The PSLE is almost reaching the end, and with the Mother Tongue paper happening today, the Science paper is next up in line!
Just like other exams, it is a paper one can easily score good marks on if approached the right way. So, how can you help your children prepare well to meet their next challenge?
Understand the Science Syllabus
You might ask – “With just a few days away from the exam, why should my kid take a look at the overall Science syllabus now? Isn’t it too late?”
Taking a look at the syllabus might give them new ideas on how to approach their last-minute revisions. It will also help children check if they have overlooked any chapter or topic.
Understand the exam format
The next thing to do is to understand the exam format.
The examination consists of a written paper comprising two booklets: A and B.
- Booklet A consists of 28 MCQs with four options. Each question carries two marks.
- Booklet B consists of 12-13 open-ended questions. Each question is of two, three, four, or five marks.
- Children are not afraid of making mistakes. They repeat what they hear without thinking about their surroundings. It is a very vital characteristic necessary in learning a language. This lack of inhibition helps children make mistakes, correct them and learn new words and phrases. As adults, we refrain from speaking in front of others out of fear of being ridiculed, so why not be more like kids, and dare to say things aloud?
And, remember this – “All questions in the question paper are compulsory!”
Prepare your Strategy
Based on the syllabus and format, formulate a strategy on how to prepare for the exam. Try to make sense of what type of questions will be tested in the two booklets. For that, refer to the previous year’s questions papers. It can help your children understand how questions from different sections are likely to be framed. And might also help them to identify some potentially repeating questions. After each chapter, look up the questions asked from them in the previous years. Then ask your children to formulate questions from it. It is a way to gain a perspective on what type of questions might come from the portion.
The process of learning science can be a fun one, provided you have the proper mindset, and the biggest asset for a science student is a curious mind. All scientific achievements and knowledge were born out of man’s curiosity. Help your children see the fun in science and try teaching them how learning about how different things around them can be enjoyable. Try to create a hands-on approach to learning. You can try doing homemade experiments by watching scientific videos.
Strengthen the basics
Science is a subject where you can score well, provided you master the basics. So, help your children to gain a better understanding of the basic concepts and theories. Explain it to them if they find it difficult. You can seek help from other sources if you feel you can’t help them. Online videos should be a really good option.
Mock Tests
During exam time, mock tests are your child’s best friends. More than any other subject, mock tests can make a difference in the case of the Science exam. Attempting as many open-ended questions as they can help the children to get a better idea of how to answer them. It can also help your children with time management. Looking for online mock tests that will help your children get an idea of how to manage time and answer questions? 88tuition can help in that regard. Use our mock papers for practice, or during these last few hours before the Science paper tomorrow, read through the answer guide at least.
Hello children, this is for you!
(Dear Parents, if you are still reading, make sure you read out this section to your children)
Tackling the exam
Take the initial few minutes of the exam to go through the questions paper. Devise a strategy on how you’re going to answer.
With the MCQ’s:
- Read the questions and options multiple times to make sure you understood the question.
- If you are unsure about a particular question, mark out the options you know are wrong and then revisit the question later.
The open-ended questions can be tricky.
- Read the question multiple times and gain an understanding of how to structure your answer.
- You have to look at the keywords in a question carefully before answering. Do not waste time by writing lengthy answers to questions with two marks. Questions that ask you to list, name, describe, or identify will only require short and to-the-point answers. Explain, discuss, elaborate on- these are ones you have to write long answers on and might be worth 4 or 5 marks. So keep this tip in mind.
- Begin with the main topic mentioned in the question and elaborate on it. Then write the points to support. Conclude by connecting your initial section with the supporting points. Stick to the topic, and don’t write ambiguous sentences. Underline any keyword or sentence to highlight it.
Tackle the questions you are confident about first. Keep an eye on the clock and make sure you save time to spend on the hard ones. Also, try to answer all the questions. Even if you don’t know the answer to a question, try to write down something that you think makes sense. Science is about making sense around you. So, even if you didn’t read up on them, you might come up with answers if you think about it carefully. For MCQs, there is a 25% chance that you will be correct. If you can eliminate at least one wrong answer, it will increase your chances.
Lastly, never waste time during the exam or leave the exam hall early. Make use of all the time you have. Recheck your answers two or even three times if you have enough time. Take a breath and calm yourselves, and go for it. We wish you all the best in your exams! 🙂
Exam Smart Tips
Exam Smart Tip #1 – How to Encourage Our Kids to Speak Better?
Exam Smart Tip #2 – How to avoid carelessness?
Exam Smart Tip #3 – Establishing Routines!
Exam Smart Tip #4 – Let’s Read Carefully!
Exam Smart Tip #5 – Beating the Exam Fever!
Exam Smart Tip #6 – How to Eat Right for the Exams?
Exam Smart Tip #7 – How to Avoid a Meltdown?
Exam Smart Tip #8 – Taking Stress out of Tests
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88tuition Pte Ltd offers the best PSLE Tuition Singapore for children looking to ace the PSLE exam. With effective learning materials and high-quality explanatory videos by experienced trainers, children are provided with the best online PSLE tuition.
With the basics learnt well, children will be able to grasp advanced concepts easily. Looking for the best PSLE math tuition, PSLE Science tuition and PSLE English tuition in Singapore? 88tuition has got you covered. The online training videos and assessments are designed in a way that children are made to enjoy the learning process.
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