The demand for PSLE Chinese Tuition is increasing, what’s more for Higher Chinese. Many parents know that schools give Higher Chinese to Upper Primary pupils who are proficient in their Chinese language and those who thrive in their studies. Higher Chinese is advanced Chinese, with 20-30% more words than standard Chinese, and the exam paper needs a higher level of understanding and writing competence.

The Need for Advanced Chinese

Most schools offer Higher Chinese to pupils who have scored 70 marks and higher for their Chinese in P4 or P5. Higher Chinese is taught in SAP schools beginning in Primary. However, the schools have the freedom to withdraw a student from Higher Chinese if the student does not satisfy the criterion of either A* in Chinese or Merit in Higher Chinese.

After knowing more about Higher Chinese for primary school and its prerequisites, whether to take up the topic is still a hard decision to make. As a parent, you would worry about the uncertainty of your child’s capacity to cope with an extra subject; as a student, you would want to know what you are facing if you choose to take up Higher Chinese.

Syllabus Differences

What is the first thing that springs to mind when you think about Higher Chinese? Of course, most people would say that Higher Chinese is a “higher level” of Chinese that is taken by “top students” in schools. However, this is not always the case; if you have a flare and enthusiasm for the Chinese language, along with dedication, Higher Chinese might be the right subject for you.

According to SEAB, both PSLE Standard Chinese and PSLE Higher Chinese courses in Primary Schools have similar aims of developing students’ capacity to listen, read, and write in Chinese in order to create and encourage connections with others. The examination structure for both papers, however, differs. The three main discrepancies between the subjects identified by our PSLE Higher Chinese Tutors are as follows:

Standard Chinese students take Paper 1 (Composition), Paper 2 (Comprehension) and Paper 3 (Oral and Listening Comprehension). Higher Chinese students must take an extra Higher Chinese Paper, which comprises solely of Paper 1 (Composition) and Paper 2. (Comprehension). Paper 3 is Oral and Listening Comprehension for PSLE Chinese students. However, there is just Paper 1 for Higher Chinese students.

Students taking the Standard Chinese paper must select between a Titled Composition and a Picture Composition for Paper 1 (Composition). The minimum word requirement is 100 words or more. However, for Higher Chinese Paper 1, students are asked to compose a narrative story based on the supplied topics or themes. Other than that, students can also be asked to complete the essay from a line given.

The PSLE Standard Chinese paper evaluates students on their ability to understand the passage and answer questions based on the material for Paper 2 Comprehension. The PSLE Higher Chinese paper, on the other hand, measures students’ ability to capture the idea of the passage and requires more higher-order thinking, which is reflected in their responses. Students are also required to be competent in the capacity to paraphrase the essential ideas in a piece simply.