Why ‘Lifting’ Loses Marks in PSLE Comprehension — and What to Do Instead

There is one habit that quietly drains more Paper 2 marks than any other, and most children don’t know they’re doing it: lifting — copying chunks of the passage word-for-word and presenting them as an answer. It feels safe. It looks like evidence. And markers penalise it, because copying is not comprehension.

Why lifting fails

A lifted answer proves only that your child can locate the right paragraph — not that they understood it. Worse, lifted sentences usually drag in extra clutter: pronouns without owners, details the question never asked for, and present-tense narration where past tense is needed. The marker sees a child hedging, not a child answering.

What to do instead: reframe

The rule we teach is simple: reframe the idea in your own words, and keep only the key details exact. Names, numbers, places and times stay precisely as printed — everything else gets re-said. Compare:

• Question: Why did Mrs Lee cancel the picnic?
• Lifted: “Mrs Lee looked at the darkening sky and told the disappointed children that the picnic they had been looking forward to all week would have to be cancelled.” (copied, cluttered)
• Reframed: She cancelled it because a storm was approaching. (understood, precise)

The one exception: when copying is required

Language-for-impact and evidence questions want exact words — but inside quotation marks, and only the smallest phrase that carries the effect. That’s the quote-then-explain method: quote the exact word, then explain what that exact word makes the reader feel. Quoting with marks is a skill; lifting without them is a penalty.

Practise the habit this week

After each practice question, ask your child: “Which words did you copy, and why?” If the answer is “because they were there”, it’s lifting. If it’s “because the question asked about that exact word”, it’s evidence. Our free Question-Type Cheat Sheet puts the rule for all eight question types on one page — and the full method, with worked examples and practice passages, is in the eight question types guide.

Developed and published by Mentora Edun.