Primary · Mathematics
Where the PSLE problem sums actually begin
Most of the methods the PSLE tests are introduced in P5. A pupil who leaves this year without them spends P6 catching up instead of preparing.
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Format
Live online via Zoom
Lessons
Weekly 1.5-hour lessons
Class size
Maximum 6 students
Taught in
English
Fees for this class are set out on our schedule and fees page. Every class is capped at six students.
Does this sound familiar?
Signs your child may need this class
- Coped in P4 but has started losing ground this year
- Finds ratio and percentage questions particularly hard
- Can follow a worked solution but cannot start one alone
- Spends a long time on homework without the grade moving
The year the methods arrive
Ratio, percentage, rate and area of a triangle all land in P5, and the PSLE draws on them constantly. A pupil who meets these topics once and moves on will recognise the words in P6 but not the questions.
How we teach it
Problems are grouped by the method that solves them rather than by chapter, so pupils learn to see which family a question belongs to before choosing an approach. Working is marked for method, because the paper awards marks for it.
What the class covers
- Whole numbers, fractions and decimals in four operations
- Ratio and proportion
- Percentage and its applications
- Rate and average
- Area of a triangle, volume of cubes and cuboids
- Angles and properties of geometric figures
What's included
- Weekly live lesson with worked problem sums
- Marked working with comments on method
- Method summaries grouped by question type
- Make-up options if a lesson is missed
Questions parents ask
Why does P5 seem so much harder than P4?
Because the questions start combining topics. A single problem can involve fractions, ratio and a diagram at once, and a pupil who learned each topic separately has not been taught to join them.
My child was strong in P4 and is struggling now. What changed?
Usually nothing about the child. P5 rewards method recognition rather than computation speed, and those are different strengths. It is a common and recoverable pattern.
Is this enough preparation for the PSLE?
It is the foundation for it. P6 then applies these methods under time pressure and against the full paper format. Both years matter, and P5 is the one more often underused.
More general questions are answered on our FAQ page, and our reasoning for capping every class at six is set out in about us.
Ask about P5 Math
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