Label the Cloze Clue Before You Fill a P6 Blank

Primary 6 comprehension cloze is a no-box task. You supply a word the passage has already hinted at. This page forces a written clue label before each blank. It is not a Primary 5 grammar-cloze recovery page, and it does not promise a PSLE band.

Comprehension cloze has no helping box

Grammar cloze often gives a box and tests a rule. Comprehension cloze asks you to supply a word from context. Confirm the current school or PSLE paper in front of you. Some school papers still mix formats. Read the instructions on that booklet. Official section names and mark totals belong to the current SEAB PSLE formats PDF. Do not quote a remembered number from an older year.

Technique pages in Singapore agree on one cheap habit: read the full passage before filling any blank, because a clue often sits in the next sentence. That habit is necessary and not enough. A child can read twice and still guess a stylish adjective that fails the grammar of the slot.

Five clue types worth labelling

Use only these labels in the margin: definition, synonym, contrast, cause, or collocation. If you cannot pick one, leave the blank and return after the second read. Do not invent extra labels tonight.

• Definition. The passage explains the missing word nearby. He felt a sense of _____, a deep sadness that would not go away.
• Synonym. A nearby word carries a close meaning. She was _____ and exhausted after the climb.
• Contrast. But, however, unlike, or instead flips the meaning. Unlike her cheerful brother, she was always _____.
• Cause. A reason or a result points to the blank. Because the path was _____, they slowed down.
• Collocation. The word is the usual partner. paid close _____, made a _____ effort.

Write the label in the margin, not a list of candidate words. Candidates come after the label. If two labels both seem possible, pick the one that uses the nearest signal word. A contrast signal beats a vague synonym guess.

Tonight: label first, fill second

Read once with no blanks filled, write a clue label beside each blank, then fill. Recheck tense and spelling on a last read. One passage tonight, not a stack.

1. First read, pencil down. What is the passage about, and is it past or present?
2. Second read, labels only. Write def, syn, con, cause, or col beside each blank. Skip a blank rather than fake a label.
3. Fill from the label. Definition and synonym usually give a meaning word. Contrast needs the opposite of the nearby idea. Cause needs the condition that makes the result possible. Collocation needs the partner, not a cousin.
4. Last read for tense and spelling. A right meaning with a wrong tense is still a wrong blank. Check the live paper's tolerance; do not assume every school accepts a close synonym.

Worked blank. Unlike the crowded canteen, the roof garden was _____ at recess. Label: contrast. Possible fills: quiet, empty, peaceful. Noisy copies the canteen and ignores unlike.

What a labelled passage cannot prove

Labels show whether you used the passage. They do not promise a band. Official paper details belong to the current SEAB format PDF. A labelled passage with seven accepted words is practice evidence, not a predicted Achievement Level.

Accept more than one possible word only when the label still fits; a class is for empty labels. If three passages still have blank margins, the child is guessing from general knowledge. Marked reading then matters more than another unmarked booklet. iWorld Learning's Primary School English page is adjacent marked practice, not a named cloze course. Confirm live terms there. No campus or fee is stated here.

FAQ

The answer key shows a different word. Did I fail?

If your word fits the same clue type and grammar, it may still be accepted in school marking. Keep the label; do not swap words at random. A published assessment book is not SEAB.

Should I practise grammar cloze on the same night?

No. Keep grammar-cloze boxes for another night so the no-box habit can form. Mixing the two trains the child to hunt the box that is not there.

When does a class help?

When three passages still have empty labels. Evaluate Primary School English for marked reading, not a promised PSLE score. Confirm current format on the course page.