PSLE COMPOSITION FAQ

Below is a list of common questions that many pupils have about the dos and don’ts of composition-writing in the examinations.

1. Can I use numerical figures during composition-writing?

You can and should use numerical figures for:

•           dates (including years)

•           addresses

•           telephone numbers

•           car-plate numbers

•           serial numbers (of police officers, prisoners, etc.)

2. Should words like ‘mother’, ‘father’, ‘grandfather’, ‘grandmother’ start with a capital letter?

It depends. If it is used as a form of address, yes. If it is used as a generic term, no.

Another way to put it is if you have a pronoun in front of it, it should not begin with a capital letter.

Example: My grandmother is eighty years old this year. (The pronoun ‘my’ is in front of the word ‘grandmother’, which is being used as a generic term, so it does not begin with a capital letter.)

If there is no pronoun in front of the word, then it should begin with a capital letter.

Example: Janice shout, ‘Mummy, Mummy, where are you?’ (There is no pronoun in front of ‘Mummy’, it is being used as a form of address, so it begins with a capital letter.)

3. Can I used the ellipsis (‘…’) to end the story?

You can. But you need to make sure that the story is properly concluded, i.e. the problem/conflict has been resolved and all consequences arising from it addressed.

Another point to note: don’t overuse the ellipsis. As a rule-of-thumb, don’t use it more than twice for one PSLE composition (this does not include the use of ellipses in speech to denote stuttering or trailing off).

4. Should I use bombastic words to impress the examiner?

This is a loaded question.

Using bombastic words blindly to impress the examiner is a no-no. Having a long and impressive-looking word in every sentence, or even every alternate sentence is overkill.

That said, vocabulary does play a critical role in marks awarded for language, so you have to show the examiner you know enough words.

How to achieve this?

•           If the word is being used aptly, go for it.

•           Some people think that impressive vocabulary has to be long and unusual (think ‘loquacious’) but it actually also refers to figures of speech, idioms, and phrasal verbs (e.g. Instead of saying ‘sleep’, you can say ‘turn in’).

•           You can also use short words that are uncommon (‘merely’ instead of ‘only’, ‘utterly’ instead of ‘very’, ‘rue’ instead of ‘regret’).

5. How much dialogue is suitable?

The rule of thumb here is no more than 3 instances of dialogue on each written page. This is a very rough guide. It honestly depends on how effective the dialogue is. But note that it cannot be the case that the whole story is made up of dialogue. This section is called Continuous Writing, not Scriptwriting.

6. What sort of storyline should I avoid?

•           No fantasy (talking animals, elves & fairies, witches and spells)

•           No science fiction

•           No supernatural story

•           No ending the story with a dream

•           Romance? Several students have expressed an interest in this topic; personally I’m okay with having a tinge of it but it shouldn’t be the main storyline.

•           Avoid topics that you are unfamiliar with and feel uncomfortable tackling (rape/molestation, murder, etc.) because unless you have a very vivid imagination, the story will come out fake and unconvincing. You may even get some facts wrong.

For a more detailed discussion on what topics are acceptable and which ones should be avoided, click here.

7. How long should my composition be?

For examination requirements, a minimum word count is usually given. So many pupils wonder if adhering to the minimum word count is good enough.

Most of the time, it is not. I don’t want to encourage writing long compositions for the sake of long compositions, but the truth is that to have a fully developed story that is interesting, the word count usually has to be significantly greater than the minimum requirement.

Excellent writing that is short and to the point is a skill that only the most accomplished writers have managed to achieve. Many pupils will not have mastered this skill at the age of twelve. Case in point: in my more than 10 years of teaching, I’ve only awarded a high-30 score to a composition that is within reasonable range of the minimum word count (if I remember correctly, it was about 180-200 words for a P6 pupil).

Below is a list of word count requirements for primary school. The ideal requirement is in purple.

•    Primary 1 and 2 : 80 words (this is not a hard and fast rule as schools have some discretion and some schools ask for a lower minimum word count of 60 for P1 pupils) / 120-150

•    Primary 3 and 4 : 120 words / 200-300

•    Primary 6 and 6 : 150 words / 450-500

These numbers are not cast in stone. They are just to give you a general sense of how much you should write in order to have a decent plot and enough detail to make your story stand out.

8.Will I be penalised if I use American spelling?

The PSLE used to only accept British spelling but in recent years, American spelling is also acceptable but you must be consistent; that means if you use ‘color’ in your composition, use ‘color’ throughout the whole composition. Likewise if you choose to use ‘colour’.

9. Can I use swear words like ‘fxxx’ and ‘shxx’ in my story if I’m writing about a gangster and I want to show his speech realistically?

NO! A most emphatic no! No expletives in your story at all, please. This will be frowned upon by the examiner and is unlikely to garner you more marks for realism.

What some students do to get around this issue is to use symbols of the kind you see in comics and manga, and in writing whereby the writer doesn’t want to spell out the strong language for one reason or another.

E.g.: Ah Huat stepped up to me menacingly, ‘You want to die, is it, you little piece of s@#^!’

But it is my sincere belief that even without profanities, you can create a realistic and interesting story.