Challenging Questions in 2025 PSLE

04 NOV 2025

NAME AND CONSTITUENCY OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song, Aljunied GRC

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what percentage of questions in the 2025 PSLE papers for each of the four main subjects were classified as challenging questions; (b) whether such questions require application of knowledge beyond the school syllabus; and (c) what measures the Ministry has in place to ensure that students who cannot afford private tuition are not disadvantaged by such examination questions.

RESPONSE

  1. The PSLE contains questions of varying difficulty levels to allow students with different abilities to demonstrate their understanding. Challenging questions make up approximately 15% of total marks in each subject.

  2. All questions, including challenging ones, are based entirely on the primary school syllabus and do not require knowledge beyond the curriculum. However, challenging questions do require students to apply the concepts in novel or authentic contexts.

  3. To ensure accessibility, all questions use age-appropriate language and contexts.  In addition, challenging questions are often structured with scaffolding to help students attempt them progressively.

  4. These measures help to ensure that the PSLE remains accessible to all students, including those without private tuition.