Skkn adapting reading comprehension tasks in tieng anh 12 in the direction of approaching the gcse exam questions

INTRODUCTION
I.

REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC

According to foreign language competence framework for Vietnamese students, high
school graduates are supposed to reach tertiary level (equivalent to Level B1). To fluently
communicate as expected, students have to develop communicative skills including
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, language competence in every skill is
under expected level especially in reading skill. There has been a worrying problem in
students’exam scores. Especially, more than 70% of students’ scores were below grade 5
in National GCSE (General Certificate Of Secondary Education) examination 2018-2019.
Students when asked about the format of the English test in the national GCSE
examination tend to say that reading section seems to be the most challenging to them.
Those not intending to major in English are appalled by the long passage with series of
vocabularies in complex contexts completely new to them. They cannot find the correct
answers to the questions designed in limited time in the examination room or do the
reading comprehension questions without bothering to know the content of the passage.
As a teacher of language for many years, I myself find that this is one of the main
reasons that drive students’ scores in English to the bottom of the sore board in recent
years.Traditionally, students spend far too much time learning grammar, which is
designed to take up nearly the same portion as reading in the format of English test in the
national GCSE examination yearly while reading is a section that most of our students
ignore or do it to the luck of the game, which means that they answer the reading
questions without understanding or choose the answer without any evidence.
Most reading tasks in current English 12 are designed in the way that the answers
are almost on display and that students can easily answer without and simple pieces of
thought, not to mention any reference and inference. Students therefore get bored in the
lessons unless the teachers find new ways to adapt.
Students in grade 12 are going to sit for their national GCES examination in which
most reading tests are designed in the ways that are different form those they have done

in their classes. Adapting is a stepenabling them get used to reading comprehension
questions.
Reading lessons in the national curriculum for English 10, 11, 12 takes up one fifth
of the total time for each Unit. However, in many classes, there is still an unrealistic use
of language where teachers often spend a large of proposition of class time asking
“readily displayed” questions for which they and their students already know the answers
without any simple kind of thought or inference. Students therefore get bored and cannot
get used to the new kinds of questions required in the format of reading comprehension
section.

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For the above reasons, the writer decided to choose “Adapting reading
comprehension tasks in Tieng Anh 12 in the direction of approaching the GCSE exam
questions.” as the topic of this study.
II. AIMS, SCOPE, OBJECTIVE AND METHOD OF THE STUDY
1.Aims:
- To help the teacher of English to adapt reading tasks in the textbook in the orientation
of the format for GCSE examination.
- To help students get acquainted with types of reading comprehension questions in the
national GCSE examination.
- To provide some reading strategies for reading comprehension questions.
2. Scope
- Applying in the reading lessons in Tieng Anh 12
- Applying to prepare students for their GCSE examination and college, university
entrance examination.
3. Object of study:

- Students in grade 12
- Students under preparation for GCSE examination and college, university entrance
examinations
4. Method
- Studying common types of reading comprehension questions in National GCSE
examination in recent years.
- Applying reading strategies in Longman 2000- Preparation Course for the TOEFL
Test- to adapt reading tasks in Tieng Anh 12
- Reading reference books, discussing with other teachers, applying in teaching and
getting experience from the teaching in the class.

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PART I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.Types of reading comprehension questions
Here are some common types of reading comprehension questions appearing
consequently in the reading text in the national GCSE examination and in TOEFL (PPT)
1.3. Questions about the ideas of the passage.
This type of question ask you to answer questions about the information included in
the reading passage. Common questions of this kind are the ones asking for the main
ideas of the passage, directly answered questions and indirectly answered questions
1.1.1. Questions for main ideas
1.1.2. Directly answered questions
-

Stated detail questions

-

Unstated detail questions

-

Pronounce referent questions

1.1.3. Indirectly answered questions
-

Implied detail questions

-

Transition questions

1.2. Vocabulary questions
1.2.1. Questions for word definition from structural clues
1.2.2. Questions for word meaning from word parts
1.2.3. Questions for word meaning from context.
1.3. Overall review questions
1.3.1Questions for location of specific information
1.3.2. Questions for the tone, purpose or course
1.3.3. Questions for the organization of the ideas of the reading passage.
2. Strategies to help students deal with the reading questions easily.
This type of questions asks for the definition of words or phrases or for the
meanings of vocabulary in the passage. To answer this type of questions, you may have
to get the meanings of the word by looking the surrounding words given, structural clues
or part of speech of the words expected.

2.1. General strategies.
- Help students master essential reading skills, what they are, how they are used
- Help students get used to the common types of questions
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- Guide students to manage time in a proper way
- Guide students to deal with the reading passage whose topic is not familiar with
them.
- Guessing is of some use in case you do not really understand the passage properly.
2.2. Reading skills.
2.2. 1. Skimming
Skimming involves reading quickly to get the main idea of a text. Reading topic
sentences (usually the first sentence of a paragraph) can be an effective way of
understanding the main idea of the text. This skill of reading is used for main idea
questions or overall review questions
2.2.2. Scanning
Scanning means looking for supporting points and details, provided in body
paragraphs. In other words, finding elaborations or sentences including detailed and
specific information that support an important point or a topic sentence in a body
paragraph. Scanning is often used for directly answered questions.
2.2.3. Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is to include the ideas or information from an original sentence in the
passage by rephrasing them in other words. This can be done with synonyms, antonyms,
word derivations, umbrella words or grammatical structures. This is an essential skill
used for vocabulary questions or sometimes for inference questions
2.2.4. Key word spotting
Looking for key information involves looking in a given paragraph of passage of

words for the key words that are relevant for your topic. It is a process that can be used in
conjunction with scanning. This is used for questions for details
2.2.5 Intensive reading
We use this skill when we need to understand every work in a part of a text. This
may be used when we answer detailed reading questions in exams.
Choose the best answer to each question from the four answer choices listed in
your test book. We can choose the best answer according to what is given in the
appropriate section of the passage, eliminate definitely wrong answers, and mark our best
guess on the answer sheet.
3. Strategies to deal with each type of reading question.
These are the primary rationales on which I have adapted reading comprehension
tasks in current English 12. They are mostly taken from Longman 2000- Preparation
Course for the TOEFL Test- by Deborah Phillips.
3.1. Main ideas questions
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Main ideas questions
The passage is mainly aimed at…..
What does the author mainly discuss?
What is the passage mainly about?
What is the topic of the passage?
How to identify the
questions

What is the subject of the passage?
What is the main idea of the passage?
What is the author’s main point in the passage?

With what is the author primary concerned?
Which of the following would be the best title?
What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

Where to find the answers

The answer to this type of question generally lies in the
first sentence of each paragraph.
1. Read the first line of each paragraph.
2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first lines.

How to answer the
questions

3. Run though the rest of the passage to check if the
information in the first line is the main idea or not.
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose
the
best answer from the remaining choices

3.2. Directly answered questions
3.2.1. Stated detailed question.

How to identify the
questions

According to the passage, …
It is stated in the passage …
The passage indicates that …
The author mentions that …

Which of the following is true …

Where to find the answers

The answers to these questions are found in order
in the passage.

How to answer the
questions

1. Choose a key word in the question.
2. Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for
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the key word or idea.
3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or
idea carefully.
4. Look for the answer that restates an idea in the
passage.
5. Eliminate the definitely wrong answers and
choose the best answer from the remaining
choices.

3.2.3 - Unstated detail questions

How to identify the questions

Which of the following is not stated …?
Which of the following is not mentioned …?
Which of the following is not discussed …?
All of the following are true except …

Where to find the answers

The answers to these questions are found in order in
the
passage.

How to answer the questions

1. Choose a key word in the question.
2. Scan in the appropriate place in the passage for the
key word (or related idea)
3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or
idea
carefully.
4. Look for the answers that are definitely true
according to the passage. Eliminate those answers.
5. Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed
in the passage.

3.2.4. Pronoun reference questions
How to identify the
questions

What does the word “X ” in line …. Refer to?
The pronoun “ . . .” in line X refers to which of the

following?

Where to find the
answers

The answer is often located in the sentence preceding the
line that the pronoun comes from

How to answer the
questions

1. Locate the pronoun in the passage. It is often in BOLD,
ITALIC OR UNDERLINED so that we can find it easily
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2. Identify the nouns that come before the pronoun that the
pronoun could refer to.
3. Read the part of the passage before the pronoun carefully
to see which option is the best answer
4. Try the three other options in place of the pronouns to
check if they can fit.
5. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and
choose the best answer from the remaining
choices.
3.3.Indirectly answered questions
3.3.1.Implied detail questions
How to identify the

questions

It is implied in the passage that …
It can be inferred from the passage that …
It is most likely that …
What probably happened …?

Where to find the
answers

The answers are not directly stated, so we have to locate the
piece of information we can infer so that we can understand
what point the author want to get across.

How to answer the
questions

1. Choose a key word in the question.
2. Scan in the passage for the key word (or a
related idea)
3. Carefully read the sentence that contains the key
word.
4. Look for an answer that could be true,
according to that sentence.

3.3.2. Transition questions
This type of question is not common in reading text in the national GCSE
examination. However, I find it rather interesting as the reading passage is often extracted
from a long source of information, students may be asked to determine what probably
precedes or follows the part extracted. Actually, the main topic of the paragraph

preceding or following is not stated in the present passage, we can also determine the
right answer by draw a conclusion to what is supposed to be included in the preceding or
following paragraph by looking at how the paragraph is linked at the beginning and at the
end of the paragraph. It is so- called transition questions.
How to identify the
questions

What is mainly discussed in the preceding or following
paragraph?
What does the preceding or following paragraph mainly
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discuss?
The paragraph preceding the passage probably.....
What is most likely in the paragraph following the
passage?
The answer can generally be found in the first line of the
passage for a preceding question. The answer can
Where to find the answers generally be found in the last line for a following
question.
We can also base on the liking words.

How to answer the
questions

1. Read the first line for a preceding question and pay
attention to some key words form which we can infer.

2. Read the last line for a following question.
3. Draw a conclusion about what comes before or
after basing on some clues we have founds( key words or
linking words).
4. Choose the answer that is reflected in the first or
last line of the passage.

3.4 .Vocabulary questions
3.4.1. Questions for word definition from structural clues
Which of the followings is defined in the passage?
How to identify the
questions

What is . . . ?
What is the meaning of . . . ?
What is true about . . . ?
The word “X” is concerned with ….

Where to find the
answers

Punctuation: comma, parentheses, dashes
Restatement: or, that is, in other words, i.e.
Examples: such as, for example, e.g.
Paraphrase:

How to answer the
questions

The answer lies somewhere generally found after the

punctuation clue, the restatement clue, or the example
clue or paraphrase clue
Locate the word in the passage.
Determine any structural clues.
Read the part of the passage after the structural
clue carefully.

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Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and
choose the best answer from the remaining choices

3.4.2. Questions for word meaning from word parts
“What is the meaning . . .?”
“Which of the following is closest in meaning to…?”

How to identify the
questions

You are already shown in which line of the
passage the word can be found.

Where to find the answers

Find the word in the passage
Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.
Look for clues such as part of speech, prefixes or

suffixes to help you understand the meaning .
Pull out the meaning of the word then choose the best
option

How to answer the
questions

3.4.3. Questions for word meaning from context.
How to identify the
questions

“What is the meaning . . . ?”
“Which of the following is closest in meaning to...?”

Where to find the
answers

The position of the words have been shown in the question

How to answer the
questions

Locate the word in the passage.
Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.
Try to get the meaning of the word from context the meaning.
Choose the answer that the context indicates.

3. 5. Overall review questions
3.5.1. Questions for location of specific information
How to identify the

questions

“Where in the passage . . .?”

Where to find the
answers

The answer can be in any of the lines listed in the
options to the question.

How to answer the
questions

-Choose a key word or idea in the question.
-Skim the lines in the passage that are listed in

In which line…?

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the answers to the question. You should skim
for the key word or idea.
-Choose the answer that contains the line
numbers of a restatement of the question.
3.5.2. Questions for the tone, purpose or course
How to identify the
questions

Tone: What is the tone of the passage?
Purpose: What is the author’s purpose in this passage?
Course: In which course would this reading be assigned?

Tone: There will be clues throughout the passage that the
author is showing some emotion rather than just
Where to find the answers presenting facts.
Purpose: Base on the main ideas of the passage
Course: Base on the topic to find the answer

How to answer the
questions

Tone:1. Skim the passage looking for clues
that the author is showing some emotion.
2. Choose the answer that identifies the emotion.
Purpose: 1. Study the main idea in the topic
sentence and the details used to
support the main idea.
2. Draw a conclusion about the purpose.
Course: 1. Study the main idea in the topic
sentence and the details used to
support the main idea.
2. Draw a conclusion about the course.

3.5.3 Questions for the organization of the ideas.
How to identify the
questions

How is the information in the passage organized?
How is the information in the second paragraph related to the
information in the first paragraph?

Where to find the
answers

The answer to this type of question can generally be
determined by
looking at the first sentence of the appropriate paragraphs.

How to answer the
questions

1. Read the first line of each paragraph.
2. Look for words that show the relationship between the
paragraphs.
3. Choose the answer that best expresses the relationship.
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PART II: APPLICATION
This part presents the application of reading tasks basing on the reading passages

in Tieng Anh 12. For each class, we have changed different ways to check the answers,
from small games to detailed explanations. The questions cover different kinds of reading
comprehension questions which often appear in the GCSE exam and they range from
easy to difficult level. Teachers can use these applications in short or long time
depending on students’levels of knowledge.Teachers may design other exercises besides
these adapted tasks.
Because the questions are multiple choices, students do not have to worry about
writing or making grammtical mistakes. All they have to do is to read the text and try to
find out the information. Instead of taking time to write the answers, students have more
time to discover the text, learn new vocabulary and consolidate some skills to do the
reading exercises in the form of GCSE exam.
APPLICATION 1:

Line
Line 1

Line 5

Line 10

Line 15

Line 20

UNIT 1: HOME LIFE
I come from a family of five people: my parents, my two younger brothers
and I. My mother works as a nurse in a big hospital. She has to work long
hours and once a week she has to work on a night shift. My father is a
biologist. He works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a lab, but sometimes when there
is a project, he doesn’t come home until very late at night. Although my

parents are very busy at work, they try to spend as much time with their
children as possible. It is generally believed that “men build the house and
women make it home”, but in my family, both parents join hands to give us
a nice house and a happy home.
My mother is a very caring woman. She takes the responsibility for running
the household. She is always the first one to get up in the morning to make
sure that we leave home for school having eaten breakfast and dressed in
suitable clothes. In the afternoon, after hospital, she rushes to the market,
then hurries home so that dinner is ready on the table by the time Dad gets
home. Dad is always willing to give a hand with cleaning the house. Unlike
most men, he enjoys cooking. Sometimes, at weekends, he cooks us some
special dishes. His eel soup is the best soup I have ever eaten.
I am now in my final year at the secondary school, and in my attempt to win
a place at university, I am under a lot of study pressure. However, being the
eldest child and the only daughter in the family I try to help with the
household chores. My main responsibility is to wash the dishes and take out
the garbage. I also look after the boys, who are quite active and mischievous
sometimes, but most of the time they are obedient and hard-working. They
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Line 25

love joining my father in mending things around the house at weekends.
We are a very close-knit family and very supportive of one another. We
often share our feelings, and whenever problems come up, we discuss them
frankly and find solutions quickly. We always feel safe and secure in our
family. It is a base from which we can go into the world with confidence.

+ The questions:
Question1. What is the subject of the passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.

the importance of family
the home life of a family
how to make a happy family
what we should do to protect our family

Question 2. The number of family members in the reading passage is_____
A. two

B. three

C. four

D. five

Question 3. The word “mischievous” in line 23 can be replaced by_______
A. well-behave

B. obidient

C. naughty

D.kind

Question 4. The idiom “men build the house and women make it home” mentioned in
the passage means_______
A. both men and women are good at building houses
B. men and women have to live independently
C. men’s responsibility is to work and support the family and women’s job is to look
after the family
D. our parents shake hands when they give us a nice house and a happy home
Question 5. According to the passage, how do the children feel in the family?
A. Scared
B. uncomfortable
C. safe and secure D. annoyed
Question 6. In the author’s family, who takes the responsibility to run the household?
A. Father

B. mother

C. daughter

D. two sons

Question 7. According to the passage, all of the followings are true EXCEPT______
A.
B.
C.
D.

the author’s main duty is to wash the dishes and take out the garbage
only the father works in the family
all the members of the family share the housedolh chores

the boys enjoy playing tricks and annoying people sometimes

Question 8. The word “They” in line 6 refers to______
A. two brothers

B. mother and daughter

C. parents

D. Father

Question 9: In which paragraph does the author mention her responsibility in the family?
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A. Paragraph 1

B. Paragraph 2

C. Paragraph 3

D. Paragraph 4

Question 10: It can be infered from the passage that the author’s family is_____
A.
B.
C.
D.

happy
unhappy
mournful
complicated
+ The answers:

Number

Type of question

Expected answer

1

Main idea question

B

2

Unstated detail question

D

3

Vocabulary question

C

4

Unstated detail question

C

5

Stated detail question

C

6

Stated detail question

B

7

Unstated detail question

B

8

Pronoun reference question

C

9

Questions for location of specific C
information

10

Implied detail question

A

APPLICATION 2:
Line
Line 1

Line 5

UNIT 2: CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Traditionally, Americans and Asians have very different ideas about love and
marriage. Americans believe in “romantic” marriage – a boy and a girl are
attracted to each other, fall in love, and decide to marry each other. Asians, on
the other hand, believe in “contractual” marriage – the parents of the bride and
the groom decide on the marriage; and love – if it ever develops – is supposed
to follow marriage, not precede it.
To show the differences, a survey was conducted among American, Chinese
and Indian students to determine their attitudes toward love and marriage.
Below is a summary of each group’s responses to the four key values.

Line 10

Physical attractiveness: The Americans are much more concerned than the
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Indians and the Chinese with physical attractiveness when choosing a wife or
a husband. They also agree that a wife should maintain her beauty and
appearance after marriage.
Line 15

Line 20

Line 25

Confiding: Few Asian students agree with the American students’ view that
wives and husbands share all thoughts. In fact, a majority of Indians and
Chinese think it is better and wiser for a couple not to share certain thoughts.
A large number of Indian men agree that it is unwise to confide in their
wives.
Partnership of equals: The majority of Asian students reject the American
view that marriage is a partnership of equals. Many Indian students agree that
a woman has to sacrifice more in a marriage than a man.
Trust built on love: Significantly, more Asian students than American
students agree that a husband is obliged to tell his wife where he has been if
he comes home late. The Asian wife can demand a record of her husband’s
activities. The American wife, however, trusts her husband to do the right
thing because he loves her not because he has to.
The comparison of the four values suggests that young Asians are not as

romantic as their American counterparts.

+ The questions:
Question1. What is the best title for the passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The origin of love and marriage
Ways to define true love and marriage
Different attitudes towards love and marriage between Americans and Asians
Love and marriage in America

Question 2. How many key values are mentioned in the reading passage?
A. one

B. two

C. three

D. four

Question 3. The word “it” in line 5 of paragraph 1 refers to_________
A. marriage

B. love

C. the bride

D. the groom

Question 4. The word “responses” line 3 can be replaced by________
A. questions

B. answers

C. letters

D. speeches

Question 5. Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as values used in the survey?
A.
B.
C.
D.

trust built on love
confiding
physical attractiveness
sharing household chores
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Question 6. According to the passage, all of the followings are true EXCEPT_______
A. the Americans are more concerned than the Indians and the Chinese with physical
attractiveness
B. to Indian students’ idea, a woman has to sacrifice more in a marriage than a man

C. The American wife trust her husband to do the right thing
D. The Asian believe in romantic love and marriage
Question 7. Which of the following is defined in the passage?
A. Love
B. contractual marriage
C. survey
D. attractiveness
Question 8. How is the information in each paragraph organized?
A. Statements are made then analysis and evidence are provided
B. Problems are mentioned then solutions are suggested
C. Causes are then effects are listed
D. Causes are listed then efforts are made to solve the problems
Question 9. What is the opinion of the Americans about parnership of equals?
A.
B.
C.
D.

men have to do more work than women
men should treat women unfairly
women have to do more housework than men
men and women are alsays treated equally

Question 10: What is the author’s attitude in the reading passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Objective- basing on the results of the survey

Subjective- basing on his/her own ideas
Support the Americans’ideas
Support the Asians’ideas
+ The answers:

Number

Type of question

Expected answer

1

Main idea question

C

2

Stated detail question

D

3

Pronoun reference question

B

4

Vocabulary question

B

5

Unstated detail question

D

6

Unstated detail question

A

7

Stated detail question

B

8

Question for the organisation of A
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the ideas
9

Unstated detail question

D

10

Question for tone

A

APPLICATION 3:
Line
Line 1

UNIT 3: WAYS OF SOCIALIZING
To attract someone’s attention so that we might speak to that person, we
can use either verbal or non-verbal forms of communication. Let us look at
non-verbal communication in English. Probably the most common way of
attracting someone’s attention is by waving. For example, if we are at a
noisy party and see a friend come in the door about 20 metres away, we
might raise our hand and wave to her as a signal that we see her.

Line 5

Line 10

Line 15
Line 20

Line 25
Line 30

Line 35

But how hard can we wave in a situation like this? Suppose you are at the
airport, and you see your brother get off the plane and begin walking toward
you. If you are excited, you might jump up and down and wave as hard as
you can to attract his attention. This is the instance where big, obvious nonverbal signals are appropriate.
There are, however, some social situations where smaller non-verbal
signals are more appropriate. In a restaurant, for example, if we want to
attract the attention of our waiter, we have several choices. We can wait until
he passes near us, catch his eye, and nod slightly to let him know we would
like him to come to our table. Or we can raise our hand slightly to show that
we need assistance. We do not whistle or clap our hands to get the person’s
attention. That is considered impolite and even rude.
In most social situations where some informality is allowed, a brief raise
of the hand and a small wave is fine. For instance, if you are walking across
the schoolyard and see your teacher approaching you, a small friendly wave
to attract his or her attention is appropriate.
Once you’ve got your friend’s attention, you shouldn’t point at the person
or thing you want her to look at. A slight nod will do. Pointing at someone is
usually considered rude. Of course, there are times when pointing is perfectly
acceptable, such as when a teacher wants to get someone’s attention in class.
The teacher often points to the student and says, “David, would you read the
next sentence, please?” Pointing here is not impolite; it’s simply a way to get
someone’s attention.

+ The questions:
Question 1: What does the passage mainly about?
A. Forms of communication
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B. Attracting attentions: non-verbal cues
C. How hard can we wave in some situations?
D. Waving hard: a good signal
Question 2: The phrase “look at” in line 2 can be replaced by_______
A. Consider

B. Search

C. See

D. Respect

Question 3: According to the passage, the following are ways of attracting someone’s
attentions EXCEPT:
A. waving

B. raising hands

C. Nodding slightly

D. Call his/her name loudly

Question 4: Where in the passage does the author give an example about smaller noonverbal signals?
A. paragraph 1
B. paragraph 2
C. paragraph 3
D. paragraph 4
Question 5: It can be refered from the passage that whistling and clapping hands to get
attention is:
A. the best way to attract someone’s attention
B. a good way to show that you need assisstance
C. a way to call the waiter
D. really impolite and even rude
Question 6: The word non-verbal in line 2 of the passage means__________
A. waving
B. atracting attention
C. not using words
D. raising hands
Question 7: In which passage does the author give some situations when pointing at
someone is not rude?
A. paragraph 2
B. paragraph 3
C.paragraph 4
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D.paragraph 5
Question 8: The phrase “For instance” in line 25 is used in the passage to:
A. the similarities

B. give examples
C. show the contrast
D. expain the situation
Question 9: According to the last passage, the way a teacher points to a student to get
his/her attention is:
A. impolite
B. rude
C. acceptable
D. not impolite
Question 10. How is the information in each paragraph organized?
A. Statements are made then analysis and evidence are provided
B. Problems are mentioned then solutions are suggested
C. Causes are then effects are listed
D. Causes are listed then efforts are made to solve the problems
+ The answers:
Number

Type of question

Expected answer

1

Main idea question

B

2

Vocabulary question

C

3

Unstated detail question

D

4

Unstated detail question

C

5

Implied detail question

D

6

Vocabulary question

C

7

Unstated detail question

D

8

Vocabulary question

B

9

Stated detail question

C

10

Question for the organisation of A
the ideas
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APPLICATION 4:
Line

UNIT 4: SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM

Line 1

Schooling is compulsory for all English children from the age of 5
to 16.
The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided
into 3 terms. Autumn Term is from the beginning of September to midDecember. Spring Term is from the beginning of January to mid-March and
Summer Term from early April to mid-July. Each term is separated by a oneweek break called half term, usually at the end of October, mid-February and
the end of May.

Line 5

Line 10

Line 15

There are two parallel school systems in England. The first is the state school
system, which is free for all students and paid for by the state. The second
category is the ‘independent’ or ‘public’ school system, which is fee-paying.
The state school system, which educates 93% of the pupils in England, can be
divided into two levels of education: primary education and secondary
education.
See the Table below for more information about the school education system
in England.

Line 20

The National Curriculum is set by the government and must be followed in all
state schools. It is made up of the following subjects: English, Design &
Technology, Geography, Maths, Information Technology, Music, Science,
Arts, Physical Education, History, and a Modern Foreign Language. English,
Maths and Science are core subjects, which are compulsory in the national

examinations at certain stages of the school education system.

+ The questions:
Question 1: What does the passage mainly discuss?
A.
B.
C.
D.

State schools and public schools in England
School education in England
Examinations in England
Primary schools and secondary schools in England

Question 2: According to the passage, schooling is compulsory for all English children
from__________
A.
B.
C.
D.

6 to 16
5 to 18
6 to 17
5 to 16

Question 3: The word “compulsory” in line 1 can be replaced by_______
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