Primary 6 PSLE English Practice Paper 3

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper – English Primary 6 PSLE

Answer Key – Version 3

Subject: English | Level: Primary 6 PSLE | Paper: Practice Paper – Grammar Focus Total Marks: 40

Section A: Grammar MCQ (10 marks)

1. (C) had known

• Explanation: This is a third conditional sentence (unreal past condition). The structure requires the past perfect ("had known") in the if-clause and "would have + past participle" in the main clause.
• Common mistake: Students often choose (B) "knew," which is used in second conditionals (unreal present), not third conditionals.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

2. (B) had used

• Explanation: The past perfect tense ("had used") is required to show that the action (using supplies) was completed before another past action (the rescue team arriving). This is a past-before-past situation.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (A) "used," which does not show the correct sequence of past events.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

3. (B) was submitted

• Explanation: The sentence requires the simple past passive voice ("was submitted") because the action happened at a specific time in the past ("last Friday") and the report received the action.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (C) "has submitted," which is active voice and grammatically incorrect here because the report cannot submit itself.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

4. (B) are

• Explanation: When using "neither…nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. "Employees" is plural, so the plural verb "are" is correct.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (A) "is" by incorrectly matching the verb to the first subject ("manager").
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

5. (A) boils

• Explanation: General truths and scientific facts are expressed in the simple present tense, even when the reporting verb ("explained") is in the past tense. Water boiling at 100°C is a universal fact.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (B) "boiled" by backshifting unnecessarily.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

6. (C) working

• Explanation: After the preposition "after," a gerund (verb + -ing) is required. "After working" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying the main clause.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (A) "work" or (B) "worked," not recognizing that a preposition must be followed by a noun or gerund.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

7. (B) which

• Explanation: "Which" is the correct relative pronoun to refer to a thing ("the book") in a non-restrictive (non-defining) clause set off by commas.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (A) "who," which is used for people, not objects.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

8. (A) is

• Explanation: This is a first conditional sentence (real/possible future condition). The if-clause uses the simple present ("is"), and the main clause uses "will + base verb."
• Common mistake: Students may choose (C) "were," which is used in second conditionals (unreal/hypothetical present), not first conditionals.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

9. (A) to do

• Explanation: After "figure out what," the infinitive form "to do" is required. The structure is "question word + to-infinitive."
• Common mistake: Students may choose (B) "doing," not recognizing the question-word + infinitive pattern.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

10. (C) between

• Explanation: "Between" is used when referring to two distinct items or locations. Since there are two places mentioned (the post office and the community library), "between" is correct.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (A) "among," which is used for three or more items.
• [1 mark] for correct answer.

Section B: Grammar Editing (10 marks)

11.

• Error: Subject-verb agreement – "children" (plural) does not agree with "was" (singular).
• Correct sentence: The children were playing in the park when it started to rain heavily.
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for identifying the error, 1 mark for writing the correct sentence.

12.

• Error: Incorrect past participle – "went" is the simple past of "go," but after "has," the past participle "gone" is required. Additionally, "yesterday" indicates simple past, so "has went" should be "went."
• Correct sentence: She went to the library to borrow some reference books yesterday.
• Alternative acceptable: She has gone to the library to borrow some reference books. (removing "yesterday")
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for identifying the error, 1 mark for writing the correct sentence.

13.

• Error: Subject-verb agreement – "Each" is a singular indefinite pronoun and requires a singular verb.
• Correct sentence: Each of the students has submitted his or her project proposal on time.
• Note: "Their" is commonly used in informal English, but in formal PSLE grammar, "his or her" is preferred with "each."
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for identifying the error, 1 mark for writing the correct sentence.

14.

• Error: Sentence structure / misplaced modifier – The passive construction "was baked by my grandmother" incorrectly modifies "the cake" as the subject of "tastes." The sentence needs restructuring.
• Correct sentence: The cake baked by my grandmother tastes delicious with the homemade strawberry jam.
• Alternative acceptable: The cake that was baked by my grandmother tastes delicious with the homemade strawberry jam.
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for identifying the error, 1 mark for writing the correct sentence.

15.

• Error: Subject-verb agreement – With "neither…nor," the verb agrees with the nearest subject. "Brother" is singular, so the verb should be singular.
• Correct sentence: Neither the twins nor their older brother likes to eat vegetables.
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for identifying the error, 1 mark for writing the correct sentence.

Section C: Sentence Transformation (10 marks)

16.

• Answer: The manager said that he or she would finish the report by the following day.
• Step-by-step:
  1. Change the reporting verb: "said" (already past, no change needed).
  2. Add "that" to introduce the reported clause.
  3. Change the pronoun: "I" → "he or she" (referring to the manager).
  4. Backshift the tense: "will" → "would."
  5. Change the time reference: "tomorrow" → "the following day" / "the next day."
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for correct tense backshift, 1 mark for correct pronoun and time reference changes.

17.

• Answer: All the residents were rescued from the burning building by the firefighters.
• Step-by-step:
  1. Identify the object of the active sentence: "all the residents" → this becomes the subject in passive voice.
  2. Use the correct form of "to be" + past participle: "were rescued" (past simple passive, plural subject).
  3. The original subject ("the firefighters") becomes the agent introduced by "by."
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for correct passive construction, 1 mark for correct tense and word order.

18.

• Answer: If she had studied for the test, she would not have failed it.
• Step-by-step:
  1. The two sentences describe a past unreal situation (she did not study, and she failed).
  2. Use the third conditional: "If + past perfect, would have + past participle."
  3. "She did not study" → "If she had studied for the test."
  4. "She failed" → "she would not have failed it" (the result clause is negated because studying would have prevented failure).
• [2 marks] – 1 mark for correct third conditional structure, 1 mark for correct meaning preservation.

Section D: Cloze Passage – Grammar Focus (10 marks)

19. paid

• Explanation: "Paid a visit" is a fixed collocation. The simple past tense is needed because the passage narrates a past event ("Last Saturday").
• [1 mark]

20. arrived / got

• Explanation: Simple past tense is required. "Arrived" or "got" both fit the context of reaching the destination. The past perfect "had already formed" in the next clause confirms the sequence.
• [1 mark]

21. had

• Explanation: The past perfect ("had never been") is needed to show that the brother's lack of experience occurred before the past event of visiting the exhibition.
• [1 mark]

22. had bought / had purchased

• Explanation: The past perfect is required because buying the tickets happened before entering the exhibition (another past event). This is a past-before-past situation.
• [1 mark]

23. is

• Explanation: A general/scientific fact (how electricity is generated) is expressed in the simple present tense, even within a past-tense narrative.
• [1 mark]

24. as if / as though

• Explanation: "As if" or "as though" introduces a subjunctive comparison, indicating that the visitors were not real scientists but were acting like them.
• [1 mark]

25. were

• Explanation: This is a second conditional (unreal/hypothetical present). The subjunctive "were" is used for all subjects (including "everyone") in the if-clause of second conditionals.
• [1 mark]

26. made

• Explanation: "Made our way" is a fixed expression meaning "went." Simple past tense is required.
• [1 mark]

27. was / had been

• Explanation: "Was" (simple past) or "had been" (past perfect) are both acceptable. "Was" compares the exhibition directly; "had been" emphasizes that the mother formed her opinion before speaking.
• [1 mark]

28. had

• Explanation: The past perfect ("had already signed up") is needed because the signing up occurred before the conversation at the café (which is already in the past).
• [1 mark]

29. whether / if

• Explanation: In reported yes/no questions, "whether" or "if" is used to introduce the reported clause. "Whether" is more formal and preferred in writing.
• [1 mark]

30. would

• Explanation: In reported speech, "will" (from the original question about the future) is backshifted to "would" because the reporting verb ("told") is in the past tense.
• [1 mark]

Marking Summary

This practice paper was generated as syllabus-aligned content. It is not derived from any specific past-year examination paper. Questions are designed to reflect the style and difficulty of Primary 6 PSLE English grammar components based on the MOE English Language Syllabus 2020.