PSLE topic guides › Chinese & English › Comprehension

PSLE Comprehension — how to do comprehension questions, and the mistakes that cost marks

Chinese & English · 10 practice questions in the free bank

PSLE Comprehension: quick answers for parents

The short version, then the full guide below.

SubjectChinese and English · Singapore PSLE
LevelPrimary 5 and Primary 6
Free questions on Comprehension10 in the free month bank, each marked step by step
How the work is markedStep by step — the written steps are marked separately, so you can see which step broke
Written workingIncluded — the bank has written workings, not only multiple-choice questions
CostFree for your first month. No signup and no card
Exam year2026 PSLE

Practise Comprehension free →

The whole free bank covers Maths, English, Science and Chinese — no signup needed.

What Comprehension means in the PSLE

Comprehension is a tested chinese & english topic in the Singapore PSLE. The marks are not usually lost because a child does not know the method — they are lost in one specific step, and because nobody can tell the child which step went wrong, the same mistake repeats.

Why the wrong answer looks right

Question: 阅读短文,回答问题(从文中找出写小美心情的句子再作答)。 小美养了一只小猫,名字叫“雪球”。一天放学回家,小美发现雪球不见了。她找遍了客厅、厨房和房间,急得眼泪都快流出来了。最后,她打开衣柜,发现雪球正躺在衣服堆里呼呼大睡。 小美发现雪球不见了的时候,心里感到怎样?

Options: a) 十分着急 · b) 非常生气 · c) 有点失望 · d) 一点也不在乎

Correct answer: A

Choosing B: 生气要有原因,比如雪球抓坏了沙发。短文只写小美到处找猫、急得眼泪都快流出来,完全没有写她生气的任何内容,选“生气”没有根据。短文里没有写她生气,也没有惹她生气的事发生。
Instead: 答题要凭文中证据:找遍屋子、急得流泪 = 她担心雪球出事 → 着急,不是生气。担心=着急,这是理解整段话的关键词。
Choosing C: 你可能看到“眼泪都快流出来”就想到伤心、失望。但短文写的是“急得眼泪都快流出来了”——眼泪是因为“急”(找不到雪球),不是失望;失望是“希望落空”的感觉。后来她找到雪球时,文中也没有任何“失望”的描写。
Instead: 抓住“急得眼泪”四个字:直接点明原因是“急”(着急、焦急),答案就在句子里。把“急得”两个字圈出来,答案就在眼前。

How to help your child with Comprehension at home

Four things that work, and they use the same method as the worked example above.

1. Get the steps said out loud before anything is written

Marks in Comprehension are usually lost in one step, not across the whole question. Ask your child to say each step before writing it — a broken step is much easier to catch when you can hear it.

2. Mark the working, not just the final answer

A tick or a cross on the last line tells you nothing about where the thinking broke. Read the working line by line and ask, for each line, what it was for.

3. Name the step that broke, in your child's own words

One sentence is enough. Name the step rather than the topic — “I divided before finding one part” tells you what to fix next; “I am bad at Comprehension” does not.

4. Keep the sets short

The free bank has 10 Comprehension questions, marked step by step, and it needs no signup. A short set with the working marked tells you more than a long page of answers.

Practise Comprehension free

Every question in this topic is marked step by step, so when your child goes wrong you can both see exactly which step broke. No signup.

Practise Comprehension free →

Or take the free 3-minute diagnostic to see which topics are actually weak.

Questions parents ask about Comprehension

Is Comprehension tested in the PSLE?

Yes — Comprehension is a Chinese & English topic in the Singapore PSLE, and the free Kyly Tuition bank holds 10 questions on it for P5 and P6 pupils.

Why do children lose marks in Comprehension?

Usually not because they do not know the method. They lose marks in one specific step, and because the mistake is never identified, they practise more of the same and repeat it.

Is the practice free?

Yes. The daily drills are free in all four subjects for your first month, with no signup and no card required. The free diagnostic is also free.

Does this cover Paper 2?

Yes. The bank includes step-marked written problem sums, not only multiple-choice questions, and each step is marked separately.

How do I help my child with Comprehension at home?

Mark the working, not just the answer, and name the one step that broke. The guide above walks through a real Comprehension question step by step, and the free bank marks each written step separately, so you can see which step went wrong instead of only seeing that the answer is wrong.

How many free Comprehension questions are there?

10 questions on Comprehension are in the free Kyly Tuition bank, each marked step by step, with no signup and no card.

Where do children usually lose marks in Comprehension?

Usually in one specific step rather than across the whole question. The worked example above shows a real Comprehension question and flags the step children break on it.

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