Tips on how to improve your P5 composition writing

The SA2 results are out and I have looked through my students’ papers. I am happy with the results of almost all my P5 students and I look forward to helping them meet the goals they have set for their P6 Preliminary and PSLE next year. I am also working on ways to help those who scored less than expected. Without the P5 SA1, the P5 SA2 is vital in studying the areas they need to improve on as they approach the P6 year.

Some of my students did very well for their Paper 1 components, scoring 32 and above. I have selected one of my P5 students’ SA2 compositions to share on the blog today (with her parent’s permission). I particularly liked her composition as she used various writing techniques that we worked on in our P5 year and made sure to plan out her composition before writing it. I also chuckled to myself while reading it. Well-done Chloe! Your score of 36/40 is well-deserved.

So, how can students score well for their compositions?

Planning

Take the time to study the theme and pictures given and think about possible plots with each picture and the theme. Remember to organise your thoughts and the flow of your story before starting to write. It will take 5 minutes of your time but it can make a big difference in your marks.

Captivating Introduction and Reflective Ending

Think of captivating introductions – descriptive, dialogue, flashback or even a mix of both like what Chloe had done. She used both dialogue and description.

End off with a reflective ending, remember to weave in the theme. Ask yourself, what did the protagonist learn? Don’t stinge on words in your conclusion. It will be the last paragraph that your marker will read. Make sure that it is impressive.

Figurative Language

Idioms, metaphors, and similes. You have learnt them when you were in lower primary. Now, at upper primary, you need to ‘jazz’ them up in your compositions. One of my favourites is the creative simile. I teach this to my students every year and I always marvel at how creative some students can be. In Chloe’s composition, she used creative similes several times.

• carefully receiving the paper like it was a bar of solid gold
• Like a farmer planting rice, I bent over several times to grab and put several things into their respective cabinets and shelves.
• Ravenous, they pounced on the food like a pack of hungry wolves.

Develop your theme

I say this so many times to my P5 and P6 students that I am pretty sure it is ingrained in their brains by the time they sit for their PSLE English. Developing the theme is a big issue, especially in the P6 year, which is why I harp so much on this, even when my students are in their P5 year. Chloe did well to develop the theme in her composition, starting from the first paragraph and making sure to mention it in other paragraphs, not only in her conclusion.

” The person with the highest score for the examination is… Judy!” Mrs Tan, our Math teacher announced as she handed me my examination paper.

I grinned from ear to ear, carefully receiving the paper like it was a bar of solid gold. Once the bell rang, I stepped out of the classroom and got a brilliant idea – to host a secret party!

“Hey, Sarah! How about we have a secret party at my place tonight to celebrate? My parents will be out for dinner and won’t be back till around two o’clock tomorrow morning!”I whispered to Sarah, my best friend, as we grabbed some books from our lockers. Sarah nodded enthusiastically and suggested we invite the whole class. I agreed.

When I got home, my parents were already over out. I immediately set to work. Like a farmer planting rice, I bent over several times to grab and put several things into their respective cabinets and shelves. Wiping perspiration from my brow, I glanced at the clock. It was nearly five! I rummaged through my bag and whipped out try phone to order some food. Ordering pizzas and burgers nineteen to the dozen, I jabbed my ting thumb at a yellow button labelled ‘check out’.

Twenty minutes later, I was pacing the creaky floorboards near the front door when the doorbell rang. I paid the bill and gingerly placed the boxes of food on the counter. Not long after, the guests arrived. Ravenous, they pounced on the food like a pack of hungry wolves. When the crowd cleared, the boxes were empty.

“I guess III have to buy some more, then,” I thought, whipping out my phone again. I ordered so much food, I was sure that no one would be able to finish it. Surprisingly, the guests did. Full from gorging on all that food, they started dancing.

” Don’t turn the volume on too loud or else the neighbours may hear and tell my parents of our secret party,” I warned the DJ. Just as Connor, a boy in my class, ripped open his shirt with a mighty roar, the front door opened allowing moonlight to stream into the living room.

The music stopped as everyone fixed their gaze on the silhouette of a person standing in the doorway with arms akimbo.

” Out! Everyone, out! Now!” the mysterious person yelled, pointing to the driveway outside that was dotted with cornflowers and, enchanting primroses that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

The mysterious person turned out to be my mother, who had come home early because she had forgotten her wallet and could not pay the bill at the restaurant. Once everyone was ushered out, my mother’s inner demon emerged.

I was faced with a series of unintelligible words which only served to show the anger my mother had towards me.

Once the anger dissipated, my mother told me in a calm voice, ” Secrets are okay, but not this kind of big secret. If you want a party, just tell me,” she explained.

That night, I had to clean up the mess as my punishment. I would never forget the lethal look of anger my mother gave me. I felt guilty for not consulting her first. I hoped such a thing would never happen again and decided to always tell everything to my mother. I also decided to never make the same mistake of keeping such a big secret again. After all, who would? After knowing the consequences of keeping such big secrets, I know for sure I would not.

I hope that the tips in this post have given students ideas on how they can improve in their compositions!