PSLE support: Free breakfast, AI study tool and stress-busting activities

Go to str.sg/k4fQ for the list of participating stores.

Redefining rest with ‘practice papers’

While practising with past-year papers is a familiar way to prepare for exams, encouraging children to unwind is just as important. Youth-centric charity CARE Singapore and creative agency TBWA\Singapore have launched free resource Rest Papers.

Setting a light-hearted tone right from the cover, PSLE is cheekily renamed the Primary School Learning Escape.

Instead of tackling complex maths sums and comprehension passages, children can complete a drawing of a butterfly, try a simple breathing exercise and unwind over a game of tic-tac-toe, among 14 activities.

Download the resource for free at care.sg/rest-papers or pick up physical copies at test-paper retailers Book Point at 02-69 Bras Basah Complex and Past Year Exam Papers at 02-K2 Beauty World Centre.

“By inviting students to pause for drawing, mini-games and fun activities, we help them step out of perfectionism and reset their minds,” says Lena Teo, clinical director at CARE Singapore. “This draws on research showing that short breaks and play reduce anxiety and improve focus.”

AI-powered study support

Adding to the line-up of support, pupils can try a seven-day free trial of cher.ai, an AI-powered platform introduced by tuition and enrichment provider Mind Stretcher to help with independent revision.

The tool allows them to receive detailed feedback across English oral exams, composition, listening comprehension and, now, grammar.

The platform’s latest Grammar MCQ module features more than 10,000 questions, alongside a Mistake File that logs every incorrect answer. The tool then pulls similar questions for targeted practice until the pupil reaches 90 per cent accuracy to mark the concept as having been mastered.

Moses Soh, chief executive and head of academics at Mind Stretcher, says the idea was inspired by his mother manually filing every mistake he and his three siblings made when they were younger. She would revisit the file with them after a few days.

“When she had extra time, she would modify the questions a little to make sure mastery wasn’t just memorisation,” he says. “Today, we’re glad to bring this system to more students, but with superpowers.”

The platform is expanding its content with Chinese revision – starting with listening comprehension on Sept 1 – and will soon add a vocabulary component to its English suite.

Following the free trial, ST PSLE Companion subscribers who wish to continue using cher.ai can check their e-mail for an exclusive promo code to enjoy 30 per cent off the monthly price of $25. The promotion expires on Sept 30.