5 Types of Dilemmas to Spice up Your PSLE Compositions

Hello, this is Teacher Jemmies here! I’m a PSLE English teacher who has over 25 years of teaching experience and I’ve helped many Primary 6 students ace their composition and English exams. Based on my years of teaching PSLE English, here are five effective dilemma types that can make your stories more interesting:

Type 1: Personal Gain vs. Doing the Right Thing

This is the most common and effective dilemma for PSLE Composition writing. It tests your character’s moral values.
Example Scenario: “Finding money that could help your struggling family but belongs to someone else who might need it equally.”
Why it works: This dilemma is relatable to Primary 6 students and shows clear moral reasoning that examiners appreciate.

Example Paragraph:

The crisp $50 note fluttered against my shoe as I waited at the bus stop. (Visual detail) I glanced around, but the street was empty except for the uncle sweeping leaves on the opposite side of the road. (Setting) My heart skipped a beat as I bent down to pick it up. (Action) “Fifty dollars. This would be enough to buy the new assessment book Mother said we couldn’t afford,” I thought longingly. (Thought) I hesitated, staring at the small hawker stall nearby. The aunty who always gave me extra fishballs was frantically patting her apron pockets. (Clue showing ownership) I knew it must be hers. My fingers tightened around the note. (Physical reaction) This is a significant amount of money I could use, (inner conflict) but keeping it would make me no different from those who take what was not theirs. (moral reasoning) The paper felt heavier with every second I held it. (Metaphor for guilt) Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the road, knowing I had to do the right thing.

Type 2: Loyalty vs. Honesty

This dilemma involves choosing between protecting a friend and telling the truth.
Example Scenario: “Witnessing your best friend cheating in an exam. Do you report it and betray your friendship, or stay silent and become complicit in dishonesty?”
Why it works: It shows understanding of complex relationships and the challenges of maintaining both loyalty and integrity.

Example Paragraph:

“I watched in disbelief as Marcus slid his phone under his exam paper. (Action) My best friend was cheating right in front of me. My mind screamed at me to look away, to pretend I had not seen anything. (Thought) After all, he was my closest friend. We promised to always have each other’s backs. (Internal reasoning) However, another voice whispered in my mind as I questioned myself about what kind of friend I would be if I let Marcus make such a terrible mistake without trying to stop him. The exam hall felt suddenly suffocating as I realised I had to choose between protecting Marcus from consequences today or protecting him from becoming someone who thought cheating was acceptable. (Showing the weight of the decision)”

Type 3: Safety vs. Courage

This dilemma involves choosing between personal safety and helping others.
Example Scenario: “Seeing a younger student being bullied. Do you intervene and risk becoming the bully’s next target, or walk away to protect yourself?”
Why it works: It demonstrates courage and empathy while showing realistic fears that students face.

Example Paragraph:

“The younger boy’s pleading eyes met mine for a split second before he looked away in shame. (Visual detail) My legs felt like lead as I stood at the corridor junction, torn between two paths. (Metaphor for choice) The left path led to the school field where I could pretend I had seen nothing. The right path led straight to where three older boys had cornered a Primary 3 student against the lockers. (Physical representation of choice) I knew what bullies could do to me if I intervened. I would become their next target and they could make my life miserable for weeks. (Showing the consequence of one option) My heart hammered in my chest, and every instinct screamed at me to run. (Feeling showing fear) Yet, I could not bring myself to turn a blind eye. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I forced my feet to move towards the right path. (Action showing decision)”

Type 4: Personal Dreams vs. Family Expectations

This dilemma involves choosing between what you want and what others expect from you. Example Scenario: “Having to choose between taking the winning shot yourself to make your parents proud, or passing the ball to a teammate who desperately needs the confidence boost and whose parents are watching.” Why it works: It shows understanding of sacrifice, teamwork, competing priorities, and the pressure of parental expectations. These are themes that resonate with PSLE students who often face similar choices between personal glory and supporting others.

Example Paragraph:

”Time seemed to slow down as I dribbled the ball towards the goal, the scoreboard glaring 2-2 with only fifteen seconds left in the Inter-School Football Finals. (Setting + tension) My legs burned from running for the entire match, but adrenaline pushed me forward. (Feeling) I could see the goal, wide open, just begging for me to take the shot. (Temptation) In the stands, I spotted my parents leaning forward in their seats, Father’s face tight with anticipation. (Pressure) This morning at breakfast, he patted my shoulder and said, “Today’s your chance to show everyone what you’re made of, son. Make us proud.” Those words echoed in my head. (Speech showing expectation) At that moment, from the corner of my eye, I saw Marcus sprinting up the right wing, completely unmarked. Marcus, a dear teammate who had just recovered from a serious car accident, was feeling very insecure about his place in the team. This was his first comeback match, but he confided in me that it could be his last match because he had no confidence that he could still play. His parents were in the stands too, supporting him with their presence. (Character contrast) One quick pass and Marcus would have an easy goal. (Opportunity) But this was my moment. My shot. My chance to be the hero my parents expected me to be. (Conflict) The goalkeeper’s eyes locked on mine, and I had less than three seconds to decide—glory for myself, or hope for my friend? (Decision point)”

Type 5: Short-Term Relief vs. Long-Term Consequences

This dilemma involves choosing between immediate benefits and future outcomes. Example Scenario: “Accepting help from a tech-savvy classmate to solve a bug in my coding project and impress everyone immediately, versus learning how to resolve the issue myself and risk getting a lower grade.” Why it works: It demonstrates understanding of delayed gratification, authentic learning versus borrowed success, and long-term thinking. This dilemma also reflects the modern challenge students face with readily available help versus genuine skill development.

Example Paragraph:

The coding error glared at me from the screen, line 47 highlighted in angry red. (Visual detail) For two hours, I had been trying to fix the bug in my Scratch project. (Setting) It was a simple game where a cat had to catch falling objects. Except my cat was not catching anything. (Problem) It just froze in the corner like it had given up on life. “Want me to fix that for you?” Brandon leaned over from the next computer station, his own project already running perfectly. Brandon was the school’s coding champion, and he even represented Singapore at the International Youth Robotics Competition. One look at my code and he could spot the problem instantly. (Temptation) My game could be working in five minutes, demonstrated in class tomorrow, and I could avoid the embarrassment of presenting a broken project. I was on the verge of handing my keyboard to Brandon when I recalled my coding instructor’s words, “The best way to learn programming is to debug your own mistakes. Every error you solve yourself teaches you ten times more than having someone fix it for you.” If I could not fix this simple bug myself, how would I handle more complex challenges? Brandon’s fingers were already reaching towards my keyboard, ready to rescue me. I had to choose now. Do I want to impress the class tomorrow with borrowed success, or struggle through tonight and own whatever skills I earned? (Decision point)”

Final Tips from an Experienced PSLE English Teacher

After more than 25 years of guiding students through PSLE Composition writing, here’s my most important advice for creating compelling dilemmas:

1. Practice with Real-Life Dilemmas First

Before your exam, practice identifying dilemmas in your own life. What difficult choices have you faced? What made them hard? This authentic experience will make your fictional dilemmas feel more genuine.

2. Don't Overthink the "Right" Choice

Examiners aren’t judging whether your character made the “correct” decision. They’re assessing how well you developed the dilemma and showed the character’s reasoning, feelings and internal struggles. These elements add depth to your story and keep readers engaged.. Sometimes a character making an imperfect choice that they can justify is more interesting than always choosing the obviously “right” option.

3. Keep Your Dilemma Age-Appropriate

Your character should face dilemmas that a Primary 6 student could realistically encounter. Avoid melodramatic scenarios like life-or-death situations unless specifically required by the picture or topic. Smaller, relatable dilemmas often create better stories.

4. Time Management During the Exam

Allocate your composition writing time this way:

• 5 minutes: Planning your dilemma and main points

• 45 minutes: Writing (including 10-15 minutes on the dilemma paragraphs)

• 5 minutes: Checking and editing

5. Connect to Your Other PSLE English Skills

Creating dilemmas isn’t separate from other composition writing skills. It is supposed to enhance your writing techniques. The same descriptive techniques you use for setting descriptions work for showing internal conflict. The character development you demonstrate through dialogue applies to showing moral reasoning. Think of dilemmas as a tool that helps showcase all your English writing abilities.

Conclusion: Making Your PSLE Composition Memorable

Creating compelling dilemmas in your PSLE Composition transforms good stories into great ones. By presenting your character with genuinely difficult choices and showing their struggle to make the right decision, you demonstrate mature thinking, emotional depth, and sophisticated planning.

Turn Simple Stories into Award-Winning PSLE Compositions

At WRITERS AT WORK, we teach students how to write compositions that go beyond the ordinary. Our PURE Composition Writing Programme helps Primary 4 to 6 students master the art of storytelling through techniques that examiners love — from creating dilemmas and building emotional tension, to planning stories using our unique STORYBANKING® method.

With STORYBANKING®, students build a library of story ideas, character conflicts, and moral lessons they can adapt to any PSLE topic. This makes exam preparation easier, faster, and more creative. Through weekly guided lessons, our students learn how to combine descriptive writing, narrative structure, and emotional reasoning. Developing compositions that are not only well-planned, but truly memorable.

✨ Every class at WRITERS AT WORK is led by passionate, experienced teachers like Teacher Jemmies, who help students write with confidence, logic, and heart.

📘 Register now for our English Courses and discover how your child can turn ordinary stories into A-star compositions filled with moral insight and imagination.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What are the most effective dilemmas for PSLE composition writing?

The best dilemmas are those with two equally difficult choices that reveal your character’s values. Common examples include choosing between honesty and friendship, safety and courage, or personal gain and doing what’s right. These situations make your story more realistic and emotionally engaging.

Q2: How can I write a good dilemma in my PSLE story?

Start by giving your character two clear choices with serious consequences. Then, use the FATS framework—Feelings, Actions, Thoughts, and Speech—to show internal conflict before making a decision. This approach helps examiners see emotional depth and logical reasoning.

Q3: Why do examiners like stories with dilemmas?

Dilemmas demonstrate mature thinking and moral awareness. When students write about difficult choices, they show the ability to think beyond surface-level plots, which helps them stand out and earn higher content marks in PSLE English Paper 1.

Q4: What should I avoid when writing dilemmas for PSLE composition?

Avoid overly dramatic or unrealistic choices, such as life-or-death situations. Keep dilemmas age-appropriate and relatable, problems that a Primary 6 student might truly face. The most powerful stories often come from small but meaningful choices.