A student’s six-year journey in primary school comes to an end with the primary school leaving examinations called the PSLE. Students are assessed on what they have learnt over the years to determine whether they are eligible to advance to the next phase in their educational journey. Thus, the primary school leaving examination is a great challenge for both students and parents. It tests the student’s academic aptitude along with their levels of resilience and how they manage stress. Though there are various subjects, PSLE Science is one of the complex and difficult subjects. The students are assessed based on their creativity and knowledge of theoretical elements.
The PSLE science examination makes students investigate the concepts they have acquired from their subject to determine the outcomes in various scenarios. A few find this approach fascinating, whereas some complain about the complexity of the course. The PSLE Science course assists students to become rational, reasoned thinkers and highly educated in the future. But you should understand that cultivating all the above skills does not happen overnight. In this article, let us discuss all the information which will help a child perform well in their Science PSLE examination.
A Brief Summary of PSLE Science Assessment Objectives
Understanding the objectives of the PSLE Science assessments is the most important step in trying to excel in PSLE Science. The syllabus teaches the scientific concepts and prepares the students to equip themselves for life by showcasing how science impacts our daily activities and the environment in which we survive. The PSLE Science syllabus makes students learn and appreciate the difference between various topics and themes and integrate the scientific ideas. To be more precise, PSLE Science focuses on:- Making students understand the scientific concepts, principles, and facts and effectively apply them to real-life situations.
- Helping students interpret the information they have acquired in various forms through graphs, charts and images.
- Allowing children to explore several hypotheses to express their findings.
- Preparing students to utilise the scientific knowledge by identifying the question, drawing evidence-based conclusions to comprehend, and making a decision about the changes brought about in the real world by human beings.
- PSLE Standard Science takes place between 8:15 to 10:00.
- PSLE Foundation Science takes place between 8:15 to 9:30.

PSLE Science Syllabus & Exam Format
PSLE Science Syllabus The PSLE Science covers five main topics, namely:- Diversity
- Systems
- Cycles
- Interactions
- Energy
- Diversity – Diversity of materials and living things.
- Systems – Plants and their parts, plant transport system, the circulatory system, air and the respiratory system, the unit of life and electrical systems.
- Cycles – Life cycles of plants, reproduction in plants, matter, water and changes of state.
- Interactions – Man’s impact on the environment, living together, magnets and their characteristics and forces.
- Energy – Energy in food, light and shadow, heat and temperature, forms and uses of energy.
- Booklet A has 28 multiple-choice questions, with each carrying two marks. These questions have four options. The total marks for this session is 56 with 56% weightage.
- Booklet B contains 12 to 13 open-ended questions, each carrying 2 to 5 marks, up to 44 marks. It is a mix of short and long answers with 44% weightage.
- Diversity – Diversity of materials and living things.
- Systems – Plants and their parts, plant transport system, the circulatory system, air and the respiratory system and electrical systems.
- Cycles – Life cycles of plants, reproduction in plants, matter, water and changes of state.
- Interactions – Man’s impact on the environment, living together, and forces.
- Energy – Energy in food and forms and uses of energy.
- Booklet A contains 18 multiple-choice questions, which have three options. Each MCQ carries 2 marks, thereby summing up to 36 marks. This section has 51.4% weightage.
- Booklet B has two parts, of which the first part is structured, and the next one is open-ended. There are 6 to 7 structured questions which carry 2 to 3 marks and thus contribute to 14 marks with 20% weightage. The structured questions may be ‘matching’ or ‘fill in the blanks’ kind of questions. There are 5 to 6 open-ended questions which carry 2 to 4 marks. Open-ended questions sum up to 20 marks with a weightage of 28.6%.
Also Read : PSLE Math Exam Format- A Brief Summary