When should your child start preparing for PSLE?

Overview

This article will serve as a guide to help our new parents learn when and how should your child start preparing for their PSLE. PSLE, also known as Primary Six Leaving Examination is an exam that concludes the end of a primary student’s journey in their primary school. 

 

The new PSLE scoring system will take effect in 2021, affecting all the students that are attending Primary 6 next year! Read also: New PSLE Scoring System: What Are The Changes?

 

Importance of PSLE 

PSLE will be an indication of where your child will head to after their primary education. Graduating primary school students will be choosing their secondary schools based on their obtained scores for the PSLE. 

 

It will determine whether your child is able to get into the Express, Normal Academic or Normal Technical stream in secondary school. (Read Also: How to Choose the Right Secondary School After PSLE) 

 

Students will typically spend 4 to 5 years in their secondary school depending on the stream they have chosen and allocated to. 

 

The next 4 to 5 years will be the start of another battle for your child to sit for their next national examinations – the O-Levels or N-Levels. They are also known as Ordinary Level or Normal Level examinations. 

 

And these examinations will determine which tertiary paths they are able to choose moving forward. 

 

Many parents believe that PSLE is the most important examination that their children will have to sit for as it determines how their lives will play out from there. 

 

It will determine the type of school and environment they will grow up in for their secondary school days and also how they will progress from there into their tertiary education. 

 

Now before, you start feeling anxious about when to start preparing your child for their PSLE, here are some things to keep in mind! 

 

Things to Keep in mind when preparing for PSLE

Direct School Admission (DSA)

What is DSA? 

DSA is a scheme that allows Primary 6 students to apply for a spot in their desired secondary school based on their talents.

 

This is a worth considering choice if your child is especially talented in a specific sport or other academic areas. 

 

Visit the official MOE website to find out more about DSA: https://beta.moe.gov.sg/secondary/dsa/

 

Your Child’s Complete Syllabus 

The general PSLE subjects are English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science. 

 

However, P1 and P2 students do not study Science until they reach P3. Therefore their science syllabus only begins from Primary three! 

 

When to start preparing for PSLE 

With all that being said, it surely would be good to start thinking about your child’s PSLE as early as possible. 

 

This is especially crucial if you are looking into the DSA option for your child. 

Skills and achievements take time to develop and obtain therefore it would be good to start thinking ahead for your child. 

 

It is, of course, good to start preparing early but it is also important to not overwork your child and give your child time to rest, relax and play in their early primary school years! 

 

How to start preparing for PSLE 

 

Rather than those planning ahead and knowing your goals early, here are some specific tips that Tutopiya wish to provide for how you can start preparing for PSLE. 

 

We will be breaking down the academic preparation plan into different levels. 

Primary 3-4 

For your child’s early years education, one of the most important things is to ensure your child has a sturdy foundation. 

 

Close up knowledge gaps 

Their early years would be good to close up any knowledge gaps they may have and work on their weaker topics. 

 

Since they have only started learning, this is a great time to build a strong conceptual foundation for them. 

 

Tutopiya conducts assessments to assess your child’s strengths and weaknesses in a certain subject. 

We then continue to personalise a study plan that is curated only for your child. 

This personalised tuition plan will help us to focus on reinforcing concepts that your child are weaker in. 

 

Read also: How to Score An AL1 With PSLE English Tuition 

 

Singapore primary education focuses on depth and not the breadth of knowledge. Therefore, building a strong academic foundation can be a great push for their your child in their upper primary days. 

 

It is also not too heavy for your child in their early years. Remember to still give your child the freedom to play and relax! After all, they are still a kid. 

 

Primary 5

Close up knowledge gaps 

Continue to close up any learning gaps your child might have. 

 

Preparing for PSLE: Start working on some PSLE questions 

Some syllabi for PSLE would be covered by now and it is a good time to start working on these PSLE questions. 

 

This would help your child to build stronger muscle memory and concept realisation methods. 

Constant practice will make your child feel more confident when tackling questions they are familiar with.

 

School teachers are unlikely to give out practice papers as early as P5, therefore, you can always head to any printing shops to look for past year practice papers for your child. 

 

It is also beneficial to have a private tutor to guide your child through these questions. 

It is important to find the right tutor for your child, this way, your child can raise their doubts and have their questions clarified comfortably. 

 

Tutopiya has a pool of trained and experienced Singaporean tutors, former MOE teachers that are well-aware of the MOE syllabus. We will help you and your child to find the right tutor! Come experience a free trial lesson with us today! 

 

Primary 6

Close up knowledge gaps 

In P6, your child will continue to cover the syllabi that are tested for the PSLE. 

 

Some of the new topics learnt will be built on from earlier topics hence, it is important that your child already has a strong foundation before. 

Continue gearing your child in preparing for PSLE 

Now you can start working through those PSLE practice papers and other schools papers to allow your child to have an idea of how the papers would be like on the actual exam. 

Preparing for PSLE: General Tips

Some general tips to help your child ease into the examination mood. It will be the first national examination for your child. They might feel a little anxious and overwhelmed having to sit in a hall with other children with strict silence and invigilation. 

 

Hence, there are some tips that Tutopiya has to help your child! 

 

Always ensure that your child is not overworking and overwhelmed before their examination. 

 

Make sure they always get ample rest and relax time. 

 

Let your child know how the examination may play out, let them do practice papers in an examination mode too so they would be familiar with the feeling. 

 

Finally, allow your child to still feel like a child! Take your child out, play with them and always remember you have to be your child’s safe place!