What are the components of the SEAB MOE English exam?

The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE), conducts the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) to assess the academic abilities of students in Singapore. The English exam, a critical part of this assessment, is designed to evaluate a student’s competence in the English language.

The PSLE English examination comprises four papers: Paper 1 (Writing), Paper 2 (Language Use and Comprehension), Paper 3 (Listening Comprehension), and Paper 4 (Oral Communication). This article will provide an overview of each of these components, referencing the MOE syllabus outline and time allocations for each section.

Paper 1: Writing

The writing paper is divided into two parts: Situational Writing and Continuous Writing.

Situational Writing: This section requires students to write a short functional piece (like a letter, email, or report) that suits the purpose, audience, and context of a given situation. It is worth 15 marks.

Continuous Writing: In this section, students must write a composition in continuous prose on a provided topic. They are given three pictures offering different angles of interpretation but can also come up with their own interpretation of the topic. This component is worth 40 marks.

The total duration for Paper 1 is 1 hour 10 minutes.

Paper 2: Language Use and Comprehension

This paper assesses students’ abilities to use language correctly and comprehend visual and textual information. It is divided into several sections including grammar, vocabulary, vocabulary cloze, visual text comprehension, grammar cloze, editing for spelling and grammar, comprehension cloze, synthesis/transformation, and comprehension OE. Each of these components contributes to the overall mark and has its unique question format, including multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

The duration for Paper 2 is 1 hour 50 minutes.

Paper 3: Listening Comprehension

This paper consists of 20 multiple-choice questions that test a student’s ability to understand spoken English. The texts may take various forms, including news items, announcements, advertisements, instructions, explanations, conversations, speeches, and stories. Each text is read twice, and time is given for students to read the questions before each reading.

The listening comprehension test usually takes around 35 minutes.

Paper 4: Oral Communication

In this section, students are evaluated on their reading aloud and conversation skills.

Reading Aloud: Students are assessed on their pronunciation and articulation, as well as their ability to read fluently with appropriate expression and rhythm.

Stimulus-based Conversation: Students need to respond personally to a visual stimulus and engage in a conversation on a relevant topic.

The total duration for the oral communication exam is about 10 minutes, which includes a 5-minute preparation time.

here’s the summary in a table format:

Paper	Components	Description	Marks	Duration
Paper 1: Writing	Situational Writing, Continuous Writing	Writing a short functional piece; composition in continuous prose	15 marks, 40 marks	1 hour 10 min
Paper 2: Language Use and Comprehension	Grammar, Vocabulary, Vocabulary Cloze, Visual Text Comprehension, Grammar Cloze, Editing, Comprehension Cloze, Synthesis / Transformation, Comprehension OE	Usage of language, understanding visual and textual information	Various, total contributes to overall mark	1 hour 50 min
Paper 3: Listening Comprehension	Listening Comprehension	Understanding spoken English through multiple-choice questions	20 marks	About 35 min
Paper 4: Oral Communication	Reading Aloud, Stimulus-based Conversation	Pronunciation and articulation; personal response to a visual stimulus and conversation	10 marks, 20 marks	About 10 min (5 min preparation time; 5 min examination time)

In summary, the SEAB MOE English examination is a comprehensive assessment of a student’s English language skills, covering writing, language use and comprehension, listening comprehension, and oral communication. By understanding the components of the exam, students can better prepare themselves to excel in each section.