PSLE English Composition tips: Steps to ace your composition- ‘An unexpected discovery’ & two model compositions

July and August are very busy months for our P6 students. Aside from rigorously preparing for the Prelim and PSLE Oral examination, we have also been preparing for the Preliminary examinations.

Besides our weekly writing practices, to prepare them further, I will also plan out the list of the SA1 compositions with my classes.

This will allow them to be confident should a similar theme come out for the prelim. It is also a way for us to see how we can manipulate past plots into new themes.

One of the recurring themes in the Preliminary Examinations is ‘An Unexpected Discovery.’ We revisited this theme in the first week of July.

Let us take a look at how students can manage this theme step-by-step.

TF isn’t a creative writing centre. Our students write compositions weekly (P3 & P4) or alternate weeks (P5 & P6) in the first part of the lesson. They are timed in planning, and after a brief discussion, they write their compositions according to the time they would have in an examination. Our students must follow these steps below every time they write a composition. This will allow them to be prepared for their Paper 1 tests or exams.

Study the pictures & the theme

Think about what you can write about for each picture based on the theme. (pictures below)

Picture 1 : Reading someone’s diary and discovering something unexpectedly – A friend’s betrayal? A younger sibling being bullied?

Picture 2 : Discovering something in a box hidden in an attic – That the main character (MC) is adopted? That MC’s neighbour’s father is a weapon smuggler or a drug/vape dealer?

Picture 3 : Discovering something that MC’s parent has been hiding – a sick single mother’s diagnosis that transforms the MC?

Study the theme well. ‘Unexpected’ and ‘Discovery’. Make sure to develop the theme throughout the composition to remind yourself so that you do not go out of point. For example, the MC cannot be given the box or the letter. The MC has to discover it.

Plan out your composition

It takes five minutes to plan using the story mountain. In the end, it will save students a lot of time (and mistakes). This is also the time to think of characterisation (the type of character you want to create) and the appropriate WOW words (- idioms, similes, metaphors, and proverbs that you can include in your story.)

Develop the theme

Developing the theme / or mentioning it a few times in the story and especially in the concluding paragraph will show the marker that you have understood what to write about. Look at the models below to see how our students developed the theme in their stories.

Use WOW words

By now, P6 students should have lists of WOW words with them. Idioms, metaphors, similes and proverbs help students ‘jazz’ up their compositions. Do not use them in every sentence. Use them sparingly but at the right moments. You will see how our students did this in the models below.

Below, are two P6 model compositions done in class this month, following the steps above. The two students chose to use different pictures and develop different plots. They have different writing styles, but both have used the steps above well. I enjoyed reading and marking their compo pieces, and I am proud of their work.

We hope these tips will help you as you prepare for your upcoming Prelim and PSLE Paper 1!

An Unexpected Discovery

PSLE English Composition model on the theme of ‘An Unexpected Discovery‘

Model 1

An Unexpected Discovery

Rachel had grown up in a single-parent home. For the past twelve years, she had lived in a small, cozy apartment with her father. Their father-and-daughter relationship was one of a kind, and neighbours would always praise Rachel’s father for bringing up such a well-mannered girl.

However, one unexpected discovery changed everything…

On one sunny morning, Rachel was tidying up the house while her father was out running errands. It had not been long since she started organising things when she came across an old diary. Curious, she picked up the diary from her father’s drawer. The pages had already turned slightly yellow, which led Rachel to believe it had been kept for more than ten years.

Settling down on the nearby sofa, she started to read the diary.

“Wow… I didn’t know Dad had such a good friend in the past. Why did they not stay in contact? And I feel like I’ve seen him before…” Rachel thought to herself, grinning from ear to ear as she saw that Father was once such an extroverted person in his youth.

Just then, a paragraph on the next page caught her attention.

However, it was not long before she lost her grip on the diary. She stopped smiling. Her hands trembled.

In denial, Rachel shook her head repeatedly and mumbled,

“No… this… this can’t be real. No…”

As she read more, the more her hand trembled. Right there in her father’s handwriting, it said:

“Mike, I have now brought up Rachel. She really takes after you and Lena… You guys could have been one happy family.”

At that moment, Rachel felt her lips tremble, her heart pounding erratically. She could not believe the unexpected discovery she had just made.

Like a coincidence, Rachel’s father came back home at that moment. Just like always, he greeted Rachel in a cheerful tone and brought her her favorite bubble tea.

“Rachel! I brought your favorite bubble tea. Why aren’t you saying anything today?”

That was when he noticed Rachel’s face. Only the gloomy silence spoke.

“Dad… You, you are my biological father, right?” Rachel asked, as she stood on the verge of tears.

Looking at the diary in her hands, Father instantly knew what Rachel had found. Putting his car keys down, he let out a deep breath and slowly shook his head.

Seeing that, tears cascaded down Rachel’s cheeks like rivulets. Like a broken tap, there was no way she could stop the tears from falling.

Her father went on to explain that he had adopted her after her parents’ fatal accident and brought her up as his own child. He was going to tell her when she was older.

Rachel stopped crying, but her eyes became extremely swollen. She understood that this unexpected discovery would not change anything, whether in the past or the present. Maybe it would have been better if she had only known about this when she became more mature. But there was no turning back time, and it was of no use being mad at her father for hiding this truth.

Regaining her composure, Rachel calmly told her father, “No matter what, thank you for bringing me up. I know it was hard for you too. You will still remain my father… no matter what.”

With a wide smile plastered across her face, her father looked at Rachel and smiled back. This unexpected discovery was one Rachel would never forget. It taught her that a father’s love need not come only from biological parents.

Model 2

An Unexpected Discovery

         I was born into a single-parent family. Mother raised me on her own, juggling multiple jobs just to keep food on the table. Money was always tight. We lived in a small, dimly lit flat, and luxuries were things I only saw in magazines or on the screens of wealthier classmates’ phones.

         As my mother’s child, I never truly understood how hard she worked or how much she sacrificed. All I saw was what I did not have, and I grew bitter. I played truant often, drifting from school to the streets. Everywhere I went, I caused trouble, stole small things, and told myself it did not matter. I thought the world was unfair and took it out on everyone—especially my mother.

       One afternoon, I came home early after skipping school again. Hungry and angry, I wanted to buy something to eat. As usual, there was no money in my old, dusty, worn-out wallet. Quietly, I crept into my mother’s room. Her bag was on the bed. My fingers shook as I unzipped it and found her wallet. I opened it and took out a ten-dollar bill.

          As I was about to leave, something caught my eye—a folded letter tucked between the pages of an old book on her bedside table. Curious, I picked it up and opened it, expecting a bill or some adult thing. However, what I found shook me to the core—it was a letter from the hospital. A diagnosis: stage 2 cancer.

        Time slowed to a crawl. My fingers trembled as my heart palpitated like a runaway train. I read and reread the words again and again. My mind was monopolised by one and only one thought: “This can’t be true.” Tears welled up in my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks.

          My mind flashed through the moments I had ignored her exhaustion, her quiet sighs when she thought I wouldn’t notice. I remembered the way she smiled at me, even when I did not deserve it. How she never raised her voice, no matter how I behaved. She was fighting a battle alone—and I had been stealing from her.

Regret flooded my heart like a river. Wiping away my tears, I placed the letter back and returned the ten dollars to my wallet.

        That night, I tossed and turned in bed, lying in the dark, consumed by guilt. Mother deserved better. She deserved a son she could be proud of.

         From that moment on, that unexpected discovery changed me. I stopped skipping school and studied hard. After school, I helped around the house and even got a part-time job to ease her burden. At first, she was suspicious—my sudden change confused her. But over time, she saw my true intentions and supported me, encouraging me through thick and thin.

“I’m so proud of you, James,” she whispered one evening. “From the mischievous son to the boy I can always be proud of. Thank you… for everything.”

I hugged her and said, “No, thank you, Mother—for showering me with unconditional love. I love you.”

          I spent more time with Mother, helping with simple dinners and taking walks in the park. But there were bad days too, when she was too weak to get out of bed. Over time, she got better and better. I thought she was safe from cancer.

Until one day.

      I came home from school and walked into her room. I saw my mother lying peacefully—eyes closed, never to open again. My world shattered to smithereens. Yet I stayed calm. I felt her love wrap around me like a warm blanket, and even though she was gone, I would always remember her.

       That unexpected discovery became the turning point of my life. It opened my eyes. And even though the truth often hurts, her death taught me the value of family and true responsibility. Because once they are gone, we can never get them back.
From that moment on, I lived each day with purpose, forever remembering that unexpected discovery that shaped me.