Year 3 · Unit 11 · Lesson 1 of 5
Know the Paper: No Surprises
40 questions in 45 minutes. Then one hour of writing and reading.
What should you do in the first minute of each paper?
Read the instructions. Check how many questions there are, how many you must answer, and how long you have. Students lose marks every year by answering two essays instead of one, or by running out of time on Part A.
Master the essentials
Paper 1 · Objective
45 minutes, 40 questions. About one minute per question.
Answer every question.
Section A · Q1–15
Sentence completion: tenses, concord, prepositions, tags, comparison, conditionals, reported speech, the passive.
Revise: Unit 6, Lessons 1, 2 and 5.
Section B · Q16–20
Choose the word nearest in meaning to the underlined word.
Revise: Unit 6, Lesson 3.
Section C · Q21–25
Explain an underlined idiom.
Revise: Unit 6, Lesson 4.
Section D · Q26–30
Fill the gap with the opposite of the underlined word.
Read the whole sentence: the gap is its contrast.
Section E · Q31–35
Cloze passage: choose the word that fits each gap.
Read the whole passage first.
Part B · Q36–40
Oral English: consonant and vowel sounds, intonation.
Revise: Lesson 2 of this unit.
Paper 2 · Theory · 1 hour
Part A: one composition from three, about 250 words (30). Part B: reading (20). Part C: literature (10).
Time: about 30 · 20 · 10 minutes.
See it done
1. Section D: "The first speaker was brief, but the second was ___." How do you approach it?
"But" signals a contrast, so the gap needs the opposite of brief: long-winded. Check that your choice fits the sentence grammatically too.
2. Paper 2 has three writing questions. How many do you answer?
One from Part A, plus all of Part B and Part C. Writing two compositions wastes time and earns nothing extra.
Common mistake: Spending 40 minutes on the composition and rushing the reading passage. The marks are 30, 20 and 10: divide your hour the same way.
10 questions with instant feedback
Choose the best answer.
1.How many questions are in Paper 1?
Not quite. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions. Answer: B. 40.
Correct. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions.
Not quite. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions. Answer: B. 40.
Not quite. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions. Answer: B. 40.
2.With 45 minutes for 40 questions, about how long can you spend on each?
Correct. 45 ÷ 40 is just over a minute each.
Not quite. 45 ÷ 40 is just over a minute each. Answer: A. about one minute.
Not quite. 45 ÷ 40 is just over a minute each. Answer: A. about one minute.
Not quite. 45 ÷ 40 is just over a minute each. Answer: A. about one minute.
3.In Section B, you choose the word:
Correct. Section B is nearest meaning.
Not quite. Section B is nearest meaning. Answer: A. that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word.
Not quite. Section B is nearest meaning. Answer: A. that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word.
Not quite. Section B is nearest meaning. Answer: A. that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word.
4.In Section D, the gap needs:
Not quite. Section D is opposites in context. Answer: C. the opposite of the underlined word.
Not quite. Section D is opposites in context. Answer: C. the opposite of the underlined word.
Correct. Section D is opposites in context.
Not quite. Section D is opposites in context. Answer: C. the opposite of the underlined word.
5.What is the best way to approach the cloze passage?
Not quite. Each gap depends on the meaning of the whole passage. Answer: D. read the whole passage before choosing.
Not quite. Each gap depends on the meaning of the whole passage. Answer: D. read the whole passage before choosing.
Not quite. Each gap depends on the meaning of the whole passage. Answer: D. read the whole passage before choosing.
Correct. Each gap depends on the meaning of the whole passage.
6.How many questions do you answer in Paper 2?
Not quite. One from Part A and all of Parts B and C. Answer: C. three: one composition, the reading and the literature.
Not quite. One from Part A and all of Parts B and C. Answer: C. three: one composition, the reading and the literature.
Correct. One from Part A and all of Parts B and C.
Not quite. One from Part A and all of Parts B and C. Answer: C. three: one composition, the reading and the literature.
7.About how long should your composition be?
Not quite. The paper asks for about 250 words. Answer: B. about 250 words.
Correct. The paper asks for about 250 words.
Not quite. The paper asks for about 250 words. Answer: B. about 250 words.
Not quite. The paper asks for about 250 words. Answer: B. about 250 words.
8.What is the best way to divide the hour in Paper 2?
Not quite. Time should follow the marks: 30, 20 and 10. Answer: C. about 30 writing, 20 reading, 10 literature.
Not quite. Time should follow the marks: 30, 20 and 10. Answer: C. about 30 writing, 20 reading, 10 literature.
Correct. Time should follow the marks: 30, 20 and 10.
Not quite. Time should follow the marks: 30, 20 and 10. Answer: C. about 30 writing, 20 reading, 10 literature.
9.You are unsure of an objective answer. What should you do?
Not quite. Elimination raises your chances, and a blank earns nothing. Answer: D. eliminate the wrong options and choose the best one left.
Not quite. Elimination raises your chances, and a blank earns nothing. Answer: D. eliminate the wrong options and choose the best one left.
Not quite. Elimination raises your chances, and a blank earns nothing. Answer: D. eliminate the wrong options and choose the best one left.
Correct. Elimination raises your chances, and a blank earns nothing.
10.Before choosing the meaning of an idiom, you should:
Not quite. Idioms are not literal; the sentence gives the clue. Answer: B. think about the meaning of the whole sentence.
Correct. Idioms are not literal; the sentence gives the clue.
Not quite. Idioms are not literal; the sentence gives the clue. Answer: B. think about the meaning of the whole sentence.
Not quite. Idioms are not literal; the sentence gives the clue. Answer: B. think about the meaning of the whole sentence.
Plan your exam time
Write your own timing plan for both papers, minute by minute. Then compare with the model.
Your plan
Paper 1 (45 minutes): 1 minute reading instructions · about 30 minutes for Q1–35 · 5 minutes for oral Q36–40 · 9 minutes to return to marked questions and check every answer is filled in.
Paper 2 (60 minutes): 1 minute choosing the composition · 5 minutes planning · 22 minutes writing · 2 minutes checking · 20 minutes reading passage · 10 minutes literature.
Next: Lesson 2, Oral English.