Free practice · Listening Comprehension
PSLE Listening Comprehension practice, free: 3 recordings, 9 questions, with answers
An MRT announcement, a change of plan on Pulau Ubin and two classmates who cannot agree. Each recording plays at most twice, just like the exam. Answer, reveal, and see exactly why each wrong option is wrong.
On this page 6 sections
Key takeaways
- Read the questions before you press play, and decide what to listen for: a time, a place, a reason, or what someone finally decides.
- Each recording plays at most twice. Answer what you can on the first play; use the second to check and to fill gaps.
- The wrong options are things that were said, but in the wrong role: the old plan, the other exit, someone else’s job. Listen for the change.
- These nine questions come from a full 20-question set in our app. The free set there has six recordings and 20 questions.
Before you press play
Listening Comprehension is 20 marks of PSLE English, and most marks are lost through habits, not hearing. This page lets your child practise the habits with real recordings: three passages, nine questions, and the same two-play limit as the exam.
- Read firstRead the situation and the questions. Underline what to listen for.
- Play once, answerWrite your answers on paper as you listen, numbered 1 to 9.
- Play again, checkUse the second play to check every answer. Then reveal ours and mark yourself.
About these recordings. They are Passages 1 to 3 of Listening Set 15 in our practice app, written and recorded by Mustard Seed. They are not from a PSLE paper. Headphones help. For the format and seven habits that save marks, read our Listening Comprehension guide.
Recording 1: an announcement
Recording 1 · 1 min 31 s
You will hear an announcement at an MRT station.
How should passengers going to Ang Mo Kio continue their journey?
(1) wait on the platform for the next train
(2) take the free bus from beside the taxi stand
(3) take a taxi from opposite the shopping centreShow answer
(2) Passengers should “take the free bridging bus”, which stops “beside the taxi stand”. Option (1) is what they are told not to do. Option (3) mixes up the landmarks: the bus stop is opposite the shopping centre, but no one is told to take a taxi.
Which way should passengers walk to reach the bus stop?
(1) leave by Exit A, then turn left
(2) leave by Exit B, then turn right
(3) leave by Exit A, then turn rightShow answer
(3) “Leave through Exit A and turn right.” Option (1) turns the wrong way. Option (2) is the exit with the lift for prams and wheelchairs, not the way to the bus.
Where can passengers get a letter to explain why they are late?
(1) at the service centre by the ticket machines
(2) from the captain of the bridging bus
(3) from the staff at the lift by Exit BShow answer
(1) Letters are collected “from the Passenger Service Centre, next to the ticket machines”. Option (2) is the person you show your card to; option (3) is where staff help passengers with prams or wheelchairs.
Show the transcript
Attention, please. This is an announcement for all passengers at Bishan station. Because of a signal fault, there will be no train service between Bishan and Ang Mo Kio for about one hour. Trains are still running in the other direction, towards the city.
Passengers travelling towards Ang Mo Kio, please do not wait on the platform. Instead, take the free bridging bus. To find it, go up the escalator to the main concourse, leave through Exit A and turn right. The bus stop is beside the taxi stand, opposite the shopping centre. Look out for the yellow signs that say “Free Bus”.
You do not need to tap your card when you board the bridging bus. Simply show your card to the bus captain. Passengers with prams or wheelchairs may use the lift beside Exit B instead of the escalator, and our staff will help you to reach the bus.
If you need a letter for your school or workplace to explain why you are late, please collect one from the Passenger Service Centre, next to the ticket machines.
We apologise for the delay, and we thank you for your patience. Please hold the handrail when using the escalators, and take care of your belongings.
The habit this tests: directions. Exit A or B, left or right: announcements pack several places close together, and the options swap them around. Jot down the exit and the turn the moment you hear them.
Recording 2: a change of plan
Recording 2 · 1 min 57 s
You will hear a girl and her grandfather on a day trip to Pulau Ubin.
What will Sophie and Grandpa do after they get off the boat?
(1) van → Chek Jawa → lunch in the village → cycling
(2) cycling → Chek Jawa → lunch in the village
(3) lunch in the village → van → Chek Jawa → cyclingShow answer
(1) Sophie sums up the new plan: “the van to Chek Jawa, then lunch in the village, and then cycling.” Option (2) is the first plan, before Grandpa’s knee started aching. Option (3) puts lunch first.
Where will Sophie ride a bicycle?
(1) on the hilly roads to Chek Jawa
(2) around the village, near Grandpa
(3) along the boardwalk at Chek JawaShow answer
(2) She can “ride around the village, where I can keep an eye on you”. Option (1) is what Grandpa says is too hilly; option (3) is where they will walk, not cycle.
Where did Grandpa tell Sophie to sit on the bumboat?
(1) at the front
(2) at the back
(3) in the middleShow answer
(3) Grandpa says, “Sit in the middle, Sophie, and hold on tight.” Options (1) and (2) are never mentioned.
Show the transcript
Sophie: Grandpa, the bumboat’s here! I’ve never been on such a small boat before.
Grandpa: Sit in the middle, Sophie, and hold on tight. It only takes about ten minutes to cross to Pulau Ubin.
Sophie: When we get there, can we rent bicycles and ride all the way to Chek Jawa? My friends say the boardwalk there is amazing.
Grandpa: That was my plan too. But my knee has been aching since this morning. I don’t think I can cycle that far.
Sophie: Oh. Then should we just go home?
Grandpa: Certainly not! The island has small vans that take visitors around. We can take a van to Chek Jawa and walk along the boardwalk slowly.
Sophie: But can I still ride a bicycle?
Grandpa: Yes, after lunch. You can rent one and ride around the village, where I can keep an eye on you. The roads to Chek Jawa are too hilly to ride on your own.
Sophie: Deal. So, the boat, then the van to Chek Jawa, then lunch in the village, and then cycling.
Grandpa: Exactly. And keep your hat on. There’s hardly any shade on the boardwalk.
Sophie: Grandpa, what did you do on Pulau Ubin when you were my age?
Grandpa: I came here with my father to visit his cousin, who had a fish farm. Once, I fell right into one of the fish ponds. The fish were more frightened than I was!
The habit this tests: catching the change. The first plan (cycling to Chek Jawa) is said clearly, and it is the trap in Question 4. The answer is the plan they end up with, which Sophie helpfully repeats. Listen for words like “but”, “instead” and “so”.
Recording 3: two classmates decide
Recording 3 · 1 min 51 s
You will hear two classmates planning what to put in a class time capsule.
What will the class put in the time capsule?
(1) an old phone and a class photo
(2) their textbooks and some letters
(3) letters and a class photoShow answer
(3) They agree on “letters and a photo”. Option (1) includes the phone, but electronics are not allowed. Option (2) includes textbooks, which the library already keeps.
What will Megan do for the time capsule?
(1) collect the sealed letters
(2) arrange the class photo
(3) bury the time capsuleShow answer
(1) Joshua first offers to collect the letters, but Megan takes that job: “I’ll collect them, sealed in envelopes.” Option (2) is now Joshua’s job; option (3) is never given to either of them.
Why did Megan say no to putting in the old phone?
(1) It would look too old-fashioned.
(2) Electronics might leak and damage things.
(3) The library already keeps one.Show answer
(2) Mrs Lim said no electronics, because “They might leak and damage everything else inside.” Option (1) is Joshua’s joke about the phone; option (3) is Megan’s reason for not putting in textbooks.
Show the transcript
Megan: Joshua, Mrs Lim says our class can make a time capsule. We’ll bury it in the school garden, and it’ll be opened in twenty years. What should we put in it?
Joshua: My old phone! Imagine how ancient it’ll look by then.
Megan: Funny, but Mrs Lim said no electronics. They might leak and damage everything else inside.
Joshua: Oh. Then what about our textbooks? People in the future could see what we studied.
Megan: The library keeps copies of those. I think it should be something personal. What if everyone writes a letter to their future self?
Joshua: About what we hope we’ll be doing? That’s cool. I’ll probably be a famous footballer.
Megan: Then you’d better write that down. And we could add a class photo, with everyone’s names on the back.
Joshua: Okay, letters and a photo. I’ll collect everyone’s letters, and you can arrange the photo.
Megan: Actually, Joshua, you’re the nosiest person in our class. Everyone will worry that you’ll read their letters. I’ll collect them, sealed in envelopes. You arrange the photo. Everyone listens when you shout “Smile!”
Joshua: That’s true. I am very loud. Fine, I’ll do the photo. But I promise I wouldn’t have read them.
Megan: Of course not. Just like you didn’t read my diary in Primary Three.
The habit this tests: the final decision. Joshua offers to collect the letters, and many children stop listening there. Then Megan swaps the jobs. In a conversation, the answer is what the speakers finally agree on, so keep listening to the end.
What your score means
| Score | What to work on |
|---|---|
| 8 or 9 | Strong listening. Try the full 20-question set in the app for stamina. |
| 5 to 7 | Look at which questions you missed. Were they changes of plan or role swaps? Practise catching “but” and “actually”. |
| 4 or fewer | Slow down the routine: read the questions aloud before each play, and write one key word per question while listening. |
Did you notice? In eight of the nine questions, the wrong options were things actually said in the recording, just in the wrong place, time or role. That is how Listening papers are built, and why “I heard it” is not the same as “it is the answer”.
Questions parents ask
Is this like the real PSLE Listening Comprehension paper?
It follows the same rules: recordings of different text types, multiple-choice questions with three options, and each recording heard at most twice. In the PSLE itself, the first few questions use picture options; here, all options are written. The recordings and questions are our own, not from an exam.
Can I play a recording more than twice?
The player stops after two plays, to build the exam habit. If you want to try again later, use “Reset the plays”. Children often learn the most from a second attempt a day later.
My child got the answer from the first play. Should they still listen twice?
Yes, in the exam they should use the second play to check. Many wrong answers are first impressions that a second listen would have corrected.
Where can my child do a full paper?
One complete set, six recordings and 20 questions, is free in our practice app with a free account, with unlimited tries and an explanation for every question.
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.
