Top 15 Tips: How To Improve in Primary Science
Tip 1: Build A Strong Foundation In Scientific Knowledge:
Ensure that your child has a comprehensive understanding of the five major themes in the Primary Science syllabus: Diversity, Cycles, Systems, Energy, and Interactions.
- Diversity: Includes the diversity of living things and materials.
- Cycles: Includes life cycles of plants, reproduction in plants and animals, matter, water, and changes of state.
- Systems: Includes plants and their parts, cells (if your child is P6 in 2025, their exam will include cells. The next batch will no longer have the topic of cells), plant transport system, the circulatory system, air and the respiratory system, and electrical systems.
- Interactions: Includes man’s impact on the environment, living together, and forces.
- Energy: Includes energy in food and forms and uses of energy, and heat energy
Delving into each theme’s core concepts, such as photosynthesis, the water cycle, and forces, will enhance their grasp of the subject. Engaging in hands-on experiments and fun activities can further solidify this knowledge.
Tip 2: Foster Conceptual Understanding of Science Concepts
Encourage your child to understand how scientific concepts work rather than rote memorization. This approach enables them to apply knowledge across various contexts, a skill often tested in exams. Referring to the official PSLE Science syllabus can guide your child to study the right areas.
Pro-Tip: you can refer to the official PSLE Science syllabus to ensure your child is studying the right areas. The syllabus highlights the essential content and skills required for the exam. The syllabus is designed to help students build a strong foundation of scientific knowledge through these themes. Students learn to appreciate the links between different themes and topics, and to integrate scientific ideas. For example, the water cycle builds on your child’s prior knowledge of heat energy and changes in the states of matter.
(Do take note of whether your child is taking foundation science, or standard science.)
Tip 3: Expand Science Vocabulary
To show the examiner that your child understands the concepts, he/she must use the right Science keywords to craft their answers easily. Utilize mind maps, flashcards, songs, and games to make learning Science keywords engaging. Parental involvement in practicing these keywords with your child is crucial for retention.
Tip 4: Practice with Past Papers and Mock Tests
Doing past PSLE papers is one of the most effective ways to practice. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the types of questions asked, the format, and the time constraints. Pay attention to the marking schemes to understand how marks are awarded. Aim for full marks in section A, shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
Working through past PSLE papers familiarizes your child with question formats and time constraints. Understanding marking schemes can also provide insight into how marks are awarded. Aim for full marks in Section A (Multiple-Choice questions) to boost overall scores. As old sayings go, “Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
Tip 5: Conduct Timed Practices
Simulating exam conditions through timed practices helps your child manage time effectively during the actual exam. This helps your child manage time better and understand how long to spend on each question.
How long should my child allocate on each section?
Each MCQ question should take around one minute. After finishing the paper, your child should have 15 minutes for checking of the OAS, and then checking of section B.
It is completely normal to experience exam anxiety, so regular timed tests would strengthen your child’s resilience to exam stressors.
Pro-Tip: Inculcate good exam habits like shading the OAS immediately after doing each MCQ question to prevent shading errors, or going to the toilet before the exam, and only occasionally sipping water if needed. Bring a jacket if the exam venue is cold! Try to simulate the environment as best as you can.
Tip 6: Analyse and Learn From Mistakes
After each practice session, carefully review the errors to identify conceptual misunderstanding. Encourage your child to ask questions and seek clarification to prevent repeating the same mistakes.
Regular revision and early preparation are key to success. After all, the PSLE journey is a marathon and not a sprint!
Tip 7: Use the Scientific Method
Science questions often require you to think critically. Teach your child to approach questions systematically— in experimental questions, your child must be proficient at searching for the changed variable, measured variable, constant variables, the aim of the experiment, and the outcome. This methodical approach enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Pro-Tip: Observation is a key component in scoring! Analysing the question stem, the diagram, and the actual question itself carefully is a skill that needs to be cultivated. Many students tend to skip the question stem entirely and jump into the actual question. Some students even skip the diagram/ picture! This causes them to lose out on crucial information.
Tip 8: Identify What The Exam Question Is Asking For
PSLE Science questions often contain specific keywords or phrases that give clues on how to approach the question (e.g., “why”, “how”, “describe”, “explain”). Understanding these keywords ensures your child provides the appropriate responses for each question.
Pro-Tip: If the MCQ question asks, “Which of the following questions are false”? In this case, annotating true/false for statements in MCQs can aid in clarity. We recommend not putting ticks or crosses for such questions as it is confusing.
Tip 9: Learn To Interpret Graphs, Diagrams and Tables
Proficiency in reading and interpreting data representations is crucial. Graph reading requires the skills of pattern recognition and data interpretation. There have been studies showing this cognitive development starts showing in children as young as seven or eight. But to really master the art of reading multiple variables on multiple graphs takes a lot of practice and exposure. MOE is training our students from a young age to stay competitive in a world where Artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful tool.
Tip 10: Utilise the ABC Technique
Many schools teach some form of answering technique like CER (claim evidence reason) for answering Open-Ended Questions. At Bluetree, we teach using the ABC technique (Answer the question, back with evidence, and confirm concept). This technique effectively helps your child break down their answers to look for the right evidence, the concept needed to back up the evidence, and link to the question.
Tip 11: Master the various Science Definitions
In the PSLE Science examination, certain definitions and concepts are frequently tested. Such straightforward question is often tested as a one-mark question in Section B, such as:
- Define boiling, melting, evaporation, photosynthesis, etc
- What is the aim of the experiment? And what is the purpose of a control set up?”
Ensuring your child understands and can accurately define these terms can help your child secure easy marks.
Tip 12: Tackling Application Questions
PSLE Science includes questions that require you to apply your knowledge to real-life scenarios. Make sure you practice these types of questions, as they test your ability to think critically and connect different ideas. Look for science in your everyday life! Make sure to have conversations that involve science. Like why are there water droplets on my cup? Why can we see colour/ things? Why do I feel cold? Etc. If it becomes a regular part of life to use and apply scientific knowledge, it will become second nature to your child! Keep up to date about world events and why they’re happening. E.g. climate change. Even the California wildfires that are happening currently is due to climate change. Everyday conversations make your child an active learner, applying what they’ve learnt in the classroom to everyday life. Do not store this knowledge away only for exams! The beauty of primary science is that it is broad and simple enough to cover many areas of life that we use even till adulthood.
Tip 13: Stay Calm During the Exam
PSLE Science can be challenging, but maintaining a calm and focused mindset is crucial. Avoid rushing and take the time to read each question carefully. Ensure ample rest to be in tip top shape. Remember that regular practice pays off!
Tip 14: Skip and Return
If you’re unsure about a question, don’t get stuck. Skip it and come back after answering the other questions. Sometimes, answering other questions first can trigger ideas that help with the harder ones.
Tip 15: Check Your Work
There probably wouldn’t be enough time for complete checking in the actual exam. So your good exam habits will be your biggest asset on the day itself. Most importantly, check that you shaded the OAS properly! Use the right tools like a 2B pencil and eraser for section A, and a ballpoint pen for section B.
By following these strategies and consistently practicing, you’ll improve your PSLE Science performance. Hope this helps, good luck! Whatever the outcome is, as long as you did your best, you’ve done well.