2024 PSLE Discussions and Strategies

[toutoulang]

Hi everyone,


Just want to ask how do I start revising with my child for PSLE? I’m a full time working mum. I didn’t need to help my second boy much previously and now he’s in Year 5 at RI.

But with this youngest child, I’m at a loss probably because I’ve never been very much a hands on Psle mum. But I’m panicking and wish to salvage as much as I can.

This youngest didn’t do well for the 1st WA this year at P6. And has a few subjects with AL 5. I really don’t know how to start the rigour.

Will appreciate all parents who can give me in detail how I should help him in all the subjects. Really grateful for any advice.

[sharonkhoo]

toutoulang\" post_id=\"2130600\" time=\"1710169874\" user_id=\"5818:

Hi everyone,

Just want to ask how do I start revising with my child for PSLE? I’m a full time working mum. I didn’t need to help my second boy much previously and now he’s in Year 5 at RI.

But with this youngest child, I’m at a loss probably because I’ve never been very much a hands on Psle mum. But I’m panicking and wish to salvage as much as I can.

This youngest didn’t do well for the 1st WA this year at P6. And has a few subjects with AL 5. I really don’t know how to start the rigour.

Will appreciate all parents who can give me in detail how I should help him in all the subjects. Really grateful for any advice.

I think for parents, it's important to remember that we need to teach a kid how to learn, how to plan, how to keep to a schedule, etc. That is more important than teaching content and making them work. Some supervision will be be necessary, depending on the child's discipline and maturity, but the aim should be to ease off gradually. You seem to have had an easier time with your older son, but every child is different.

It's been a long time since PSLE for my family, but here are a few ideas which you can work on to start:
- find out what his weaknesses are - maybe set some exercises for him to do, or a test paper (moderate level, not a \"challenging\" one); or ask him which areas he feels he needs the most help.
- help him make a plan to work on one subject each day this week - first do some questions on topics that have been covered, and identify the weaknesses. Since you are at work in the day, you may need to get him to do the test, then let you look at it and plan for the next day. Involve him in the planning so he learns how to plan and schedule.
- help him make a plan for setting aside time for general revision (on top of school homework) each week once term begins again.
- figure out what needs to be done, and whether it can be one-off, ad hoc, or continuous - some coaching from you? asking teachers/older brother for help? tuition?
- when you know his specific weaknesses, you can post again and ask about individual subjects and weaknesses.

After a while, you should have an idea of where his greatest needs are, and you can adjust the plans accordingly.

[00skyblue00]

toutoulang\" post_id=\"2130600\" time=\"1710169874\" user_id=\"5818:

Hi everyone,

Just want to ask how do I start revising with my child for PSLE? I’m a full time working mum. I didn’t need to help my second boy much previously and now he’s in Year 5 at RI.

But with this youngest child, I’m at a loss probably because I’ve never been very much a hands on Psle mum. But I’m panicking and wish to salvage as much as I can.

This youngest didn’t do well for the 1st WA this year at P6. And has a few subjects with AL 5. I really don’t know how to start the rigour.

Will appreciate all parents who can give me in detail how I should help him in all the subjects. Really grateful for any advice.

Starting from where he is at now and aim to take small steps of learning, hopefully improvements eventually. Probably you are at a loss because you are thinking of leaping and reach the same outcome as his elder siblings?
Take this chance to spend more weekends time with him now. As he progress to secondary sch, he will spend less time with you later. Cherish your time now. Engage in a regular family bonding activity eg chess night after dinner.
Psle is not daunting if we don't let it be. Whatever achievement your child eventually accomplished, is a bonus.
All the best to you.

[zac's mum]

toutoulang\" post_id=\"2130600\" time=\"1710169874\" user_id=\"5818:

Hi everyone,

Just want to ask how do I start revising with my child for PSLE? I’m a full time working mum. I didn’t need to help my second boy much previously and now he’s in Year 5 at RI.

But with this youngest child, I’m at a loss probably because I’ve never been very much a hands on Psle mum. But I’m panicking and wish to salvage as much as I can.

This youngest didn’t do well for the 1st WA this year at P6. And has a few subjects with AL 5. I really don’t know how to start the rigour.

Will appreciate all parents who can give me in detail how I should help him in all the subjects. Really grateful for any advice.

Which were the specific subjects with AL5? Did he also score around that range for P5? And has he always been weak in those subjects or was it a one-off drop for P6 WA1? It’s hard for us to give more specific advice without knowing such details.

[lee_yl]

toutoulang\" post_id=\"2130600\" time=\"1710169874\" user_id=\"5818:

Hi everyone,

Just want to ask how do I start revising with my child for PSLE? I’m a full time working mum. I didn’t need to help my second boy much previously and now he’s in Year 5 at RI.

But with this youngest child, I’m at a loss probably because I’ve never been very much a hands on Psle mum. But I’m panicking and wish to salvage as much as I can.

This youngest didn’t do well for the 1st WA this year at P6. And has a few subjects with AL 5. I really don’t know how to start the rigour.

Will appreciate all parents who can give me in detail how I should help him in all the subjects. Really grateful for any advice.

I gave my niece tuition before. Similar case to your son. What I did was to spend some time to go through all her P4 and then P5 syllabus before I got started on P6 stuff. Weak could be due to foundation lacking, some concepts in certain topics not clear.

You can buy P4/P5 math assessment book, every topic pick some questions for him to practise, treat as revision, along the way you might find out his weaknesses, say in Fraction. Then do more practice on this topic. Likewise for Science. For Chinese, go through all the P4/P5 words to learn again. Don’t worry about time wasted because some P4/P5 stuff will be tested in PSLE too.

[00skyblue00]

Can spend some time preparing kid for oral, esp if kid is not shy type. Easy to get points. Can practise more if kid is shy type. Is abt building up kid confidence. Read out loud from short paragraphs to start off.

[toutoulang]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I’m trying to race against time.


I’d like to focus on oral exams for both English and Chinese. Can I ask what are the strategies for teaching him to do well for both oral exams? What are the ways to score to get a high grade for oral exams?

He currently struggles a lot with Chinese oral. English is just average, I would say. He has strong interest in Maths.

Would like to cover as much ground as I can.

Thank you everyone!

[toutoulang]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I’m trying to race against time.


I’d like to focus on oral exams for both English and Chinese. Can I ask what are the strategies for teaching him to do well for both oral exams? What are the ways to score to get a high grade for oral exams?

He currently struggles a lot with Chinese oral. English is just average, I would say. He has strong interest in Maths.

Would like to cover as much ground as I can.

Thank you everyone!

[00skyblue00]

A chinese tutor would suggest 120% time or effort for child to put in. That’s where parents step in to strategise what suits best for own child to capitalise from his own abilities.


For chinese, and oral, scope is straightforward. Everything on sch textbook. So focusing on textbook for now. If kid is weak, start from p4 level. Schs gave topics and notes/printed dialogues for oral from p4. Make good use of them and textbook as reading out loud materials. Start from reading out loud with him every day or every other day. Two passages each if possible. I don’t suggest memorise, coz kids will not remember. It’s abt getting into the familiarisation and fluency of phrases and learning content to say for the topics. Reading out loud trains different part of brain from silent reading. Kids will learn better with parents learning with them. They will avoid developing phobia of exams if they find joy in learning esp w parents, build good memories.
Find out from subject teachers what are the components of exam if u r not familiar. Coz such will change so whatever we tell you from our experience may be outdated.

Is reading still required in Eng oral? In any case, if you do not have any materials, can use past yrs psle oral topics as a guide, to prepare for the topics content. As for fluency, can get kid to read out loud from past psle comprehension passages.

Good news if he likes maths, half battle won. He will enjoy sec sch maths.

[sharonkhoo]

toutoulang\" post_id=\"2130648\" time=\"1710280517\" user_id=\"5818:

Thank you everyone for your responses. I’m trying to race against time.

I’d like to focus on oral exams for both English and Chinese. Can I ask what are the strategies for teaching him to do well for both oral exams? What are the ways to score to get a high grade for oral exams?

He currently struggles a lot with Chinese oral. English is just average, I would say. He has strong interest in Maths.

Would like to cover as much ground as I can.

Thank you everyone!

It's still only March? There are a few months yet to go.

For English oral, someone suggested earlier getting him to read aloud - choose short passaged from newspapers or books that he is interested in, and focus on reading clearly, pronunciation, smoothness etc. Many Sg kids don't speak in complete sentences, don't use tenses properly or they mix languages, so make him aware of these things and practise. Then look at some of the guidebooks to get him aware of possible topics, how to answer, appropriate vocabulary, length of response etc. I think all this should be covered in school?

Can't help you with Chinese! Others here will contribute, I'm sure.