PSTET Paper 1 case studies

PSTET Paper 1 · Put your knowledge to work in context.

PSTET Paper 1 is the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test paper for candidates who want to teach at the elementary level (Classes I to V) in Punjab schools. It is a multiple-choice eligibility test: qualifying does not by itself give you a teaching post, but it is a required credential for recruitment as a primary teacher in the state. The PSTET Paper 1 case studies are 5 cases and about 3,110 words.

Class 1: Head Teacher's October Writing Target and a 40-Minute Copying Slot

At a government primary school in a Punjab village, a Class 1 teacher has 41 children, most entering after anganwadi. In the first six weeks she finds 9 children recognise no letters, 19 recognise some, and 13 know all.

632 words, about 3 min 2

Class 4 Punjabi: Adhak Omission and Matra Confusion in Dictation

In a Class 4 Punjabi classroom of 36 children in a Patiala school, a 20-word dictation produces a clear pattern: 23 children omit the adhak (ੱ) in at least four words, writing ਕੁਤਾ for ਕੁੱਤਾ; 16 write a short ਿ where ੀ is needed, for example ਮਿਠਾ for ਮੀਠਾ; 11 place a bindi where a tippi belongs; and 7 write ਸਤ for ਸੱਤ. In oral reading, the same children read familiar textbook sentences at about 35-40 words per minute but stop or guess at unfamiliar words containing adhak or a three-consonant cluster.

620 words, about 3 min 3

Class 3 English: Decoding Without Comprehension and Silence in Oral Work

In a Class 3 English period in a Ludhiana school, 38 children can decode CVC words: 31 read 'ship', 'chat' and 'milk' correctly. When the teacher reads a three-sentence passage - 'Mira has a red bag.

601 words, about 3 min 4

Class 4 Mathematics: The Persistent 46 − 28 = 22 Error

In a Class 4 mathematics class of 36 children, a diagnostic test on two-digit addition and subtraction shows: 29 of 36 solve 34 + 25 correctly; only 8 solve 46 − 28 correctly. Of the wrong answers, 17 write 22, 6 write 26, and 5 write 38.

630 words, about 3 min 5

Class 5 EVS: 'Plants Eat Soil' and Three Periods Before the Test

In a Class 5 EVS class of 40 children in a rural school, a pre-test shows 32 children believe plants 'eat soil' through their roots, 25 think leaves only catch sunlight and do not make food, and 18 say water is the plant's food. The school has a small courtyard, six old pots, a neem tree, a tap, and no laboratory.

627 words, about 3 min