Updated for 2023: PSLE Oral | Oral Vocabulary by Topic!

To help PSLE students prepare for their upcoming 2024 PSLE oral exams, we have taken note of the topics that have been selected as questions for the last 9 years – from 2015 to 2023!

It is observed that the topics selected fall into these 3 broad categories:

1. everyday or school experiences that all students would have (e.g. traffic rules that should be followed, hygiene practices in school etc.)

2. essential and current general knowledge that every student should know as a primary school student (e.g. environmental issues, new modes of learning etc.)

3. positive values and habits that we want to nurture in our children (e.g. showing support for fellow schoolmates, saving water and electricity used in school etc.)

This is to ensure fairness as the topics selected are not foreign to any child. Having said this, it means that nothing is considered too obvious or common to be tested.

As the date for PSLE oral draws near, it would be good to have a chat with your child from time to time to find out what are some of the issues they had encountered during school practices and most recent oral examinations and school oral practices. In particular, were there times that your child had wanted to say something but just can’t find think of suitable vocabulary or expressions to convey the wonderful ideas that had appeared in his/her mind?

We have just the right solution for this issue that many PSLE students face. =)

For PSLE orals, bite-sized is always best

Today, we would like to share with you a way to boost your child’s vocabulary and remember content for various oral topics. It is simply to take down important vocabulary for the oral topic as your child practises. Instead of memorising an entire model answer, try remembering the key vocabulary related to each topic. You know that bite-sized learning is always easier.

Having rich vocabulary definitely helps to bump up your language score but in addition, remembering these phrases may trigger important content for your answers too. A list that is compiled for the topic of “health and fitness/ sports” may look like this:

The main point is to collect these important vocabulary according to main topics so that it is easier for your child to revise at a glance during preparation. Here are some ideas of other topics that we feel are possible to be tested during the oral examination this year and which you should compile the vocabulary list for:

1. leisure / hobbies / entertainment

2. leadership, recycling / environment

3. technology / internet

4. neighbours and your neighbourhood

5. road safety

6. hygiene and cleanliness

7. nutrition, fitness and health

8. positive values and habits in the school context

Eventually, your list may look something like that:

How can your child use this list for the PSLE Oral Exam? 

1. Your child may wish to read up on one topic each day and share the vocabulary with someone such as you or a friend. (It is always nice to revise together!)

2. Read up on the vocabulary for the related topic before practising questions on that topic. e.g. If the practice topic is about sports, read up the phrases for health and fitness/sports before you start the practice with someone. During the practice, make sure to apply the phrases as much as possible.

3. Randomly choose a topic for your child and he/she should try and name 3 to 5 of the phrases recorded under that topic.

4. Add on vocabulary that is relevant to each topic or even start a new topic.

If there is a word or phrase which your child is not certain about, be sure to check out the dictionary so that he/she can use them accurately. For parents who would like to start this early with your child who is not yet taking the PSLE, it may be good to help him or her to get started by selecting a few phrases/ words which are easier and building from there.

Check out more resources like this here!

Wish you could have an instant list?

For those of you who do not have the time to sit through the various topics and compile a vocabulary list, we have good news for you. We have actually compiled a list consisting of up to 17 commonly tested topics, including those mentioned above and you can find this list now in our Lil’ Chatterbox course!

All the best, Primary Six warriors and impress the examiners with some golden vocabulary!

The Lil’ Chatterbox Course

If you are still looking for a way to do better for your oral and need a structured approach to craft your answers in the stimulus-based conversation section, we are happy to share with you that our online oral course, “Lil’ Chatterbox” is now available!

Other than our compilation of vocabulary, you will also be getting the videos to walk you through our simple yet effective framework to answer the SBC questions as well as the Oral Workbook consisting of 9 practices with model answers. Find out more about this essential PSLE English oral course here now.