5 Proven Tips To Ace The PSLE’s Listening Comprehension Exam
It is officially less than a month before the PSLE’s Listening Comprehension examination for both English and Mother Tongue languages. The Listening Comprehension test is all about testing the student’s ability to listen well, identify the key ideas of the passages that are read to them, and infer and apply those concepts when answering the questions written on the paper. Despite the Listening Comprehension examination taking up ‘only’ 10% of the entire score of the language subject, that does not mean that it should be taken any less seriously than other papers. In fact, there have been instances where students have failed the examination, negatively affecting their overall grade in the end. Scoring full marks for the Listening Comprehension examination is easily attainable, which your child can do if they follow and implement these few tips and tricks.
Expand vocabulary
A small vocabulary range can hinder your child from fully understanding the passages, which can make them take extra time to think about a particular word’s meaning. Considering that the Listening Comprehension examination will take only 35 minutes, every minute matters, so your child has no time to waste. As such, having a good grasp of the language will allow your child to easily pick up on any nuances and not miss out on any vital information.
One quick and effective way to expand your child’s vocabulary is to instil a love of reading. Whether it is through story books or short news articles, reading is a wonderful way to expose your child to a wide variety of words.
Read the questions in advance
Before the Listening Comprehension examination officially begins, students are given a short time frame to browse through the pages and read the questions. This is a good opportunity that your child should make use of, as reading the questions in advance can give your child a good idea of what the recording will be about. This allows them to listen intently for the answers, increasing their chances of getting the questions correctly.
Listen carefully to the recordings
One thing to note about the Listening Comprehension examination is that some questions and multiple-choice answers are purposefully written to trick students. During the test, your child may face a common dilemma of having two multiple-choice answers looking similar or relaying similar meanings.
In order to avoid this issue, your child needs to listen attentively to the passages being read and not zone out. If they were to miss out on some parts of the recording, they might be unable to answer some of the questions or interpret the information wrongly. During the second recording, your child should continue paying close attention as they can check their answers and correct any mistakes.
Jot down key points
Some students are naturally visual learners, which means they are more likely to acquire information effectively by reading or looking at words and pictures. If your child possesses this learning style, it might benefit them to write down the essential information of the passages in point form during the examination. Of course, good handwriting does not have to be observed, as your child needs to rush against time to prevent missing out on the recordings and remain focused. Jotting down key points can be helpful as it enables students to see information clearly and avoid misunderstanding the passages.
Never forget to check
Believe it or not, some students accidentally shade the wrong option on the answer sheet even though they were meant to shade the correct answer. This is a careless mistake that your child cannot afford to make, so do remind your child to always check their answers after the end of the second and final recording. We recommend circling or ticking the correct answer on the question paper, so your child can refer and ensure that the right option is shaded.
Prepare with Superstar Teacher
While practising for the Listening Comprehension examination with past years’ papers can be difficult, Superstar Teacher can assist your child in building up their language skills to score well in the PSLE. Whether you plan to enrol your child in courses for Primary Chinese or English enrichment in Singapore, our teachers are all well-equipped with the necessary experience and knowledge to teach your child according to the latest MOE syllabus. Superstar Teacher also offers Primary Science and Primary Maths tuition in Singapore. To find out more about our learning platform, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial to get started.
