1. Revising the comprehension paper Aim To know what you need to do in each section of Paper 2

2. Inference practice  Explain what the two meanings of the language used in the cartoons is

7. Section A - Editing  Identify which tense it is written in in the first line – it will help you to identify tense errors elsewhere.  Be careful with spelling errors – could it be a word that you don’t know?  Look for errors in punctuation, grammar, spelling, concord (subject/verb agreement), word spacing etc etc.  You can underline more than 10 errors – you will get the marks for the ones you underline correctly.

8. Section B – Modified Cloze  Identify the verb form being used first – it will help you to complete the correct form later on but BE CAREFUL – may be using another tense (e.g. continuous, perfect etc)  You need to put in the correct form of the word in brackets. The answer may be the same as the word in brackets, depending on the tense.  Watch out for irregular verbs e.g. p.p. of lead is not ‘leaded’, it is led.  Also be aware of auxiliaries and modals e.g. (is + another verb) as you may need to change both verb forms.  Remember CONCORD – plural noun may take a different verb form to a singular noun.

9. Section C: Comprehension cloze  Write in the most likely word – there may be a selection of answers, or there may be only one, so be as precise as you can be.  Use the context of the sentence and the passage to help you (has the word been used before?)  Check carefully and don’t rush through it.

10. Section D: General pointers  Take time to read the passage before you attempt the questions.  Read the questions, then re-read the passage, seeking the answers.  Look for the answer in the text, but be careful that what you are writing down answers the question – sometimes lifting means that you will not get the mark for it.  Take note of the marks available – 1 mark questions may be a simple answer, 2 or 3 mark questions will require more detail and a range of points.  Take note of which paragraph the question is about – don’t take an answer from another paragraph as you will inevitably be wrong.

11. Section D: Question types 1.‘Extract’ question – e.g. ‘Which country did Tiger Balm originate from’ – simply requires you to find the answer and write down. 2.‘Own Words’ question – e.g. ‘In your own words, tell us how the Aw brothers divided the work amongst themselves’ – you must paraphrase, or you WILL NOT get the marks. 3.‘Quote/Phrase’ question – ‘Quote a phrase to show that many people use Tiger Balm Oil’ – be selective, as a phrase is not the whole sentence! 4.‘Language interpretation’ question – e.g. ‘What does ‘change the fortune’ mean?’ – try to interpret what this phrase could mean. 5.‘Inference’ question – e.g. ‘What does ‘household name’ tell you about the success of Tiger Balm oil?’ – the answer is not stated directly, so you must interpret and read between the lines

12. Section D: vocabulary question  Look at how the word is being used in the sentence: identify what word class it is (e.g. adjective, verb, noun, adverb).  If you think you know what the word is already, check how it is being used, as the same word can have different meanings (remember the cartoons?)  You can use a phrase or a word to replace the word used, but always link with ‘and’ e.g. ‘moved and put in a new place’ would be accepted, but ‘moved, put in a new place’ ‘moved’ would be the only accepted answer, as anything after the comma would be removed.

13. Section D: summary question  10 marks for points, 5 marks for language (mainly grammar, spelling & use of paraphrasing/own words)  Try to identify key points being made, and don’t get distracted by exemplification (examples) of that point.  You must paraphrase, or you will score a very low language mark (only 1-2 marks).  Make sure you spell things from the passage correctly – you will be heavily penalised if not.  You can get away with 125 words – but any more will be crossed out and not marked (and the marker will count your words so don’t try to be sneaky with saying you’ve written less than you have)  Leave plenty of time for the summary question – it is worth 15 marks / 80 marks.

14. Timing on the comprehension paper Total time for paper: 1 hour, 40 minutes (100 minutes total) SECTION A: 10 minutes (10m) SECTION B: 15 minutes (15m) SECTION C: 15 minutes (15m) SECTION D (questions): 35 minutes (25m) (summary): 20 minutes (15m) (summary): 20 minutes (15m) CHECKING ANSWERS: 5-10 minutes