Gone are the days where students can write a simple story, throw in some vocabulary phrases and end the story with 'I learnt a lesson' format. Writing PSLE composition has become far more demanding now. In order to get an A* for English in the PSLE, one has to get almost full marks for the composition component. So what constitutes an excellent composition?
Writing a fantastic PSLE essay is akin to writing a bestseller at Amazon. There must be 'ingredients' that a writer cannot do without. Perhaps one can get some ideas from the best-selling novel Hunger Games. I do not promote this book especially to younger children but there are some writing tips we can use for our composition writing to get top grades:-
1) The composition must suck the readers (the examiner-teacher-markers) into the plot. (Force the character into action and decisions that one would never choose if not for the narrative)
2) The pace of the compostion must be fast. (Don't drag your story!)
3) It should explore the hearts and minds of men. (Show your dialogue and thought!)
4) Explore positive themes, eg self-sacrifice or the healing of a soured relationship. (Do not propagate a negative theme by the time you reach the end of the story.)
5) Add a creative twist. (In Gladiator, the crowd expects the triumphant slave to kill the defeated one but he refuses and defies the king. Now, he inspires and the people adores him!)
Do you know how to write A* PSLE English compositions? Do you want to score distinction in PSLE English? Writing is NOT the key. Getting feedback for what you have written is the key to better writing. All the best for your coming PSLE examinations. Cheers!
Why Hunger Games is Flawed to Its Core – Trevin Wax:
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"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
Henry David Thoreau
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Henry David Thoreau
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Doesn't work
ReplyDeleteDon't give up! Writing is a journey, not a destination. :)
ReplyDeleteDoesnt work at all I still score 30-31 only
ReplyDeleteHave you gotten feedback from your teacher? Don't give up! Maybe, you could join a writing class. :)
DeleteI do
DeleteGlad that you are so hungry to learn :) Students who can get this range is only the top 9% in the whole cohort! Make sure you also have zero grammar, punctuation and spelling error. Get a second opinion from another teacher if necessary. Take care!
ReplyDeleteI have a Korean student and he got 34/40 for his writing piece. There is hope :)
ReplyDeleteI only got 32-34
ReplyDeleteHey guys. I think students who read a lot of books actually have an advantage over those who don't when it comes to writing composition. one big tip I can give you is- use words to replace the word 'said'. This tip works for some people. It definitely works for me. I got 37 for my SA1 compo
ReplyDeleteHi! Yeah, we should never give up... even though our marks are low, just keep learning and learn from our mistake! and even our marks are high we should be arrogant and keep thinking that we can do better and we would get a higher marks.
ReplyDeleteIt works. Got 35
ReplyDeleteGot 34.5 need help please more ideas PSLE tomorrow
ReplyDelete