'Singlish PSLE' assessment book goes viral again, leaving netizens amused and confused
A Singlish "PSLE assessment book" has gone viral again, tickling netizens who wondered if students were really being tested on lah, leh and lor.
The book was first spotted in 2023 on the shelves of a Popular bookstore, when Reddit user @Pitiful-Waltz3435 shared a photo of it among other PSLE assessment books.
A follow-up post showed photos of the interior, which imitated an English language examination paper, but in Singlish.
"Wonder if this is actually real or just a for fun thing or some joke publication," the Reddit user wrote. "But wouldn't it be interesting if we actually had a Singlish exam?"
The book resurfaced on TikTok on Nov 9, where user @phyotkw shared a quick scan of the pages, with the caption, "they got Singlish in PSLE now".
In the comments, netizens debated whether the book was genuine, while others joked that they would ace a Singlish exam.
Singlish 'assessment book' part of a design exhibition
Recently, the project was featured in the Future Impact 3: Design Nation Homecoming Showcase, an exhibition that ran from Sep 11 to Nov 2 at the National Museum of Singapore.
The assessment book was part of a design project by Tan Cun Jia, an alumni from the Division of Industrial Design at the National University of Singapore.
According to the College of Design and Engineering's website, the project aimed to encourage people to reconsider the status of Singlish - not just as an incorrect form of English, but a unique language deserving of respect.
Ms Tan had developed a Singlish typographical system that captures the structure of Singlish, treating it as a formal language. The project also included a set of educational materials like an assessment book and a set of flash cards to complete the experience.
The project earned Ms Tan the title of Student Winner in the Speculative category of the Core77 Design Awards 2025, which received submissions from 38 countries across 22 design categories.
