PSLE Chinese Oral Past-Year Topics (2019–2026), Including the 2026 Topics

Eight years of reported topics (2019–2026)

The PSLE Chinese Oral exam runs over two days, and each day features a different 短片 and conversation topic. One pattern holds every year without exception: one day is always significantly harder than the other. The easier day is commonly called the “bread and butter” day; the harder one is the curveball.

2026 (sat 12–13 August) is as reported by parents and Singapore tuition centres in the days after the exam — SEAB does not publish oral topics, so treat it as reliable on theme and approximate on exact wording. Several sources label the Day 1 theme slightly differently — 住家安全, 社区安全, 个人安全 and 邻里互助 all describe the same 短片: a boy at his 组屋 block notices a stranger behaving suspiciously near the lift, stays alert, tells his neighbours, and the police are called.

What the eight years actually tell you

Nine out of ten years from 2017 onwards have featured at least one topic centred on values — helping others, being responsible, doing the right thing. 2026 went further and made both days values topics: looking out for your neighbours on Day 1, owning up to a mistake on Day 2. Interpersonal relationships account for roughly a third of all topics, the single largest category. If your child can speak confidently about helping others, caring for the community, and family relationships, they are prepared for the most common exam shape.

The curveball day tends to come from one of three buckets: a specific lifestyle angle (healthy eating, road safety), a seasonal hook (travel, holidays), or a theme that hasn't been tested in years (environment in 2020, technology in 2019). Preparing only for the bread-and-butter day is how students score well on Monday and crash on Tuesday.

Six themes worth preparing — and how they did in 2026

Nobody can predict exactly what SEAB will test. The themes below are a starting point based on historical patterns, curriculum alignment, and what hasn't appeared in recent years. Treat them as a vocabulary syllabus, not a crystal ball.

How they did in 2026:theme 3, community and volunteerism, is the one that landed — Day 1's 邻里守望相助is exactly that cluster, and Day 2's 诚实／勇于认错 sits in the same values family. Environment, technology, health, family bonds and racial harmony did not appear, so all five carry forward for the 2027 cohort. The list below is unchanged, because the reasoning behind it still holds.

The pattern you can rely on

If there is one pattern worth betting preparation time on, it is this: values-based prompts dominate. Helping others, being responsible, caring for your community, looking after your family. Your child needs specific personal stories for each of those buckets, not generic opinions. A child who can name the time they helped a classmate, the day they noticed litter in the void deck, or the evening they cooked for grandma scores better than a child reciting a perfect template answer about what Singaporeans in general should do.

Where to go next

• · PSLE Oral Topics 2015–2026: English + 华文 database — both languages side by side, so you can see where the English and Chinese themes overlap and prepare once for both.
• · Past Year PSLE English Oral Topics 2015–2026 — the English equivalent of this chapter, including the 2026 photographs and what the conversation covered.
• · Practise 华文 oral topics by theme — the themes above as actual practice scenarios, with an AI examiner and a scored report.