In a letter to my paper published on Monday, Ms Koh Li Png wrote that her son, who is in primary one, will be tested on composition in his final examinations next week. According to her, the composition component of the exam paper will contribute 10 per cent of the score for English.

She was surprised because her elder son, who studies in the same school, was tested on composition only from primary three onwards. She also checked with friends, who say that their children were not tested on composition in their schools.

Finally, her letter questioned, "Is the school raising the bar too high for Primary 1 pupils or is this required by the Ministry of Education?"

Shin Min Daily approached five schools to find out if English composition was a requirement for primary one students at their schools. They found that it was not a requirement by the Ministry of Education, but some schools included it in their syllabus.

Canossa Convent Primary principal Miss Christina Teo said teachers would give the students proper guidance on how to write a composition before the examination. For example, they tell the students stories, and ask them to share their opinions on the stories; then they will write a story together as a class before writing in groups; and finally, write their own compositions.

She says that the children love to share their stories, and the English paper only requires them to write eight to 10 sentences to describe a picture, so it is definitely within their ability.?

Chongzheng primary school principal Mrs Jasmail Singh Gill said that the school lets the students go through different experiences in the course of their learning. When answering composition questions based on pictures, the students can base their compositions on their experiential learning.

At Tao Nan, primary one students are asked to construct one sentence for each picture that they are given. Tao Nan School's principal, Mr Tony Tan felt that students should be tested on composition only at primary three.

"To test them on English composition at primary one is expecting a little too much," he said.