My Advice to Primary School Students
If you want to experience stress, take the PSLE— Singapore’s Primary School Leaving
Examinations. Singaporeans, we all remember the assessment books, past papers, and crash
courses, right? I remember mine being hectic as well.
Good morning, judges, teachers, and fellow friends. I am Yen Ning, and today, I stand before
you as a future voice for my primary juniors. As a Secondary Two student now, picking my
subject combination, I wish I could go back in time to tell Primary Six me what to do, what not to
do, and what advice she needed to hear.
Priorities. Know your priorities. Fellow juniors, as you progress from Primary One to Primary Six,
your main priorities should be yourself, your family, and your studies, as these will help you to
build a successful future. Your first six years of school are crucial as you are building your
foundations and preparing for the next four years of secondary education, which are tough.
While you work hard, it’s also important to protect your flame. How I wish someone had told me
this during my PSLE year. To keep your momentum, you have to balance studying and rest.
This helps to maintain your motivation during stressful periods. As someone once said, “The
flame that burns the brightest, doesn’t always burn the longest.”
If you’re wondering, I wanted AL 9. I got AL 19 instead. It was disappointing. Even though I can’t
undo my mistakes of cramming and burning myself out, I hope you can put your best effort into
your studies and taking care of yourself. You can do it. Keep going, my juniors.
Thank you.