PSLE English Paper 1: Purposeful Writing in 50 Minutes

The first few minutes can be pretty frantic as students try to recall everything that they have learnt or picked up in their revision. Pulses racing, the focus slowly shifts to the three pictures as the students look at each of them in turn. It is only at this point that the question itself becomes ‘visible’ to the candidates. Invigilators never fail to hear candidates repeating the key part of the question like a mantra at the start of the examination.

“…an act of courage”

“…overcoming a challenge”

For the average student, productive work starts almost five minutes after the commencement of the paper. Most students will write in a stuttering manner as they endeavour to complete their sentences before pausing to continue with the next sentence. This means that a large number of students do not see beyond each written sentence.

It is imperative that students bear in mind the following two points at all times.

1. Build-up and the handling of conflict is key.

   The essay is marked holistically BUT the build-up and the handling of conflict is key. This means that there are parts of the writing that will be regarded as more crucial and salient in terms of assessment under the two main categories of CONTENT and LANGUAGE & ORGANISATION.

2. The theme must be present throughout the writing.

   This means that the ideas and choice of literary tool(s) must enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the theme.

Assuming that we work with a time frame of fifty minutes after successfully completing the situational writing, we have compiled the following suggested steps to ensure that the candidate writes with a clear purpose in mind.

Step 1: Framing (5 mins)

• Understand the requirements of the question.

  Write a composition of at least 150 words about an act of courage.

  The student needs to ensure that the theme of courage is expressed clearly through the actions of the main characters as they interact with their environment and other characters in the story. E.g. Throwing caution to the wind, Jamie made a dash for the little boy who had wandered onto the busy road.

• Have examples to contrast the main theme of the question.

  The student should include acts of cowardice from other characters in the story. This will serve to accentuate the theme of courage when it is introduced to the story. Another example is to describe acts of dishonesty that serve to contrast a theme on honesty.

• Brainstorm on the manner of conflict that the main character will struggle with.

  Decide if the main conflict is internal or external in nature. E.g. The conflict is internal in nature. The main character struggles with her fear of public speaking, overcomes it and delivers her rehearsed speech on stage successfully.

• 5 Ws 1 H

  Ensure that the “What”, “Where”, “Who”, “When”, “Where” and “How” questions of the story are answered. Use a list to draft short responses to each of the above questions.

Step 2: Placement (5-8 mins)

In each paragraph, include a main idea and its supporting details in points. Listed below are the number of suggested paragraphs and their respective purposes.

• Characterisation of key characters, build up of pre-conflict events and an example of foreshadowing* (1-2 paragraphs)
• Description and illustration of the main conflict besetting the main character and the efforts taken to overcome the main conflict. (1-2 paragraphs)
• Description and illustration of reactions and actions from other characters as a result of the actions of the main characters. (1-2 paragraphs)
• Illustration of events that serve to move the story forward at the end of each paragraph.

Step 3: Writing (20-25 mins)

• Write out the details to support and bring out the main idea in each paragraph. Ensure that there is a logical flow of ideas from the previous paragraph.

  E.g. Illustration of fear of public speaking, an internal conflict, that besets the main character.

  Jamie’s heart skipped a beat as she heard her name being called by the announcer. Painful memories of her forgetting lines of her speech and squirming uncomfortably in front of the eyes of the audience came rushing back to her. She knew she had to overcome her fears and not let her parents down. Her parents had taken the time off from work to support her and she knew they had always supported her.

• Ensure that the sequence of events within each paragraph is logical both in terms of cause-and-effect and chronological order.

• Take note if there are opportunities for the inclusion of phrasal verbs, sensory verbs and collocations. An inclusion of a number of the above will enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the story.

  E.g.

  • His fingers gripped (sensory verb) tight around the boy’s shirt collar; he had him!
  • It was downright rude (collocation) of Tim to have done that.
  • Despite his best efforts, Jim could not put that incident behind (phrasal verb) him.

   

Step 4: Revision (5-10 mins)

• Check appropriateness of tenses. The past tense tends to be the main tense in use. Nevertheless, the present tense can be found in direct speech between the characters.
• Ensure that there is no more than one connector in each sentence. Connectors are great in maintaining the overall pace of the writing but they are also the first to be abused. There is a tendency among students to express their ideas in huge chunks of text without paying due attention to the length of their sentences.
• Ensure that there is variety in the way sentences are written in each paragraph.

• Monotonous writing

  Jim was scared. He did not know what to do. He took a deep breath. He crept to the living room. He could not see in the darkness at all.

• Variety in writing

  Swallowing hard, Jim tried to decide on his next course of action. Huge beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his forehead as he struggled to control the fear growing in him. Mustering his courage, Jim inhaled sharply and started crawling slowly towards the living room. He felt his way along the wall as he made his way slowly to the living room.

• Perspective

  • Have you ensured that the theme and at least one of the three pictures are adequately addressed in the writing? An expressive piece of writing with no relevance to any of the three provided pictures and the main theme will be in the 0-4 marks band for CONTENT.
  • Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and gaps in the writing? An ambiguity arises when the reader is able to construct several implied meanings from a sentence. A gap is formed when there are insufficient details to support a main idea. When a gap in the storyline is present, the reader experiences difficulty in understanding the sequence of the key events and interactions among the characters in the story.
  • Writings with gaps usually fall into the 9-11 band for CONTENT. Hence, it is crucial that the writer takes the perspective of the reader in checking his own writing. The reader should not have to form his own conclusion at any point in the story.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is vital to keep asking yourself if you have deviated from the main theme or if you have only one or two sentences that address the theme.

Remember not to overindulge in one’s strength in writing. E.g. Regurgitating one’s entire collection of phrasal verbs in each sentence. Try to ensure that the reader does not have to ask questions in order to understand your story.

All the best.