PSLE is Singapore’s most important national test for every Primary 6 student. It is a primary school leaving examination which will determine a student’s academic future while the Chinese Oral Examination makes up 25% of the PSLE Chinese Examination score.
The PSLE Chinese oral examination consists of two sections which are passage reading and video conversation. Therefore, students in Singapore must not only be confident in reading Chinese but also be able to apply critical thinking abilities and expand their answers to the next level.
Since English is most Singaporeans’ main and first language, parents and students are more likely to invest in learning it and communicating with English. As a result, the Chinese language has inevitably taken a second seat. It is undeniable that many students in Singapore struggle to master the Chinese language, especially Chinese oral examinations.
When you’re a parent in Singapore, you will also be very concerned about your child’s school achievements and issues, particularly his Chinese oral exams. It is a nightmare for parents of primary school children in Singapore, whether they are scrambling to discover Chinese Oral Practice for Primary 6, Primary 5, or even for Primary 3 or 4.
If your child is still not confident in PSLE Chinese oral yet, now is the time to improve his or her Chinese oral skills with daily exercises!
Assist your child in preparing for his or her PSLE Chinese oral examination in these ways!
1. Communicate with your child in Mandarin as much as possible
You don’t need to be fluent in Mandarin to achieve it and even basic Mandarin or Mandarin combined with English will be beneficial. This will help your child to become more familiar with the language as your child can practice his or her Chinese language skills even outside the school or Chinese tuition. If your child becomes more familiar with the Chinese language, he or she will be able to recognise the Chinese vocabulary faster and his or her development of language abilities will be substantially accelerated.
2. Listen to Chinese radio or television programmes
It is encouraged to listen to Chinese radio stations in Singapore like Capital 95.8FM on the way home with your child or tune in to Channel 8 when you are at home even if no one is watching. Since Chinese radio stations, announcers and television programmes will speak Chinese very clearly with correct tones, your child can get to learn a great number of Chinese vocabularies which is also helpful for their PSLE listening examination. Your child will also feel the Chinese language is a part of their daily lives by watching Chinese television programmes or listening to Chinese radio. This will help them to feel more at ease with the Chinese language.
3. Practice reading aloud every day
To improve your child’s Chinese oral skills, you can ask your child to read you a Chinese storybook or a portion of the newspaper. You can lead a discussion with your child by asking some questions about the story which can boost your child’s critical thinking skills and let him or her think and speak in Chinese. If your child does not read aloud on a daily basis, he or she is more likely to trip over the Chinese words or miss the words. Having good PSLE Chinese oral skills comes with time and practice as not everyone is born with the ability to speak fluently. If your child practises reading aloud every day, they will get used to saying different words and also be able to work on their pronunciation.
