Updated 2026-10-11 ยท by Coastline Tutors
Short answer: PSLE English is 200 marks over four papers: Writing (50 marks, 25%, 1 h 10 min), Language Use and Comprehension (90 marks, 45%, 1 h 50 min), Listening Comprehension (20 marks, 10%, about 35 min) and Oral Communication (40 marks, 20%, about 10 min).
Coastline Tutors writes these guides from SEAB and MOE documents and published Singapore figures; each claim links to where it comes from.
The four papers
PSLE English Language (0001), implemented from the 2025 examination (SEAB):
| Paper | Components | Marks | Weighting | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Writing | Situational writing 14, continuous writing 36 | 50 | 25% | 1 h 10 min |
| 2. Language Use and Comprehension | Grammar, vocabulary, cloze, editing, synthesis, comprehension | 90 | 45% | 1 h 50 min |
| 3. Listening Comprehension | 20 multiple-choice questions | 20 | 10% | about 35 min |
| 4. Oral Communication | Reading aloud 15, stimulus-based conversation 25 | 40 | 20% | about 10 min |
Paper 1: Writing
- Situational writing: a short functional piece (a letter, email or report, for example) to suit the purpose, audience and context of a given situation.
- Continuous writing: a composition of at least 150 words on a given topic. Three pictures are provided, offering different angles; the composition must be based on at least one of them.
Paper 2: Language Use and Comprehension
25 multiple-choice and 50 open-ended questions, testing language in context and comprehension of written and multimodal texts at the literal, inferential and evaluative levels. At 45 percent, this paper alone outweighs Writing and Oral together.
Paper 3: Listening Comprehension
20 multiple-choice questions on a variety of audio texts. Graphic representations are used for the first seven items, each text is read twice, and candidates get time to read the questions before the first reading.
Paper 4: Oral Communication
Two parts that are not linked by theme: reading aloud a text to suit a given situation, and a conversation with the examiners on a topic based on a photo stimulus. About 10 minutes: 5 minutes of preparation and about 5 of examination. See the PSLE English oral guide.
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More questions
How many words for the PSLE English composition?
At least 150 words, based on at least one of three pictures given on the topic.
What is situational writing?
A short functional piece such as a letter, email or report, written to suit the purpose, audience and context given. It is worth 14 marks.