Effective from 2025, here’s an overview of the key differences between the new Primary 5 Science syllabus and the old one.

The Primary Science syllabus comprises three components: core ideas, practices, and values, ethics, and attitudes. Five themes — Diversity, Cycles, Interactions, Systems, and Energy — make up the core ideas that encompass the essential concepts of both life and physical sciences. From 2025, a new Primary 5 Science syllabus takes effect, bringing with it significant changes to the educational journey of pupils across all schools.

Of the various changes, two stand out the most. First, the syllabus will no longer be organised into Lower Block (Primary 3/4) and Upper Block (Primary 5/6). From 2023, each level will have its own corresponding syllabus. Second, the core themes and the sequence in which they are taught are now fixed and standardised across all schools. Previously, themes taught in primary schools were interchangeable and the sequence was at the discretion of individual schools.

To better understand the differences between the content covered in the old and new Primary 5 Science syllabuses, you may refer to the table shown here.

To keep pace with the new syllabus, pupils can rely on the following bestsellers from Educational Publishing House —  Primary 5 Must-Know Science Process Skills & Key Words ($13.90),  Primary 5 Science Weekly Revision ($12.90), and  Primary 5 Science Commonly-Tested & Challenging Exam Questions ($12.90). Must-Know Science Process Skills & Key Words brings pupils through a meaningful Primary Science learning journey with study notes and practices that tie in closely with the school textbook, with emphasis on science process skills and key words. Science Weekly Revision provides a methodical structure for pupils to revise science consistently, while Science Commonly-Tested & Challenging Exam Questions exposes pupils to a wide array of commonly-tested exam questions and hones pupils’ higher-order thinking skills with ample advanced exam questions.