, where, and why.

2. Make Personal Connections

What it means: One of the SBC prompts will ask students to relate the stimulus to their own experiences.

Practice tips:

• Encourage your child to share personal stories tied to a topic (e.g., a photo of recycling bins → talk about school recycling efforts).

• Use prompts like: “Have you ever done something similar? What happened?”

3. Express Opinions Confidently

What it means: Students will be asked to evaluate or provide viewpoints on an issue shown in the photo.

Practice tips:

• Use debate-style questions: “Do you think schools should ban plastic bottles?”

• Teach sentence starters: “I believe that…”, “In my opinion…”, “One possible solution is…”

4. Use VOCAL Techniques (Volume, Openness, Clarity, Articulation, Listening)

What it means: The delivery matters just as much as the content. Examiners listen for clarity, fluency, and expressiveness.

Practice tips:

• Record your child’s responses for playback and feedback.

• Practice modulating tone based on context and emotion.

5. Simulate Exam Scenarios

What it means: Familiarity breeds confidence. The more your child practices under timed, structured conditions, the better they’ll perform.

Practice tips:

• Create a mock oral setting with time limits.

• Use real PSLE-style images and prompts from practice books or online resources.

✅ Final Thoughts: Confidence is Key

The new PSLE Oral format challenges students to move beyond scripted responses and engage in spontaneous, authentic communication. The shift toward real-life photos and opinion-based questions reflects a broader move toward holistic assessment—and gives students who are articulate and thoughtful a real chance to shine.

📚 Need Help Preparing for PSLE Oral?

At Hess Academy, our PSLE English programme incorporates oral practice and training in our weekly lessons and PSLE Workshops, aligned with the 2025 MOE syllabus changes. We coach students to:

• Analyse images critically

• Respond to questions clearly and confidently

• Build vocabulary and structure for expressing opinions

• Simulate real exam environments regularly

📞 Contact us today to find out how we can help your child master the new Oral format and boost their English score!