English Level Test corrections by Saffron Lim

English Level Test 1

Saffron Lim (04)

When I was in Primary School, I did well in Mathematics, English and Science. However, it was my Chinese that was the problem. I would rarely pass my Chinese and would often fail. This caused my parents extreme worry as they were fearful that my Chinese would pull my overall grade down in my Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). They decided to hire a Chinese tutor to push my grade up.

    Every Monday and Wednesday, Madam Li would come to my house, and we would sit at the table on the front porch. Sometimes, my eyes would drift away from the multiple assessment books laid out in front of me, and I would watch the late afternoon sunlight stream through the gaps in the leaves of a nearby tree. Whenever this happened, Madam Li would call my name sharply, yanking be back to the present.

    With the PSLE Chinese paper drawing closer day by day, Madam Li became stricter and gave me more and more homework. I started to cave in the under pressure of my Chinese paper being three months away, and  I was still unprepared. Seeing me struggle, she decreased the amount of assessment papers and decided to make sure I knew all the proper vocabulary in order to pass.

    As the days flew by at the speed of light, my Chinese started to improve bit by bit. My vocabulary and my understanding of the language started to get better, and I was able to write even more interesting compositions.

    However, after I sat for my preliminary examination and received my results, I was extremely disheartened at the marks I got. even though the paper was hard, I expected to do better than a B-. When Madame Lee looked at my marks I could see the disappointment written all over her face even though she tried to mask it. With a concerned look, she explained all m y errors and told me where there were areas for improvement.

   Heeding to her advice, I started to work even harder. Finally, the day of the PSLE Chinese paper arrived. As I sat at my desk I could feel my heart beating in my chest, and I became nauseous with anxiety. Forcing myself to calm down, I started to complete my paper. Surprisingly, I felt that the paper was rather easy compared to my Preliminary Examination. When the time was up, I breathed a sigh of relief, having completed the paper. Now, all that was left was to wait for my results in November.

    On the day that I collected my results and I glanced at my grade, I could not believe it! An A for Chinese! I was jumping up and down, and I felt as happy as a lark. I immediately called Madam Li to tell her the amazing news. As I talked to her on the phone, I could hear the pride in her voice.

    Thanks to Madam Li's help and hard work, I was able to score an A for Chinese. I would not have been able to do it without her! I am extremely grateful for all that she has done for me and I hope that I would do as well in all my school's tests.