The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in Singapore is a significant milestone for Primary 6 students, with the English Paper being one of the core subjects. Among the components of PSLE English, the 'Comprehension Open Ended' section often presents a challenge to many students.
In this blog post, we’ll break down the various types of comprehension questions you might encounter, to help you better prepare for this critical part of the PSLE English exam.
1. Factual Questions
Factual comprehension questions require students to extract information directly from the text. They also sometimes known as "Direct Questions". The answers are explicitly stated in the passage, and students need to demonstrate their ability to locate and identify the relevant details. These answers are relatively obvious but students must take note not to lift the entire sentence from the passage and write only the parts required by the question.
These questions typically begin with phrases like:
“What is…?”
“When did…?”
“Where does…?”
Example: Where did Tom find the missing book?
To tackle these questions, students should practice skimming and scanning the passage to find exact words or phrases that match the question.
2. Inferential Questions
Inferential questions demand that students "read between the lines." The answers to these questions are not directly stated in the text but require the student to make logical deductions based on the given information. Words or phrases like "suggests," "implies," or "why do you think" often signal an inferential question.
Example: Why do you think Mr Lim decided to take matters into his own hands?
For such questions, students need to consider the context of the passage and make an educated inference based on the clues provided.
3. Vocabulary-in-Context Questions
These questions assess a student’s ability to determine the meaning of a word or phrase as it is used in the passage. Rather than relying on memorized definitions, students are expected to understand how a word fits within the context of the surrounding sentences.
Example: Which two words in paragraph 5 are used to describe Mr Lim?
To excel in these questions, it helps to encourage your child to pay close attention to contextual clues around the word, such as synonyms, antonyms, or explanations provided within the same sentence or paragraph.
4. True or False Questions
True or False comprehension questions require students to decide whether a given statement is entirely true or if there is a false detail provided. Students are required to provide evidence from the text that supports why the statement is true (by picking out the original sentence) or what is true according to the passage (if there is a false detail given).
Take note that most students lose marks in this section because of the lack of completeness or relation in their "reason" provided. For this type of question, it is crucial to find the correct sentence and write it according to what the statement requires.
5. Applied Vocabulary Questions
Applied Vocabulary questions are different from the Vocabulary-in-context question. Students are required to use their own words to describe the situation or the character in question.
Example: How would you describe the personality of Mr Lim based on his actions?
To tackle applied vocabulary questions, students should analyze the main events in the passage and connect them with relevant words or phrases that fit the context.
6. Sequencing Questions
Sequencing questions assess a student’s ability to understand the order of events in the passage. These questions require students to identify and state the correct sequence of events that occurred in chronological order.
Note: An event that appeared first in the passage, might not have happened first.
For these questions, students need to pay attention to time markers, cause-and-effect relationships, and the logical flow of the passage.
7. Cause and Effect Questions
Cause and Effect Questions require students to identify the cause (what made something happen) and the corresponding effect (what happened as a result of the cause).
This first appeared in a "table form" question in the 2016 PSLE. While it may seem easy, students must be careful in annotating the question requirements to identify the correct answer without losing unnecessary marks.
Conclusion
Understanding the different types of comprehension questions in the PSLE English exam is key to improving performance in this challenging section. By recognizing the question type, students can approach each question with a structured approach, based on what the question requires. This strategy is commonly referred to as "Answering Techniques".
Mastering the PSLE Comprehension requires consistent practice and review of mistakes made. Targeted practice on specific question types that you are weaker at is helpful. It is also important to attempt past year PSLE English papers before the exams to find out where you stand. Focus on building a solid foundation of reading, comprehension and writing skills to excel in the Comprehension section of the PSLE English exam.
To prepare for the 2025 PSLE English Exam, check out our PSLE English Headstart Classes.
You may also read more about our PSLE English Tuition Classes.
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