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Primary 1 English Language syllabus: topics and practice questions

These are the topics and skills of Primary 1 English Language in the MOE syllabus, with 74 original practice questions. Each topic below has a sample question: try it, then open the worked answer.

Word reading and spelling

Phonics

13 practice questions

  • Hear the first and last sounds in words
  • Find words that rhyme
  • Spell common short words

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
Which word begins with the same sound as 'bus'?
  1. A bat
  2. B cat
  3. C sun
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) bat

How:
"bus" begins with the sound /b/. "bat" also begins with /b/.

Why: Words that begin with the same letter sound start the same way when you say them: b-us, b-at.

Grammar

Words and phrases

23 practice questions

  • One and more than one (-s, -es)
  • Use a, an and the
  • Use I, you, he, she, it, we, they
  • Use am, is and are, and verbs with he, she and it
  • Say where things are (in, on, under, behind)

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
There are three on the tree.
  1. A bird
  2. B birds
  3. C birdes
Show the answer and working

Answer: (B) birds

How:
There are three, which is more than one, so we add "s": birds.

Why: When there is more than one, we usually add "s" to the naming word: one bird, three birds.

Vocabulary

Everyday words

9 practice questions

  • Know words for home, school, food and family
  • Know words with opposite meanings

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
My mother's mother is my .
  1. A sister
  2. B aunt
  3. C grandmother
Show the answer and working

Answer: (C) grandmother

How:
Your mother's mother is your grandmother.

Why: Your grandmother is the mother of your mother or of your father.

Reading & Viewing

Reading short texts

11 practice questions

  • Find who, what and where in a short text
  • Put the events of a story in order

Sample question

Read the story, then choose the correct answer.
Where did Priya and her father go?

The Red Kite

On Saturday, Priya and her father went to East Coast Park. They took a big red kite with them.

The wind was strong, and the kite flew high in the sky. Then the string broke! The kite landed on a tree.

A kind man helped them to get it down. Priya said, "Thank you!" After that, they ate ice cream and went home.

  1. A East Coast Park
  2. B the Botanic Gardens
  3. C the library
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) East Coast Park

How:
The first sentence says they went to East Coast Park.

Why: A "where" question asks about a place. The place is given at the start of the story.

Listening & Viewing

Listening

5 practice questions

  • Listen and pick out details

Speaking & Representing

Talking with others

4 practice questions

  • Greet, thank and ask politely

Sample question

You see your teacher, Mrs Tan, when you reach school in the morning. What do you say?
  1. A "Good morning, Mrs Tan."
  2. B "Good night, Mrs Tan."
  3. C "Goodbye, Mrs Tan."
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) "Good morning, Mrs Tan."

How:
It is morning and you are meeting her, so you say "Good morning, Mrs Tan."

Why: We greet people with "Good morning" in the morning. "Good night" is said before bedtime, and "Goodbye" is said when we leave.

Writing & Representing

Sentences

9 practice questions

  • Begin with a capital letter, end with a full stop or question mark
  • Put words in order to make a sentence

Sample question

This sentence has a mistake. Which word should begin with a capital letter?
my cat is very fat.
  1. A my
  2. B cat
  3. C fat
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) my

How:
"my" is the first word of the sentence, so it should begin with a capital letter: "My cat is very fat."

Why: Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (or a question mark if it asks something).

Practise all 74 Primary 1 questions

With an account, practice adapts to your child: hints one step at a time, feedback on the mistake behind a wrong answer, review of older topics and a Primary 1 mock paper.

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