The NEW PSLE 2025 ENGLISH CHANGES

It has been almost ten years since the last round of major PSLE English syllabus changes! If your child is Primary 5 or younger in 2024, you would have heard by now that there are some exciting (I hope!) changes happening once again for the PSLE English syllabus, beginning in 2025.

The good news is that the components to be tested in PSLE English 2025 remain unchanged. However, you can expect:

1. a shift in the mark distribution
2. new formats for certain components

To make it easier for you, we have done up a table to reflect the changes and will share our thoughts on how your child can tackle PSLE 2025 below.

PSLE ENGLISH 2025 EXAMINATION FORMAT
Paper	Component	Marks		Weighting
1 Writing	Situational Writing	*14	50	25% ⬇
	Continuous Writing	*36
2 Language Use and Comprehension	Booklet A (MCQ)	*25 Grammar – 10 Vocab – 5 Vocab Cloze – 5 *Visual Text Compre – 5	90	45% ⬇
	Booklet B (Open-ended)	*65 Grammar Cloze – 10 *Editing – 10 Compre Cloze – 15 Synthesis – 10 Compre Open-ended – 20
3 Listening Comprehension	20 MCQ	20	20	10%
4 Oral Communication	Reading Aloud	*15	40	20% ⬆
	Stimulus-Based Conversation	*25

⬆⬇—> Indicates an increase/decrease in the number of marks compared to PSLE 2024

* —> Indicates a change in the number of marks/ weightage compared to PSLE 2024

Based on the table above, how are the marks being redistributed exactly? Here is a summary!

PSLE ENGLISH FORMAT 2024 VS 2025
Component	2024		NEW 2025		Notes
Situational Writing	15	55	14	50	5 marks taken from Paper 1
Continuous Writing	40		36
Booklet A	28 *Visual Text Comprehension – 8 marks	95	25 *Visual Text Comprehension – 5 marks	90	5 marks taken from Paper 2
Booklet B	67 *Editing – 12 marks		65 *Editing – 10 marks
Reading Aloud	10	30	15	40	10 marks given to Paper 4!
Stimulus-Based Conversation	20		25

How to tackle PSLE 2025: 3 Key things to note!

1) Understand the new demands & requirements

Did you know that components like Continuous Writing and Editing are the only ones which have a mere change in marks? All other components affected have a change in their format and requirements, in one way or another!

Although it is not reflected here, the increase in the number of marks for Oral is brought about by the change in the complexity of the tasks in both Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation. For Reading Aloud, students are required to show awareness of the Purpose, Audience and Context of the passage while for Stimulus- Based Conversation, we noted higher order skills required to respond to the photograph stimulus that will be used.

Look out for our posts on the changes for the different components in PSLE 2025 which will be out to learn more about the demands so that you can be prepared!

2) Remember that 1 mark in Oral = 1 mark in any other component!

As much as it is evident that there is greater importance on Oral assessment now more so than before, this does not mean we should put our eggs all in one basket! 1 mark in oral is still the same as 1 mark in any other component. Therefore, it will be wise to still have a plan based on your current results to set achievable goals to work towards. Remember, an increase in 1 mark in Grammar is just as good as an increase in 1 mark in composition or comprehension.

3) Be exam-smart and know your strength + strategies!

Since every mark carries the same weightage, it is still key to work on your strengths. If you are capable of scoring full marks for Situational Writing, you should still focus on realising that. It will be wise not to worry excessively about the new changes alone e.g. deciding to devote all your time on oral practices and not consider the strengths you have! If your area of strength is already in Oral, that is great! Continue to polish up to shine further.

Whether it is taking the PSLE 10 years ago or now, having the right strategies makes all the difference to save time, gain clarity and increase accuracy. Therefore, be consistent in applying the strategies and techniques to help you hit the bull’s eye in the 3 areas of time, clarity and accuracy!

I hope that our thoughts on how to tackle PSLE 2025 English have been helpful because it honestly brings us great joy to be on this journey with you! Embrace the changes and see it as an opportunity to grow (: Let’s talk more about PSLE 2025 in the upcoming posts on the specific components of Oral, Situational Writing etc.!

Exam Booster Webinar – 3 Common Mistakes Parents Make While Preparing Their Child For The English Exams!

Here’s who this webinar is for:

• You are looking to guide your child at home
• You would like to learn from the mistakes which other parents made while supporting their child
• You are keen to know recent tricky PSLE question types