In 15 years of marking PSLE English scripts, I saw the same well-meant habits pull good writers down, usually ones picked up from model-essay books. Here are the seven I saw most often, and what to do instead.
“Use as many good phrases and idioms as possible.”
Memorised phrases often don’t fit the moment and sound unnatural, and a misused idiom costs Language marks.
Instead: one precise, well-placed description beats five stock phrases.
“A more exciting plot scores higher.”
Kidnappings, robberies and near-death escapes are rarely believable, and they often drift from the topic.
Instead: choose an ordinary situation with real feelings, such as a broken promise, a lost item or a lie.
“Long is good.”
Extra scenes dilute the key moment and give more chances for errors.
Instead: spend the words on the climax, not on breakfast and the bus ride.
“Start with the weather or an alarm clock.”
A generic opening wastes the first impression and delays the problem.
Instead: start close to the problem, with an action, a line of dialogue or a thought.
“Memorise a few essays and adapt them.”
Adapted essays usually answer a slightly different topic, and relevance is the first thing markers check.
Instead: practise planning for many topics rather than memorising stories.
“Replace ‘said’ with a fancy verb every time.”
Constant “exclaimed”, “retorted” and “bellowed” is distracting and often used wrongly.
Instead: use “said” most of the time, and let the dialogue and actions carry the emotion.
“End with a moral like ‘Honesty is the best policy’.”
A tacked-on proverb feels preachy and doesn’t show what the character learned.
Instead: end with the character’s own realisation and what they’ll do differently.
A quick check you can do tonight
Take your child’s last school composition and ask these questions:
Which part shows the topic? If they point to one line near the end, that isn’t enough.
What could the main character lose? If nothing, there’s no real problem.
Is the most important moment longer than the walk to school?
How is the character different at the end?
Don’t fix anything yet. Just note which question it fails first. That’s your starting point.
Happy to answer questions below.
Disclosure: I now make writing resources. If it’s useful, there’s a free sample of my parent’s guide, with these myths and a printable checklist, here: payhip.com/AntzLearn/collection/free-samples
