PSLE 2027 · Paper 2 · Grammar Cloze
PSLE 2027 Grammar Cloze: a method for every blank
Grammar Cloze is 10 marks of Paper 2, and it rewards a simple habit: decide what kind of word the blank needs before looking at the choices. Here is the method, a worked passage and the slips to avoid.
On this page 7 sections
Key takeaways
- Grammar Cloze is worth 10 marks in Booklet B of Paper 2. Your child fills blanks in a passage using words from a list provided.
- Before looking at the list, decide what kind of word each blank needs: a preposition, a conjunction, a pronoun, a determiner or a verb.
- Read the instructions on how often each word may be used, and cross words off as you use them.
- Check each answer by reading the whole sentence, including the words after the blank.
What Grammar Cloze tests
In Grammar Cloze, your child reads a short passage with blanks and fills each one with a word from a list provided. It is worth 10 marks, in Booklet B of Paper 2. Most blanks need a small but important word: the kind of word that holds a sentence together.
Because the words are given, the challenge is not finding a word. It is choosing the one that fits the grammar of the sentence exactly.
About this guide. The section and its marks are as schools presented the format to parents in 2026; please follow the instructions on the paper. The passage below is written by our tutors for practice; it is not from a PSLE paper. Mustard Seed is an independent tuition provider and is not affiliated with SEAB or MOE.
The kinds of words tested
| Word type | Examples | Ask yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Prepositions | in, on, at, by, for, with, since, during | Is there a fixed phrase, or a time or place? |
| Conjunctions | although, unless, because, while, so | How are the two ideas connected? |
| Relative pronouns | who, which, whose, where, whom | Is it a person, a thing, a place, or ownership? |
| Pronouns | it, they, them, its, itself | Who or what is being referred to, and is it singular? |
| Determiners | each, every, few, little, any, some | Is the noun after it countable or uncountable, singular or plural? |
| Verb forms | was, were, had, been, being | What is the subject, and what is the tense? |
A worked passage
Practice passage and word list (written by our tutors)
Words: although · few · since · which · whose · of · its · were
Our class has been looking after a small garden (1) ______ the start of the year. Mr Lim, (2) ______ idea it was, gave each group a patch of soil. (3) ______ the plants grew slowly at first, everyone kept watering them. By June, very (4) ______ seedlings had died, and the sunflowers (5) ______ taller than us. The garden, (6) ______ is beside the canteen, is now full (7) ______ colour, and the school has put up a sign to show (8) ______ name.
| Blank | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | since | has been … since a point in time. |
| (2) | whose | Ownership: it was Mr Lim’s idea. |
| (3) | Although | Contrast: the plants grew slowly, yet everyone kept going. |
| (4) | few | Seedlings is plural and countable, so few, not little. |
| (5) | were | Plural subject (sunflowers), past tense. |
| (6) | which | A thing (the garden), in a clause with commas. |
| (7) | of | A fixed phrase: full of. The clue is the word before the blank. |
| (8) | its | The garden’s name: its, with no apostrophe. |
Notice how many blanks were decided by a single nearby word: has been for blank 1, idea for blank 2, seedlings for blank 4 and full for blank 7. Training your child to look on both sides of the blank is the single most useful habit for this section.
A method for every blank
Grammar Cloze
Predict, choose, cross off, check
- PredictRead the sentence and decide what kind of word the blank needs before looking at the list.
- ChoosePick the word from the list that matches. Do the certain blanks first.
- Cross offFollow the instructions on reusing words, and cross off each word as you use it.
- CheckRead every sentence with the words in, including the words after each blank.
Common mistakes
- Looking only at the words before the blank. The clue is often just after it, as in full of or interested in.
- Its and it’s. Its shows ownership; it’s means it is.
- Few and little. Few for things you can count; little for things you cannot.
- Who, which and whose. People, things, and ownership.
- Agreement. A plural subject needs a plural verb, even when other words come between them.
How to practise for PSLE 2027
Grammar Cloze, Grammar MCQ and Editing all draw on the same knowledge. Short, frequent practice with explanations is the most efficient way to build it. Our practice app has free Grammar sessions at P4, P5 and P6 level, ten questions at a time, with an explanation for every mistake. Ask your child to copy each explanation into their error log, and to revise the log before tests.
See also our guides to Editing, Vocabulary Cloze and every Paper 2 section.
Questions parents ask
How is Grammar Cloze different from Comprehension Cloze?
In Grammar Cloze, your child chooses words from a list provided, and the blanks mostly test grammar. In Comprehension Cloze, there is no list: your child must think of a word that fits both the grammar and the meaning of the passage.
What if two words from the list seem to fit?
Look at the words just after the blank and at the meaning of the whole sentence. Fixed phrases often decide it: interested in, not interested on. If one of the two words fits another blank better, place that one first.
Which grammar topics matter most?
Prepositions, conjunctions (linking words), pronouns, relative pronouns such as who and which, determiners such as each and few, and verb forms. These are also tested in Grammar MCQ and Editing.
Mustard Seed is an independent tuition provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by SEAB, MOE or Cambridge Assessment. No tutor can guarantee a particular grade.
