Ask Our Teachers: Tips to acing your PSLE Science paper

15 September 2023

The world of science is undoubtedly fascinating, but challenges may unfold when it comes to remembering certain topics or concepts for your child’s upcoming exams. Are you ready to discover the science of revising for Science? 🤭 Teacher Bobby is here to share some revision tips for our students to ace their upcoming Science papers!

1. Write notes in your own style!

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are an effective memorisation technique as they help you learn, retain, and recall information easily. For instance, to easily remember magnetic materials, you may use the mnemonic ‘Singapore Is Not Cold’, to represent steel, iron, nickel, and cobalt! Another example would be ‘WET’, to represent wind, exposed surface area, and temperature when one is recalling factors affecting evaporations. You are free to use any mnemonics you fancy, as long as they work for you during your revisions and in the exam hall!

Chunking

This refers to breaking down complex information into smaller and manageable chunks to revise from. Revise each ‘chunk’ and simplify them by splitting them into bullet points, key facts, and highlighting any helpful keywords. Research shows that students are able to remember much more information if they ‘chunk’ it, rather than trying to cram everything all at once.

Draw mind maps & concept maps

Mind mapping and concept mapping are popular ways for children and adults alike to record, organise, and present complex information in an easy-to-understand manner. Not only do they help you remember and recall information, they also help you learn new concepts! Different students may prefer to look at the same set of information in different ways, so if mind maps and concept maps are your thing, then go for it.

Update your notes constantly

It’s okay to keep updating your current set of notes. Don’t wait till the end of a particular topic to start writing your notes - you should begin at the start of it and pen down anything that may be helpful for your revisions.

2. Create flashcards and challenge your friends!

Flashcards are a versatile type of study or memorisation tool, where information is written on one or both sides of a piece of paper or card. They help students engage in active recall, a process wherein students actively engage in learning by stimulating their memories and creating lasting connections to the material at hand.

Try creating your own set of fun flashcards and challenge your friends with them! You should also include drawings or images and use different coloured cards or markers to make them extra exciting for you to revise with.

3. Look for similarities between Science topics

Upper primary students, did you know that a few concepts are related across different topics? Linking related concepts together helps you understand and revise better for your exams. Did you manage to identify some of them and perhaps even expand your mind maps or concept maps to combine these related topics together? Here are some examples of interlinked topics.