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How can I prepare for the English paper?
- Posted By Superadmin Lilbutmighty
- 07/08/2025
Hello, everyone! This is Ms Nandy, a Specialist English Teacher at Lil’ but Mighty (Hougang branch). We are about 2 months away from the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), and I’m here to answer a common question that is burning in the minds of both parents and students alike: how can I prepare for the English paper? Fret not – here are five easy tips to help you on this!
1. Study Smart: Set a Study Plan!
With not one but four subjects to study for, it is important to have proper time management. Create a study plan and allocate time to revise each subject. This will reduce stress and allow productive learning to take place. For English, there are four main papers that you will be sitting for:
Paper 1: Writing
- Situational Writing
- Continuous Writing
Paper 2: Language Use and Comprehension
- Booklet A (Grammar MCQ, Vocabulary MCQ, Vocabulary Cloze and Visual Text Comprehension)
- Booklet B (Grammar Cloze, Editing, Comprehension Cloze, Synthesis and Transformation and Comprehension Open-Ended)
Paper 3: Listening Comprehension
Paper 4: Oral Communication
- Reading Aloud
- Stimulus-based Conversation
Out of the 4, Paper 1 and Paper 2 will need the most revision. We’re all human – there are sections that you may not be a fan of *cough-Compre-cough-Compo*. However, every mark counts and you need to ensure that you revise all the sections to score well. When crafting your study plan, rotate between the different components when you set aside time for English revision. You should also spend more time on the sections that you find challenging. You can refer to the sample study plan given below for some inspiration!
2. Get Better at Grammar
Grammar is a system of rules that allows us to assemble and structure our sentences correctly. Having a strong foundation in grammar will aid you not only through primary and secondary school but it also sets the foundation for your education path throughout your life. Most of the time, students answer questions by going with what sounds right rather than what is grammatically right. While this technique may work in some sections, it will cause a downfall in others! To do well in all aspects of the English paper, a good foundation in grammar is essential. Know your tenses and verbs well so that you can answer confidently and avoid making careless errors. When doing grammar questions, always analyse the given information and highlight your clues. LBM offers plenty of resources that you can refer to. You can check them out here!
3. Learn with Lists and Necessary Notes
Notes and lists are very useful tools when it comes to preparing for the English exam. I usually encourage my students to have a folder with multiple dividers or a notebook for their English revision. Start making lists for any set of words that you can benefit from. Some common lists would be for irregular verb forms, vocabulary words, commonly misspelt words and word class! Below are two examples of lists you can create to help in your revision:
You should also take down notes for the various rules and techniques that you will need to remember, especially for sections like Synthesis and Transformation, and Grammar MCQ!
4. Practice makes Progress
The more your practise, the better you get! For English, it is good to work on past year examination papers as they are set in line with the PSLE syllabus. While doing these papers, you can simulate exam conditions as follows:
a) Find a conducive corner at home
b) Remove all distractions such as your mobile devices
c) Set a timer – e.g. 1 hour 10 mins for Paper 1, 1 hour and 50 mins for Paper 2
d) Focus and give it your best shot!
By doing the above, you are training yourself to work well under exam conditions while improving on your time management skills. Once you are done with your exam paper, get an adult to help you mark using the answer key. If you have any doubts on the questions that you answered wrongly, you can always approach your LBM teacher for clarification. You can also sign up for one of LBM’s self-paced online courses to improve in the sections that you are weak in! Check out the range that we offer here.
5. Grow your General Knowledge
In the Paper 2 sections like Grammar Cloze, Editing and Comprehension Cloze, the passages are related to general knowledge. They can be about animals, natural disasters, or happenings around the world. To know how to answer some of the questions, growing your general knowledge is crucial. Try to read a short newspaper article every day about a different topic. Pick out collocations — which refer to how words go together or form fixed relationships — or phrasal verbs that you come across, look up their meanings and note them down. Watching the news on television or a video clip on a particular topic like global warming or extinction of a particular animal species will also be very useful! You may find yourself understanding the passage better by having such background knowledge, and this will consequently help you in selecting or coming up with the appropriate answers for the blanks or questions.
Preparing for the PSLE is not easy, but I hope the five tips above help you in achieving your goals and setting yourself up for success. Remember, hard work goes a long way. Good luck!
You can find Ms Nandy’s English Tuition classes at our Kovan branch here: Block 211 Hougang Street 21, #01-305 (Back entrance), Singapore 530211
Ms Nandy
Empowering young minds is a powerful job. I find satisfaction in teaching my students the power of words. No two students are the same and instead of measuring their achievements against the societal yardstick, I strive to help my students become better versions of themselves – not only academically but also on a holistic level. Nothing makes me happier than watching my students achieve good grades and grow more confident!
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