I have undergone many interviews in my life, so I believe that being able to predict some questions the prospective interviewers will ask will stand me in good stead and not stumble over my words.
This explains why I think it’s important to teach my fifth graders how to predict possible questions for their Stimulus-Based Conversations in their upcoming Primary School Leaving Examination. It isn’t an easy endeavour. These teenagers-to-be are given a mere five minutes to prepare for this oral exam, upon which they must rehearse speaking aloud of a short passage too. So many things to do in this high-stakes exam!
This year saw a revised format of the oral exam. Candidates will now be asked questions in relation to an authentic photo. This meant that my friend’s daughter, who is sitting for the PSLE this year, encountered these questions during her exam:
It seems that Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model might come in handy here. The scope of Question 3 (people in Singapore) is broader than that of Question 2 (you). This questioning pattern is consistent when we scrutinise the questions asked on Day 2:
Q1: Why do you think the people in the photograph chose to eat at a hawker centre?
Q2: Do you like to eat at home or at a hawker centre?
Q3: Do you think students should learn cooking?
Given that my students’ hearts might be palpitating furiously under exam stress, I thought it necessary to conceive a framework that would serve as a concrete handle during those crucial 5 minutes. Now, I only have two sets of questions to fall upon, but this was enough for me to come up with Photo-Personal-School-Singapore.
PPSS for short.
This is no reason why they wouldn’t remember it if I drill it into their heads during regular school time.
In addition, coming with pertinent sentences starters would aid my students in generating possible SBc questions.
Photo
- What do you think the people in the photograph are doing?
- How do you think the people in the photograph are feeling?
Personal
- Do you like X? Why, or why not?
- so you prefer X or Y? Why, or why not?
Schools
- Tell me about a school experience in which you X.
- Do you think schools should encourage students to X? Why, or why not?
Singapore
- Do you think Singaporeans are X?
- Do you think the government should X?
Guided by the desire to cover all bases, I subsequently combed through the questions set by various primary schools for their Preliminary Exams. I realised that my framework might not be all that comprehensive. Family seems to be a dominant theme favoured by many educators out there. So, for higher-progress students, I could expand my mnemonic to PPFSSTV (Photo-Personal-Family-Schools-Singapore-Technology-Values).
I doubt that many of my students will remember this expanded framework. So, when I compiled the questions, I put in effort to use the same sentence starters:
2025 Oral Preliminary Topics
Personal
- What do you do during your free time / How do you de-stress yourself / Did you do anything fun during the holidays?
- Do you have a preferred spot to study / exercise?
- Do you like going to the beach / like playing musical instruments / enjoy outdoor activities / enjoy participating in adventurous sports? Why or why not?
- Do you prefer to exercise alone or with friends more / prefer to be alone or be with family and friends when you feel stressed / prefer cash or cashless / prefer to spend time indoors or outdoors?
- Would you want to try an activity that you did before or something you completely never did before / Which would you choose? An activity you are familiar with or an activity that is totally new to you?
- Do you think you have good study / exercise / time management habits?
- Have you ever done anything to help the environment /been to a concert (musical performance) / tried out new experiences / experienced any thrilling activities / played a board game / injured yourself before?
- Do you think it’s important to have study schedules / keep our shared spaces clean / take care of the environment / learn more information about other countries / try out new activities during your free time / help out at home / spend time with family and friends / celebrate special occasions? Why or why not?
- What can you do to encourage a friend who dislikes studying to work harder?
- Have you ever travelled abroad? Do you think that we should travel often
- What would you plan to do with your friends after examinations / How will you spend your time with your family after the examinations?
- Is there an activity that you are scared of / Was there an activity where you hesitated before attempting it / Tell me how you overcame your fear.
- What new skill do you want to develop? / Have you ever learnt first aid / tried cooking a dish on your own before? / If given a chance, what activities would you like to do? / If you could, which musical instrument would you learn to play?
- What do you do that makes you proud?
- Do you think you should pick a job that you are passionate about? Why or why not?
- What would you look out for when choosing your secondary school?
Family
- Do you enjoy spending time with your family?
- Would you rather spend time with your friends or family? / Would you rather be a single child or have a sibling?
- How do you and your family spend time / bond together / keep healthy?
- Do you think that having a good relationship with your family is important? Why or why not?
- How do you show care towards a family member / helped your sibling with something?
- Have you ever been to a place that was special to you before? / Tell me about a time you went out / a memorable moment with your family.
- If you are going on a holiday with your family, where would you want to go? What would you like to try?
- Do you think that it is important to travel abroad with your family?
- What does your family do to save water?
Schools
- Apart from your Primary 5 camp, tell me about an experience that made you anxious or nervous?
- Tell us about a school experience when you cultivated healthy eating.
- How does your school promote staying healthy?
- How can schools promote better relationships with siblings?
- How can schools encourage family bonding?
- What did your school do as a post-examination activity?
- What post-examination activities do you want your school to organise?
- Do you think students are given enough school holidays at the end of each school term?
- Tell me about a time where you went to an open house.
- Would you prefer a physical open house or a virtual open house?
- How can we remain curious?
Singapore
- What do you think Singaporeans can do to protect the environment other than recycling?
Technology
- Do you prefer seeing places visually or using VR?
- How do you use technology in moderation?
Values
- Do you think winning is important?
- Do you think it is better to learn from mistakes or to learn from success?
- Do you think you learn better from mistakes or successes?
I hope you found this peek into our education system enlightening and entertaining!