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Coping with Primary 5 English
Flustered? Puzzled? Anxious?
These are probably the emotions that Primary Five students have experienced or will be experiencing as they newly progress from (the now relatively easy) Primary Four. From the total of 20 marks to 55 marks for English Paper 1; from the total of 50 marks to 95 marks for Paper 2; and the overall being 200 marks, it is indeed daunting to both students and parents alike.
Component | Primary 4* | Requirements | Primary 5 | Requirements |
Paper 1 | 20 marks | 55 marks | ||
Situational Writing | NA | 15 marks | This is an additional component in Paper 1.
Students will now have to properly allocate their time between Situational Writing and Composition. |
|
Composition | 20 marks | 10 marks each for content and language.
Minimum of 150 words required. |
40 marks | 20 marks each for content and language.
Minimum of 250 words required. |
Paper 2 | 50 marks | 95 marks | ||
Booklet A | ||||
Grammar MCQ | 8 marks | 10 marks | ||
Vocabulary MCQ | 6 marks | 5 marks | Students are required to have a better vocabulary range to handle the questions. Vocabulary words are many times not covered duirng lessons in school | |
Vocabulary Cloze | NA | 5 marks | ||
Visual Text Comprehension | 5 marks | 8 marks | ||
Booklet B | ||||
Grammar Cloze | 8 marks | 10 marks | ||
Editing | 5 marks | 12 marks | 6 spelling and 6 grammar questions. | |
Comprehension Cloze | 6 marks | 15 marks | Students are required to understand the context of the passage in order to provide suitable and accurate words for the blanks. | |
Synthesis & Transformation | 2 marks | 1 mark for each of the 2 questions | 10 marks | 2 marks for each of the 5 questions.
The difficulty of questions is harder as well. |
Comprehension Open-Ended | 15 marks | Answers are mostly easily found in passages. | 20 marks | The passage and questions are much more difficult as they test the ability of students to understand the context of the passage and infer accordingly. |
*For Primary Four, each school may set their examination papers differently. The marks stated are generally based as an example for comparison purposes.
As the curriculum and syllabus of English taught in Primary Five reflects that of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) format, there will definitely be a significant rise in expectations and accuracy of answers required. It is an understatement for the students to possess a solid foundation of grammar and vocabulary skills.
There are several components of the Primary Five English examination paper which many face difficulty and struggles in: Editing, Comprehension Cloze and Comprehension Open-Ended. For each component, specific techniques will be covered in classes, which students will then be encouraged to practise diligently in their assignments, be it in school, tuition or at home.
How can we help at our centre?
With the introduction of techniques to tackle each component of paper 2, a good in-house curriculum and lesson materials, proper guidance and explanation of mistakes made, our Primary Five students are well-equipped and able to better cope and manage the expectations of the Primary 5 examination format.
If your child needs help, make sure you find the best help available to see him through till PSLE!