[PSLE English 2025 Syllabus] Part 3: Update to Reading Aloud

Starting in 2025, the PSLE English Oral Examination (Paper 4) will carry a higher weightage, increasing from 15% to 20% of the overall score. The Reading Aloud component will now be worth 15 marks instead of 10, while Stimulus-Based Conversation will increase from 20 to 25 marks.

These changes reflect a growing emphasis on oral communication skills to prepare students for life outside the classroom. Presentation skills and the ability to articulate one’s thoughts clearly and fluently are increasingly becoming more highly prized in schools, workplaces, and even more informal arenas.

Other than the increase in weightage, there are other updates to both Oral segments. In this article, we will share more about the change to Reading Aloud.

Inclusion of a preamble in Reading Aloud

The passage to be read will now be preceded by a sentence of introduction that gives the students some clues on its likely context, audience and purpose. Students are expected to use these clues to determine the tone in which they should read the passage.

Let’s look at an example:

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“The passage below is a news report about a battalion of American soldiers in World War 2 who received a large number of Purple Heart awards – medals given to soldiers who die or suffer an injury fighting for their country.”

Let’s pick out the CAP of the task:

Context – news report 

Audience – general public

Purpose – to inform

From the CAP and the description of the subject matter, what do you think would be an appropriate tone in which to read the passage?

Answer:

The tone should be serious and reflective, as the topic is about soldiers who died fighting for their country.

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Tip:  Practise reading out loud! It helps you get comfortable with the sound of your own voice and makes you more aware of any habitual slip-ups in pronunciation. Here’s a bonus: If you read out paragraphs from your textbooks or the newspapers, you will be more likely to remember the content. Try it and see! 

In the final article of our series, we’ll explore the changes to Stimulus-Based Conversation and provide a model answer to demonstrate what examiners expect in a well-developed answer.

These expert tips were brought to you by our in-house Curriculum Team.

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