Paper I
Paper I is where the most easily won marks are — and where they are most easily lost, by running out of time.
What Paper I is like
Paper I is made up of a number of separate tasks, each fairly short. You may be asked to read a notice, a table, an advertisement or a short passage and answer questions on it; to complete sentences with the correct grammatical form; to choose or supply the right word; to match items; or to write something short to a given instruction.
The individual items carry small numbers of marks. That has two consequences. First, no single item is worth agonising over. Second, the marks add up quickly, so an unfinished paper is a serious loss.
The exact tasks and their order vary between years. Check the paper itself, and the current official syllabus, for your own examination.
How to work through Paper I
Read the instructions on the paper first
Two minutes spent seeing what is on the paper is not wasted. You will know how many tasks there are and roughly how long each can take.
Do the tasks you find easiest first
There is usually no requirement to answer in order. Securing the marks you are confident of protects you against running short of time later.
Give each item a fixed share of time
Divide the working time by the number of tasks. When a task's time is up, move on, even if it is not perfect. You can return to it.
Never leave a blank
An empty space scores nothing with certainty. A reasonable attempt may score. If you truly do not know, put down your best guess and move on.
Keep five minutes at the end
Use them to fill any gaps and to check spellings, capital letters and full stops — the errors that are cheapest to fix and most expensive to leave.
Task by task
Reading and understanding
Read the question before the passage, so you know what you are looking for. Answer in your own words unless told otherwise, and answer only what was asked. See Reading Comprehension.
Grammar items
Read the whole sentence before choosing the form — the clue is often at the other end of it. Look for time expressions such as since, already, last week and now, which point directly at the tense required. See Grammar.
Vocabulary items
If the word is unfamiliar, use the sentence around it. Is the word positive or negative? Is it a person, a thing, an action or a quality? That is often enough to choose correctly. See Vocabulary.
Short guided writing
The details you need are given to you. Your job is to put them into the correct form, not to invent new content. Use every detail supplied, and no more. See Guided Writing.
In the examination hall
Do
- Write clearly. An answer the examiner cannot read cannot be marked.
- Answer in complete sentences where the question calls for it.
- Use the exact number of words if a limit is given.
- Check that you have answered every part of a multi-part question.
- Number your answers to match the question paper exactly.
Do not
- Copy whole sentences from the passage when asked to answer in your own words.
- Spend ten minutes on an item worth one mark.
- Leave an item blank because you are not certain.
- Write a long answer to a question that asks for one word.
- Forget to go back to the items you skipped.
Practise Paper I skills
Interactive activities
Grammar, vocabulary and comprehension activities that mark themselves.
Model Questions
Practice questions in the style of the paper.
Past papers
Work under timed conditions once you are confident of the tasks.