PSLE Discussions and Strategies
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@HNS2015 Yes! Seems fun yeah? My son likes it this way.
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@thebottomsupblog
Yes yes, I am going to find out which other secondary schools have 4+1 time table 🤭 -
Hi, My boy is P6 dis year… Do u guys buy exam papers for ur child? Is it enough?
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@singingforzara Hi! Yes I bought school exam papers for both my kids.
Both times, there were too many papers to finish, so I think it’s possible to share with a friend as well.
Schools will usually give papers as well — depends on the teacher. My daughter’s maths/science teacher would give them papers from other schools to do, and he even started this “7am clinic” for his students to go over answers with him + told them they could text him at night, even if late. With a teacher like that, don’t need to do much at home
For my son, the school only gave past-year papers from the school. I bought the full set of practice papers and left it to my son’s tutors to ensure they were well used.
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@thebottomsupblog
I also got started with some past year paper. Any other strategies you guys have? Seems like the bar is raised every year. Currently trying to use DSA to enter my kid’s dream school too - heard of kids who underperform on actual day of PSLE -
@JensonTan Some of the things that I did/still do:
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After my son did each test paper, I sometimes checked what he got wrong and categorised the mistakes into “careless” vs “don’t know,” which we would highlight. For the latter, I would get his tutor to explain, or we would find a YouTube vid, etc. Around once in two weeks, I would reprint questions that he got wrong and ask him to redo (more than once if necessary).
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For English compo, I believe in sticking to a few practice topics and doing multiple drafts, rather than doing compo after compo. For my daughter, I made her rewrite the same story 5-6 times. Her grammar/spelling etc was strong, so we focused on: removing unnecessary plot details (like waking up, getting hairbrush, brushing teeth), avoiding cliches (“golden rays of sunshine”), and having an ending with some depth, like a lesson learned.
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For oral/current affairs/vocab, I try to use “bigger” words at the dinner table, or I will use my WhatsApp stories to introduce vocab words and share links with my kids (mostly NYT, because I prefer the writing there). For local writing, I like Jom. I don’t really signpost my stories as “Hey this is a new word that you should use,” but I’ll use it naturally and they can check it themselves or ask me.
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@JensonTan and @singingforzara , there are now digital versions of top school papers. I came across mcq.sg, which does this and lets you see where our child is weaker, which topics, etc. It also automatically prompts more questions on the weaker topics.
I found it really helpful for focusing on the right areas instead of blinding doing paper after paper.
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Hi @singingforzara ,
Hi! My daughter is also P6 this year. We do buy past year prelim papers — they’re great for exposure to different question styles since each school sets slightly different papers.What worked for us:
- Top school prelim papers (Nanyang, Rosyth, Tao Nan, etc.) — these tend to be harder and good for stretching
- Past PSLE papers — to get familiar with the actual exam format and difficulty level
- Start with the easier schools first, then work up to the tougher ones closer to PSLE
But honestly, buying papers alone isn’t enough. The key is reviewing mistakes properly — understanding WHY they got it wrong, not just doing more and more papers.
We also supplement with online practice. My daughter has been using FunfinityMath which has step-by-step solutions that explain the thinking behind each question. It also has a mock exam feature that times them
like the real PSLE, so you can track their progress and see which topics still need work. Helps him learn from mistakes without needing us to sit beside him and explain every time
Hope this helps! Jiayou to our P6 kids!
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Really appreciate all the tips shared here! Jiayou to all P6 parents! One thing I’d add: don’t underestimate the power of a quiet, consistent revision environment. My daughter used to revise in her room but we found that the dining table (with no phone nearby) helped her focus much better. Also, for subjects like Science where explanations can get confusing, we started using OmniBox Tutor (tryomnibox.com/tutor) — it’s free and lets her ask questions anytime she gets stuck on a concept. She uses it mainly for Science topics but it’s been helpful for other subjects too. The key is not adding more stress but finding what already works and sticking to it. All the best to our kids!
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