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PSLE Reading Aloud Passage 3: Directions to the Hall (with tips)

How to use this page: notice this situation calls for a different tone from an exciting story. Read the situation line, then read aloud twice and check the notes.

The situation​

A new student has asked you how to get to the school hall. You are giving them directions. Read the passage aloud.

What this tells you: you are being helpful and clear. The tone is calm, friendly, and easy to follow, think "guiding someone", not "telling an exciting story". Clarity matters more than energy here.

The passage​

Don't worry, it's actually quite easy to find. From the front gate, walk straight along the covered walkway until you pass the canteen on your left. Keep going until you reach a large noticeboard, then turn right at the staircase. You will probably smell the food from the canteen as you go by, so you'll know you are heading the right way.

Go up one floor and you will see the library right in front of you. The hall is just beyond it, through a set of double doors. If you reach the music room, you have gone a little too far, so simply turn back and it will be on your right. It usually takes about five minutes to walk there, so give yourself enough time before the assembly begins. If you ever get lost, any teacher along the way will be happy to point you in the right direction. You'll get the hang of the school in no time!

Where the marks are (examiner notes)​

  • Read to be understood. Directions must sound clear and steady. Rushing here defeats the whole purpose, a slightly slower, deliberate pace is the right expression for this situation.
  • Pause at each step. Each instruction ("walk straight… pass the canteen… turn right…") is a step. A small pause between steps helps the listener follow, and shows the examiner you understand the passage.
  • Warm, not flat. The opening "Don't worry" and the closing "You'll get the hang of it in no time!" are reassuring. A little warmth in the voice earns expression marks; a robotic read does not.
  • Match tone to task. This is the key skill the 2026 format tests: the same reader should sound different here than in an excited story. Reading directions with party-energy would be reading the situation wrong.

Pronunciation tips​

  • canteen, stress the second syllable: can-TEEN.
  • noticeboard, NOH-tiss-bord.
  • staircase, clear "st"; don't drop to "aircase".
  • library, say all three syllables: LY-bruh-ree, not "ly-bree".

Try it​

  1. Read the situation line: "I'm helping someone, calm and clear."
  2. Read once for accuracy, once for clarity, pausing at each step.
  3. Have someone follow your directions out loud as you read, did they stay with you?

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