The new PSLE year will start in less than a month. Usually around this time, P6 students and parents will begin discussing their expectations of this important year. What are the student’s goals? How do we achieve those goals set? Should a student have tuition in every subject? How many hours of self-study should a student have per week?
Teachers and tutors have their own opinions but what do past PSLE top-scorers think and what did they do to achieve their goals? Did they start their P6 year as top scorers or did they work hard all year?
This year, instead of offering my advice on our blog, I decided to ask 8 out of the 20 Thinking Factory AL1 PSLE 2023 English scorers for their advice to help future PSLE students. These 8 students scored between 4 and 6 for their total PSLE AL scores.
To help them organise their responses, I asked them 4 questions :
- What was your AL score for English in your P5 SA2 and what was your goal for PSLE?
- How do you think you achieved your goals?
- How many hours of self-study did you do per week in your PSLE year?
- What advice would you give a P6 student who faces disappointment or challenges during the PSLE year?
What was your AL score for English in your P5 SA2 and what was your goal for PSLE?
N : I scored AL 3 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL1 1 or 2
R : I scored AL 3 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL2
YY : I scored AL 2 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL1
S : I scored AL 4 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL 1 or
B : I scored AL 3 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL2
LP : I don’t really remember. I think I scored AL 3 or 4 or 5 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL2 or 3
A : I scored AL 3 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL1
M : I scored AL 5 for my P5 SA2 and my goal for PSLE was AL3
How do you think you achieved your goals?
N : I worked hard all year as I wanted to enter my dream secondary school.
R : I was determined to achieve my goals set and I made sure to complete all my homework and revise my work.
YY : I worked consistently. My parents were also supportive and would help me whenever I needed help with something.
S : I had tuition for all my subjects and that helped me improve. I could also ask my tutors questions if I did not understand something I learnt in school.
B : I learnt from my mistakes and asked my teachers and tutors questions when I was not sure of something.
LP : I started English tuition and Tr Evelyn helped me improve a lot in my English.
A : I did my homework and revised my work. I asked questions when I did not understand something. My parents were also there to encourage me.
M : I made a timetable at the start of the PSLE year and I followed it closely. If I did not understand something, I would ask my tutors. I made sure to listen in class and did my homework and other test papers.
How many hours of self-study (self-revision) did you do per week in your PSLE year?
N : At the start of the year I only had time to revise my work during the weekends due to tuition lessons and CCA. Usually it was about 2 hours on Saturdays and 2h on Sundays. After my Preliminary examinations to PSLE, I revised more on weekends and weekdays.
R : I revised about 5 to 6 hours on weekends. (*This included homework.)
YY : It would depend on how busy I was that week or how much homework I had. Maybe around 2h a day on weekends after I completed my homework. I spent more time on my revision after my CCA stopped.
S: About 4 to 5 hours on the weekends from January.
B : I did not do much self-study before June as I had a lot of school homework and CCA. I studied more from the June holidays till the PSLE.
LP : I revised for 2-3 hours every Saturday and Sunday. I learnt my rules and did test papers and assessment books.
A : I self-studied for 1h everyday and spent more time on weekends.
M : Before June, I self-studied every weekday for about 1h and for about 3h on weekends. From June to PSLE, I self-studied longer.
What advice would you give a P6 student who faces disappointment or challenges during the PSLE year?
N : PSLE is a stressful year. Find time to relax. Share your disappointments with your friends and parents.
R : Don’t give up! When you feel sad, do something that you like to relax. Then, continue to study.
YY : It is OK to feel disappointed. Talk to your parents or teachers and tutors. Speak to your friends, everyone is going through the same thing.
S: Ask advice from your teachers and tutors on how you can improve and then work on those mistakes.
B : Everyone feels stressed or disappointed. Talk to your parents and they will encourage you.
LP : When I did not do well for my English tests, I spoke to Tr Evelyn and she gave me advice and encouragement. Speak to your teachers and ask for advice.
A : Persevere and work harder!
M : Don’t give up. It is normal to face challenges in your PSLE year. Be optimistic and speak to friends and family if you need help.
We hope that the above advice can help all students prepare for the PSLE year.
While all the students above did exceptionally well in all their PSLE subjects, the amount of time they set aside for self-study varied, depending on how busy they were. However, everyone did set aside time on weekends for revision.
Not every student started off their P6 year with an exceptional AL score as well. However, all of the students set goals at the start of the year and worked towards achieving their goals in different ways. They were consistent in their homework and tuition work. Most importantly, they started revising early and asked their tutors and teachers when they were not sure of something.
And remember students, when you are feeling stressed or disappointed in your PSLE year, turn to your parents, teachers, and tutors for support and encouragement!
If you would like to know about what our past year’s top PSLE scorers ate during the PSLE year, watch the Channel News Asia documentary featuring TF’s past PSLE students.
