PSLE Revision Notes Paper 1

Situational Writing (15 marks) Look at past completed exercises. Remember SICCS Look carefully at the task required of you. Determine if it is formal or informal writing Salutation in Capital Letters!

Number the 6 main content points and find the answers from the text. Write in complete sentences; no need for extra information that might affect your expression and grammar. Remember that you should only spend 10 to 15 minutes on this section of the paper.

Continuous Writing (40 marks) Read through all past compositions (2nd Drafts) and see what worked well for you. Read teacher’s comments on your compositions and keep them in mind. Plan for your composition before you start to write. (Spend 5 to 10 mins on planning) Write in ‘first person’, putting yourself in as one of the main characters. Plan for an interesting problem. Always give the culprit a motive for committing a crime or mistake, resulting in an ill feeling and action. Then solve the problem logically and credibly.

I T P C S C R Link your conclusion to your introduction. Besides describing situations and events, always relate feelings and thoughts of the characters too, to make your story more interesting. Look through ‘ZOOM’ book and memorise phrases that you will make the effort to use during the exams. Memorise one or two good conclusions (from the notes I gave out) and try to use them or change them to suit your story. Remember that you only have a total of 1hr 10 mins to complete the whole of Paper 1 which includes 1 situational writing and 1 creative writing.

Paper 2 (Booklet A – 30 Marks) Graphic Stimulus – Read questions carefully and highlight evidence from text before deciding on your answers. Grammar – Highlight clues and link to answer; use elimination process when in doubt. Punctuation – Fill in the punctuation mark on the passage itself and see if it works before deciding on the answer.

Vocabulary – Read questions carefully and look at all the options before deciding on the answer. Replace your choice in the question stem to see if it is correct. Use elimination process when in doubt. Comprehension - Read passage and questions carefully and highlight evidence from text before deciding on your answers.

Paper 2 Booklet B (65 Marks) Grammar Cloze : Read through all the answers in the box to see what words are available. Read through the passage once. Re-read the passage and fill in the blanks that you are confident of the answers first. Remember phrasal verbs. Strike out the answers once they have been used. Fit in the other answers with the remaining answers. Write in the answers (in words) under that blanks and re-read the passage to check for flow of the answers in context.

Editing Read through the whole passage once. Decide on the tense used in the passage. Spell accurately and change the grammar such that it is suitable for that particular sentence or paragraph. Look for clues before and after the blank.

Comprehension Cloze Read through the whole passage once. Decide on the main subject of the passage. Fill in the blanks with suitable words that are grammatically correct. Read the word before and after the blank for clues, then read the sentence before and after the blanks to double check. Look for clue words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘although’, ‘in spite of’, ‘then’, ‘than’ and familiar phrasal verbs

If you can’t think of a precise word for the blank, at least think or what kind of word should be there eg noun, pronoun, verb, adjective etc Put down the possible answers you have come up with and write it down in pencil, then use the process of elimination.

Synthesis and Transformation (10 marks) Read the sentences carefully. Identify subject. Synthesize or transform the sentences carefully, not omitting any information and yet not repeating words. Always keep to the tense of the sentences. Change of tense will only take place when you change from direct speech to reported speech and vice versa. Always check for spelling and grammar accuracy after you are done.

Comprehension OE (20 marks) Read through the passage carefully. Identify author’s intention for writing Identify main characters, other characters Make connections and annotations on the passage; use the 5 questions for every paragraph to understand the passage deeper.

Always answer in the tense that the question is asked in complete sentences. Remember to quote phrases or sentences accurately. When answering “Explain clearly” questions, always support answer with evidence from the text. If you are required to give an opinion, use the words ‘probably or maybe’ and answer in complete sentences with evidence from the text.

Finally, Please check for accuracy when you have finished. All the best and may God bless your effort and hard work!