Mattie & Me · The primary school Chinese syllabus in Singapore, P1–P6
Singapore primary schools teach Chinese with the 欢乐伙伴 (Huanle Huoban) textbooks: two books per level, from 1A to 6B. In 2026, P1–P3 use the new 2.0 edition, and P4–P6 still use the 2015 edition.
Which textbooks do primary schools use for Chinese?
Every level has two books, A (first half of the year) and B (second half):
| Level | Books | Lessons | Edition in schools (2026) | Word lists we hold (to recognise / to write) | 听写 lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 1A, 1B | 10 + 9 | 2.0 | 1A 147 / 56 · 1B 151 (draft list) | P1 (2015 edition) |
| P2 | 2A, 2B | 10 + 9 | 2.0 | 2A 189 · 2B 143 (draft lists) | P2 (2015 edition) |
| P3 | 3A, 3B | 9 + 8 | 2.0 | 3A 206 / 51 · 3B 180 / 39 | P3 (2015 edition) |
| P4 | 4A, 4B | 9 + 7 | 2015 | 4A 240 / 37 · 4B 192 / 22 | P4 |
| P5 | 5A, 5B | 8 + 7 | 2015 | 5A 354 / 102 · 5B 294 / 85 | none |
| P6 | 6A, 6B | 6 + 4 | 2015 | 6A 244 / 35 · 6B 188 / 29 | none |
Word lists: the counts are from the 欢乐伙伴 word lists we hold, mostly from the 2015 books. For P1–P3, the lists we hold are 2015, so they don't match the 2.0 books exactly. P1 (1B) and P2 have draft lists checked against the textbook, not an official list.
What is 欢乐伙伴 2.0?
2.0 is the revised edition of the textbooks. It started with P1 and now covers P1–P3. MOE publishes 2.0 character lists (生字表) for these levels, and we use them in our practice. We haven't found official 2.0 word (词语) lists, so our 2.0 word practice is built from those characters and from how often words appear in school papers. P4–P6 remain on the 2015 edition this year.
How do school papers change from P1 to P6?
What we see in the past-year school papers we hold:
- P1–P2: recognising and choosing. Counting strokes, finding the right character (辨字), choosing words, putting sentences in order, short reading passages. Mostly multiple choice.
- P3: more words and sentences. Word choice and word pairing (词语搭配) grow, and rewriting and expanding sentences (扩写/改写句子) appear. Reading comprehension is the biggest single part.
- P4: reading and words in context. Reading comprehension (about 30% of written marks), passage cloze (about 20%), word pairing and word choice. Composition is picture composition. See our P4 composition guide.
- P5–P6: more writing. Written comprehension questions (about 22–23% of marks), language use (pinyin, words, sentences), passage cloze and completing dialogues. Compositions are usually titled topics, often with prompts, and sometimes a choice between a titled and a picture topic.
These describe the school papers we hold. They are not an official exam format.
Where can my child practise each level?
- Free past-year school papers for every level: P1 · P2 · P3 · P4 · P5 · P6
- Free 听写 lists, P1–P4, with pinyin, English meaning and read-aloud: all lists
- Learning's Smart Practice: each next question targets words likely in your child's school exams that they don't know yet. It costs S$12.99/month or S$99/year after a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime. How Learning works · Start the free trial
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Revision papers by level: P1 · P2 · P3 · P4 · P5 · P6 · How Learning works
FAQ
What textbook do Singapore primary schools use for Chinese?
欢乐伙伴 (Huanle Huoban), two books per level from 1A to 6B.
Which levels use 欢乐伙伴 2.0?
In 2026, P1, P2 and P3. P4–P6 use the 2015 edition.
How many lessons are there from P1 to P6?
96 lessons across the 12 books, from 19 at P1 and P2 down to 10 at P6.
Are your 听写 lists for the 2.0 textbooks?
Not yet. Our P1–P3 听写 lists follow the 2015 edition. Learning's P1–P3 practice uses the official 2.0 character lists.
Where can I find past-year school papers?
Free on Mattie & Me for every level, P1–P6, with no sign-up.