14 April 2006

Interim PSLE Oral format will not be more demanding than previous one

1. Mdm Lim Siew Hiah “PSLE Chinese oral change too drastic” (ST Forum, March 27) was concerned that there would be a change in weighting in the Chinese oral examination from 20 to 40 per cent for students taking the PSLE this year.
2.  The change in weighting is actually only 5%. The oral examination (comprising oral and listening comprehension) for the 2006 PSLE Chinese language examination comprised 30% in the previous format. It will be increased to 35% in the 2006 format.
3. The changes in the PSLE Chinese language examination format are part of broader efforts to improve the teaching of the Chinese language.  They aim to reduce the burden of character memorisation in the learning of the language and to give greater emphasis to listening and speaking skills.
4. We assure Mdm Lim that the overall level of difficulty of the interim format will not be any more demanding than the previous format. All teachers have been briefed on the new format since last year and will be able to prepare their students for the examination.

Ho Peng (Ms)
Director,
Curriculum Planning and Development