The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in Singapore is set to undergo significant changes in 2025, particularly in the English language paper. We previously published a list of key changes in a separate post, which you may read here. In this post, we analyze and provide an overview of the key changes as well as their potential impacts on P6 students preparing for the 2025 English PSLE.
Key Changes to PSLE English 2025
1. Adjustments in Paper 1: Writing
Situational Writing: The marks allocated have been reduced from 15 to 14. Notably, one content point will now require students to generate their own ideas, moving beyond merely extracting information from the provided stimulus.
Continuous Writing: The total marks have been decreased from 40 to 36, meaning a slightly lower weightage in the PSLE English exam. There is still a maintained emphasis on content and language skills.
2. Revisions in Paper 2: Language Use and Comprehension
Visual Text Comprehension: Students will now encounter two texts—one combining visuals and text, and another text-only passage. The number of questions has been reduced from 8 to 5, with at least one question requiring comparisons between the two texts.
Editing Section: The number of questions and corresponding marks have been reduced from 12 to 10, maintaining the focus on grammar and spelling proficiency.
3. Enhanced Emphasis on Oral Communication (Paper 4)
Reading Aloud: Marks have increased from 10 to 15. Additionally, a preamble outlining the purpose, audience, and context will be provided, requiring students to adjust their reading tone and style accordingly.
Stimulus-Based Conversation: Marks have risen from 20 to 25. The stimulus will shift to real-life photographs, and students will be prompted with three main questions, encouraging more authentic and spontaneous responses.
Beyond the increased in total marks for PSLE Oral, it is important to note that there are significant changes the complexity of the tasks in both Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation. For Reading Aloud, students are required to demonstrate awareness of the Purpose, Audience and Context of the passage. For Stimulus- Based Conversation, examiners are looking for higher order skills that show the student's ability to respond to the photograph stimulus that is used.
Impacts on Students Preparing for the 2025 PSLE English Exam
1. Development of Critical Thinking and Creativity
With the introduction of open-ended content points in Situational Writing, students must now think critically and creatively to generate relevant ideas, moving beyond rote learning.
2. Enhanced Analytical Skills
The revised Visual Text Comprehension section requires students to analyze and compare information across different text types, fostering deeper comprehension and inferential skills.
3. Improved Oral Communication Proficiency
The increased weightage and revised formats in the Oral Communication component place a stronger emphasis on students' ability to articulate thoughts clearly and engage in meaningful conversations, better preparing them for real-world communication scenarios.
These changes reflect a shift towards a more holistic assessment approach, aiming to cultivate well-rounded individuals equipped with essential language skills for the future.
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