Q&A - PSLE English

[Mdm Koh]

ridcully:

pixiedust:

About the answers to past year questions, we buy the exam papers from vendors, not the schools. I am not quite sure where the answers are taken from, I suspect they took it from the source child (after teacher goes through the paper in class) and hence there is high risk of communication and other errors. I believe the answers are not provided by the schools.

Being a magical and benevolent pixie, you are very charitable! Although I am magical, I am neither benevolent nor charitable when it comes to bad English.


At the tuition centre where I work and in my private tuition [no, I am not advertising], I meet children from many schools (both 'top' schools and 'neighbourhood' ones) who show me their school worksheets and the erroneous corrections done by their teachers. My suspicion is that the mistakes originate at source, that is the schools.

Rgds
R

I believe the mistakes originate from the schools too. And my suspicion is that they might've been the \"first draft\" from the teacher who set the paper.

This is because after an exam paper is set by a teacher, it will go through several rounds of vetting before it is printed for the students.

As I have spotted way too many errors in the exam papers that I downloaded online (not only in the answer schemes, but in the questions too), my guess is that some of these were not the final vetted papers that were used in the schools' exams, but rather, earlier unedited copies.

[Kloggy]

Hi Ridcully / Mdm Koh,


Have a few S&T that need your advise. I listed 2 possible answers for each qn. Would like to know if both are correct answers.

1) Our principal invited President Nathan to our school
________________________ by _____________

(a) President Nathan was invited to our school by our principal.
(b) President Nathan was invited by our principal to our school.

2) He was curious and persistent. He solved the mystery.
Owing to his

(a) Owing to his curiosity and persistence, he solved the mystery.
(b) Owing to his curiosity and persistence, the mystery was solved.

3) The thief crept into the house stealthily so he would not be detected.
to avoid

(a) The thief crept into the house stealthily to avoid being detected.
(b) The thief crept into the house stealthily to avoid detection.

4) If you do not finish your homework, you cannot watch the movie.
unless

(a) You cannot watch the movie unless you finish your homework.
(b) You cannot watch the movie unless you have finished your homework.

5) Sarah read the book a second time. The story was very interesting.
such ________________

(a) The story was such an interesting one that Sarah read the book a second time.
(b) It was such an interesting story that Sarah read the book a second time.

6) "You must finish your homework. Don’t watch television," Mrs Ang told her daughter.
Mrs Ang told her daughter __________________

(a) Mrs Ang told her daughter to finish her homework and not to watch television.
(b) Mrs Ang told her daughter that she had to finish her homework and not to watch television.

7) All the girls were present at the school concert performance last night.
None _______________________________

Ans : None of the girls was absent from/at the school concert performance last night.

In this last question, shd the preposition used be "absent from" or "absent at" ?

Sorry for the many questions and many thanks in advance.
Kloggy

[ridcully]

Kloggy:

1) Our principal invited President Nathan to our school

________________________ by _________________

(a) President Nathan was invited to our school by our principal.
(b) President Nathan was invited by our principal to our school.

Both are grammatically correct. Stylistically, we usually put the prepositional phrase containing the agent last; thus, preference would be for (a).

Kloggy:

2) He was curious and persistent. He solved the mystery.
Owing to his ______________________

(a) Owing to his curiosity and persistence, he solved the mystery.
(b) Owing to his curiosity and persistence, the mystery was solved.

Both are grammatically correct.

The difference is simply what we want to emphasise. In answer (a), the main clause ‘he solved the mystery’ is in the active voice, namely we are making the doer of the action the subject and so giving it emphasis. In answer (b), the main clause ‘the mystery was solved’ is in the passive voice, namely we are making the receiver of the action the subject and so giving it emphasis.

Kloggy:

3) The thief crept into the house stealthily so he would not be detected.
____________________ to avoid ______________

(a) The thief crept into the house stealthily to avoid being detected.
(b) The thief crept into the house stealthily to avoid detection.

Both are correct.

‘Avoid’ is a transitive verb and should be followed by a noun or noun equivalent: ‘being’ is a gerund, which is a verbal noun; ‘detection’ is a noun.

Kloggy:

4) If you do not finish your homework, you cannot watch the movie.
____________________ unless __________________

(a) You cannot watch the movie unless you finish your homework.
(b) You cannot watch the movie unless you have finished your homework.

Both are correct.

With what is called first conditionals, however, preference is for (a) because the present simple tense better captures the idea of stating a truth.

Kloggy:

5) Sarah read the book a second time. The story was very interesting.
__________________ such ________________

(a) The story was such an interesting one that Sarah read the book a second time.
(b) It was such an interesting story that Sarah read the book a second time.

Both are correct. Stylistically, I prefer (b).

Kloggy:

6) \"You must finish your homework. Don't watch television,\" Mrs Ang told her daughter.
Mrs Ang told her daughter __________________

(a) Mrs Ang told her daughter to finish her homework and not to watch television.
(b) Mrs Ang told her daughter that she had to finish her homework and not to watch television.

Answer (a). When reporting orders and requests, we use infinitives.

You do, however, change the tense when there is a that/what clause in the source sentence. For example:

“Please don’t tell Mummy what happened to my homework yesterday,” Mrs Ang’s daughter said to me.

Mrs Ang’s daughter asked me not to tell anyone what had happened to her homework the previous day.

Kloggy:

7) All the girls were present at the school concert performance last night.
None _______________________________

Ans : None of the girls was absent from/at the school concert performance last night.

In this last question, shd the preposition used be \"absent from\" or \"absent at\" ?

Absent from.

Conversely, one is 'present at' something.

Rgds
R

[chrisu]

Hi,

May I know if Letter Writing is still included in the PSLE syllabus under the Situation Writing? I’m seeing that my daughter’s teacher only teaches them Report Writing, Newsletter and Email.

What is the standard format for letter writing now? The address part for formal and informal letter still applies? Any changes for PSLE now as I see those Popular assessment model answer do not include address part any more.

My daughter also tell me that for situational writing, the school only give them 1 piece of printed lines paper and no extra pieces will be given. So far no letter writing for past exam, so not sure.

Any ideas?

[Kloggy]

Hi Ridcully, thank you v much for answering my queries. Appreciate it.

[ridcully]

chrisu:

May I know if Letter Writing is still included in the PSLE syllabus under the Situation Writing?

Yes.

chrisu:

What is the standard format for letter writing now? The address part for formal and informal letter still applies? Any changes for PSLE now as I see those Popular assessment model answer do not include address part any more.

The PSLE guideline as far as I know is that candidates must show awareness of the format of the target text type. This could certainly include putting in the addresses. However, different schools have different practices. I am not a PSLE marker so cannot confirm. I do recommend to students though to put the addresses in: It does no harm - apart from waste a minute? - and might do some good.

At secondary level it is necessary to put in the addresses.

Rgds
R

[chrisu]

Thanks for your answer ridcully. The reason I asked is if only one piece of paper is given during PSLE, there definitely isn't any space left for the address to be put in (not so much of time factor).

ridcully:

chrisu:

May I know if Letter Writing is still included in the PSLE syllabus under the Situation Writing?

Yes.

chrisu:

What is the standard format for letter writing now? The address part for formal and informal letter still applies? Any changes for PSLE now as I see those Popular assessment model answer do not include address part any more.

The PSLE guideline as far as I know is that candidates must show awareness of the format of the target text type. This could certainly include putting in the addresses. However, different schools have different practices. I am not a PSLE marker so cannot confirm. I do recommend to students though to put the addresses in: It does no harm - apart from waste a minute? - and might do some good.

At secondary level it is necessary to put in the addresses.

Rgds
R

[ridcully]

chrisu:

Thanks for your answer ridcully. The reason I asked is if only one piece of paper is given during PSLE, there definitely isn't any space left for the address to be put in (not so much of time factor).

Very interesting point. I believe that students can always ask invigilators for extra paper.


I have in front of me now the 2011 PSLE Instructions to Candidates from SEAB. It does not mention about extra paper for the Composition Examination. It simply states that the candidates will be given a Composition Answer Booklet, which contains lined/boxed pages and blank pages. The blank pages are for rough work. Presumably, the students could utilise the blank pages for their actual answers too after checking with the invigilator?

Any PSLE examiners here to comment?

[Mdm Koh]

There is no hard and fast rule about the address for informal letter-writing, but my point of view is that students should follow the format that they are taught in schools.


If their English teachers at school are telling them that there’s no need to include the address in informal letter-writing, don’t include it.

[ridcully]

Mdm Koh:

There is no hard and fast rule about the address for informal letter-writing, but my point of view is that students should follow the format that they are taught in schools.


If their English teachers at school are telling them that there's no need to include the address in informal letter-writing, don't include it.

Hi Mdm Koh. Thanks. How about formal letter-writing? Some of the students I meet are taught to include sender and recipient whereas others are told it's all optional!

This is an issue on my list of things to write to MOE about one day. My concern is not whether it should be included or not, but rather the consistency across schools of what children are taught.