Term-Test Preparation Plans
A term test is most useful as information for the teacher. The plan below prepares students properly and makes sure the results tell you something you can act on.
Before you start
Find out three things first: which lessons the test covers, how the paper is set out (sections, marks and time), and the test date. In most schools the paper is set by the zone, the province or the school itself, so ask the person who sets it rather than guessing from last year.
Then look at a past term-test paper of the same kind with the class. The Past Papers section has term-test papers by grade, term and province.
Six-week preparation plan
| Week | Focus | In class | Homework |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 weeks before | Find the gaps | A short diagnostic: one question of each kind from a past paper, 20 minutes. Tally which kinds most students got wrong. | Students list the three topics they find hardest. |
| 5 weeks before | Hardest topic 1 | Re-teach the topic most students got wrong, with guided practice. | Ten short practice items on that topic. |
| 4 weeks before | Hardest topic 2 and writing | Re-teach the second topic. One guided writing task using the task type in the paper. | Complete the writing task at home. |
| 3 weeks before | Reading and vocabulary | Timed reading passage with questions. Build a class word list from the unit texts. | Learn ten words from the list. |
| 2 weeks before | Full practice paper | A complete past paper under test conditions. Mark it together the next lesson. | Correct their own mistakes in a different colour. |
| Final week | Consolidate, not add | See the final-week plan below. No new content. | Short daily review, and sleep. |
The final week, lesson by lesson
Lesson 1: the paper, section by section
Walk through the paper layout on the board: each section, its marks and a suggested time. Students write the timing on the inside cover of their exercise book.
Point out where marks are most often lost: unanswered questions, ignored word limits, and questions that ask for two things.
Lesson 2: the commonest mistakes
Show five real mistakes from the practice paper, anonymously. Students correct them in pairs. Choose the mistakes that the most students made, not the funniest.
Lesson 3: writing under time
One writing task in exactly the time the paper allows. Stop them at the time, even if unfinished. The lesson is about finishing, not perfection.
Lesson 4: quick-fire review
A ten-question oral quiz on grammar and vocabulary, then students choose one topic they still fear and work on it with a partner who is confident in it.
Lesson 5: calm and confidence
Answer questions about the test. Remind them to read the whole paper first, answer the questions they know, and come back to the others. End early and on something they can do.
After the test: a results tally
| Part of the paper | Marks available | Students who scored under half | What to re-teach first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammar | |||
| Vocabulary | |||
| Reading comprehension | |||
| Guided writing | |||
| Free writing | |||
| Listening (if tested) |
Use the tally before you return the scripts
The part with the most students under half is where the first week of next term goes. Tell the class what you found and what you will do about it. Students take the next test more seriously when they see the last one changed the lessons.
Next
Revision strategies
Spacing, retrieval practice and the final month.
Past papers by grade and term
Term-test papers you can filter by term, province and year.
Assessment rubrics
Printable rubrics for writing, speaking, reading aloud and literature.