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Test 1 – Reading Comprehension –

Japan

Japan is a small country but it is very rich. The Japanese are rich because they

are hard workers. They make and sell many of our modern machines, such as

cars, motorcycles, computers, televisions and radios. Perhaps even your family

owns a Japanese car or television.

The capital city of Japan is Tokyo. Tokyo is a very modern city full of factories

and high apartment blocks. But one can also find beautiful

old houses. The outside of an old Japanese house is made

of wood. The walls and doors inside are made of paper.

There are not any chairs or beds inside these old houses. People sit on mats and

eat at low tables.

Japanese children love to watch modern cartoons on television, but they also

learn origami, a very old hobby. In origami, children make

animals and birds by folding coloured paper.

Underline the correct answer:

1. The capital city of Japan is:

a) Valletta

b) Rome

c) Tokyo.

3

2. Inside an old Japanese house, the walls and doors are made of:

a) paper

b) wood

c) stone.

3. On T.V., Japanese children love to watch:

a) quiz programmes

b) science programmes

c) modern cartoons.

4. Japan is a rich country because:

a) it is a small country

b) it makes and sells modern machinery

c) it is a modern city.

(1 x 4 = 4 marks)

Answer these questions: (1 mark each)

5. What modern machines do the Japanese make?

________________________________________________________________

6. Where do people sit in old Japanese houses?

________________________________________________________________

7. What do Japanese children make in origami? How?

________________________________________________________________

8. Would you like to live in Japan? Why/Why not?

_____________________________________________________________

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Test 2 – Reading Comprehension – Ali Baba

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions below.

One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest cutting

the wood which he sold for a living, he saw a

number of horsemen coming towards him, and

fearing that they might be robbers, he quickly

climbed a tree and hid himself.

There were forty in all, and when they came near the

tree where Ali Baba was hiding, they dismounted. After they had tied up their

horses and fed them, they all followed their captain to a rock near by.

“Open Sesame,” cried the leader, and a door opened in the rock. The men

entered one by one, and the captain followed; then the door closed of itself.

Ali Baba waited and after some time, he saw the robbers filing out again. When

they were out of sight, he went up to the rock and called out, “Open Sesame”.

The door flew open at the words, and Ali Baba, stepping inside, was surprised

to find himself in a well-lighted cavern filled with bales of silk, rolls of rich

carpeting, heaps of gold and silver ingots and bags of money.

Ali Baba loaded his asses with some of the gold, and having covered the bags

with his sticks, he hurried home to tell his wife of his good fortune.

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A. Write True, False or No Information Given: (5 marks)

1. Ali Baba hid near some bushes. ______________

2. There were forty thieves in all. _____________

3. The leader of the group was called Sesame. ____________

4. Ali Baba found himself in a dark cavern filled with treasures - ___________

5. Ali Baba hurried home to tell his wife of his good fortune - _____________

B. Answer the following questions in full: (1 x 6 = 6 marks)

1. What did Ali Baba do for a living?

________________________________________________________________

2. What did these men do when they arrived where Ali Baba was hiding?

________________________________________________________________

3. Who was the last person to enter the cavern?

________________________________________________________________

4. What did Ali Baba do after the robbers had gone out of sight?

________________________________________________________________

5. What part of the treasure did Ali Baba take with him?

________________________________________________________________

6. What steps did he take to hide the treasure?

________________________________________________________________

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7. Mention four things that Ali Baba found inside the cavern. (2 marks)

__________________________ ________________________

__________________________ ________________________

C. Write the word or phrase from the passage with the

following meaning: (5 marks)

1. went down from their horses = ________________

2. going out in file – one after the other = __________________

3. not seen any longer = _________________

4. pieces (like cuboids) of gold and silver = ___________________

5. pieces of wood cut from the forest = ___________________

D. Fill in the blank spaces with a preposition taken from

the passage: (2 marks)

1. The boy ran ____________ his dad.

2. Therese found all the kittens and she put them ___________ the box.

E. Find two verbs in the past tense from the passage and

then write their present tense: (2 marks)

1. Past tense ________________ 2.Past tense ________________

Present tense ________________ Present tense _______________

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Test 1 – Reading Comprehension – ANSWER SHEET

Japan

Japan is a small country but it is very rich. The Japanese are rich because they

are hard workers. They make and sell many of our modern machines, such as

cars, motorcycles, computers, televisions and radios. Perhaps even your family

owns a Japanese car or television.

The capital city of Japan is Tokyo. Tokyo is a very modern city full of factories

and high apartment blocks. But one can also find beautiful

old houses. The outside of an old Japanese house is made

of wood. The walls and doors inside are made of paper.

There are not any chairs or beds inside these old houses. People sit on mats and

eat at low tables.

Japanese children love to watch modern cartoons on television, but they also

learn origami, a very old hobby. In origami, children make

animals and birds by folding coloured paper.

Underline the correct answer:

9. The capital city of Japan is:

a) Valletta

b) Rome

c) Tokyo.

8

10. Inside an old Japanese house, the walls and doors are made of:

a) paper

b) wood

c) stone.

11. On T.V., Japanese children love to watch:

a) quiz programmes

b) science programmes

c) modern cartoons.

12. Japan is a rich country because:

a) it is a small country

b) it makes and sells modern machinery

c) it is a modern city.

(1 x 4 = 4 marks)

Answer these questions: (1 mark each)

13. What modern machines do the Japanese make?

They make cars, motorcycles, computers, televisions and radios.

14. Where do people sit in old Japanese houses?

They sit on mats.

15. What do Japanese children make in origami? How?

They make animals and birds by folding coloured paper.

16. Would you like to live in Japan? Why/Why not?

Accept valid answers.

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Test 2 – Reading Comprehension – Ali Baba – ANSWERS

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions below.

One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest cutting

the wood which he sold for a living, he saw a

number of horsemen coming towards him, and

fearing that they might be robbers, he quickly

climbed a tree and hid himself.

There were forty in all, and when they came near the

tree where Ali Baba was hiding, they dismounted. After they had tied up their

horses and fed them, they all followed their captain to a rock near by.

“Open Sesame,” cried the leader, and a door opened in the rock. The men

entered one by one, and the captain followed; then the door closed of itself.

Ali Baba waited and after some time, he saw the robbers filing out again. When

they were out of sight, he went up to the rock and called out, “Open Sesame”.

The door flew open at the words, and Ali Baba, stepping inside, was surprised

to find himself in a well-lighted cavern filled with bales of silk, rolls of rich

carpeting, heaps of gold and silver ingots and bags of money.

Ali Baba loaded his asses with some of the gold, and having covered the bags

with his sticks, he hurried home to tell his wife of his good fortune.

10

A. Write True, False or No Information Given: (5 marks)

1. Ali Baba hid near some bushes. FALSE

2. There were forty thieves in all. TRUE

3. The leader of the group was called Sesame. NO INFORMATION GIVEN

4. Ali Baba found himself in a dark cavern filled with treasures - FALSE

5. Ali Baba hurried home to tell his wife of his good fortune - TRUE

B. Answer the following questions in full: (1 x 6 = 6 marks)

1. What did Ali Baba do for a living?

He used to cut wood from the forest and then sells it.

2. What did these men do when they arrived where Ali Baba was hiding?

They tied up their horses and fed them, then followed their leader to a rock.

3. Who was the last person to enter the cavern?

The last person to enter was the captain.

4. What did Ali Baba do after the robbers had gone out of sight?

He went up to the rock and called out “Open Sesame”.

5. What part of the treasure did Ali Baba take with him?

He took some of the gold with him.

6. What steps did he take to hide the treasure?

He covered the bags with his sticks.

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7. Mention four things that Ali Baba found inside the cavern. (2 marks)

Bales of silk rolls of rich carpeting

Heaps of gold and silver ingots bags of money

C. Write the word or phrase from the passage with the

following meaning: (5 marks)

1. went down from their horses = dismounted

2. going out in file – one after the other = filing out

3. not seen any longer = out of sight

4. pieces (like cuboids) of gold and silver = ingots

5. pieces of wood cut from the forest = sticks

D. Fill in the blank spaces with a preposition taken from

the passage: (2 marks)

1. The boy ran TOWARDS his dad.

2. Therese found all the kittens and she put them IN the box.

E. Find two verbs in the past tense from the passage and

then write their present tense: (2 marks)

ACCEPT ALL VALID ANSWERS

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Short Writing Task – between 50 and 60 words (10 marks)

Choose either task a or task b.

a) Write some instructions telling your friend how to make your

breakfast. OR

b) Write some instructions on how to tidy up your bedroom.

Things you need:

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Instructions:

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________.

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Long Writing Task – between 140 and 200 words (20 marks)

Choose one:

a) Write an article for the school magazine about the village/town

where you live.

b) Write an article for the school magazine about your school.

PRE-WRITING (5 marks)

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Article about_____________________ (15 marks)

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

_______________________________________________.

Year 6

Listening Comprehension Test 1

Childhood memories

When I was a boy, I liked swimming very much. One summer, my brother,

sister and I spent the holidays with some relatives at Mellieha. The house was

at the bottom of the hill, just a few meters from the shore.

Everyday at seven o‟clock sharp, we had breakfast, put on our swimsuits and

ran down to the sea. From then until late at night, we were either in the sea or

on the beach. At noon, we will go back to the house for a bite to eat and were

soon back in the sea again.

The water was warm and the sun shone everyday.

Three times during our holidays, we had strong winds that blew the golden sand

against our legs as we ran down to the sea. We were all good swimmers and did

not mind the waves. We dived through them or raced against them towards the

beach until we were exhausted and hungry.

It is hard to forget the „good old days‟.

Task 1 – Childhood Memories (10 marks)

Underline the correct answer.

1. The summer house was: a. far away from the sea

b. near the sea

c. on the hill

d. on the beach.

2. The children had breakfast a. on the sand

b. in the sea

c. early in the morning

d. late at night.

3. The children put on their swimsuits a. before each meal

b. right after breakfast

c. to go to bed in

d. on the shore.

Underline the correct word or phrase in each bracket.

4. The children raced against (each other, the waves, their friends).

5. The author had (a brother and a sister, two sisters, two brothers).

6. They spent one summer at (Msida, Marsalforn, Mellieha).

7. Another word for exhausted is (hungry, tired, happy).

8. The strong winds blew (the leaves, the dust, the golden sand).

Continue this sentence.

9. It is hard for the author to forget the „good old days‟ because

________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________ .

Task 1 – Childhood Memories (10 marks)

Underline the correct answer. (8 marks)

1. The summer house was: a. far away from the sea

b. near the sea

c. on the hill

d. on the beach.

2. The children had breakfast a. on the sand

b. in the sea

c. early in the morning

d. late at night.

3. The children put on their swimsuits a. before each meal

b. right after breakfast

c. to go to bed in

d. on the shore.

Underline the correct word or phrase in each bracket.

4. The children raced against (each other, the waves, their friends).

5. The author had (a brother and a sister, two sisters, two brothers).

6. They spent one summer at (Msida, Marsalforn, Mellieha).

7. Another word for exhausted is (hungry, tired, happy).

8. The strong winds blew (the leaves, the dust, the golden sand).

Continue this sentence. (2 marks)

9. It is hard for the author to forget the „good old days‟ because he used to

enjoy himself very much when he was younger (accept reasonable

answers).

Year 6

Listening Comprehension Test 2

Paul and his hobby

Paul is from Mosta. He likes tennis, hockey and badminton but he prefers

football. Paul is just young enough to play for an under-14 football team in his

hometown. Every other day he attends training with his team-mates and on

most Sundays, he plays a match at the local football ground. Quite often, he

goes to Ta‟ Qali Stadium to watch the Premier League games.

One day, Paul went abroad with his team to play some matches against teams

from other youth clubs. They had been invited to visit Rome during the Easter

holidays. All the boys were accommodated with local families, and they were

made to feel most welcome. Paul‟s team played four games and everyone gave

a good account of himself.

While they were in Rome, all the boys were taken to visit St. Peter‟s Basilica.

They saw other churches and museums too. They watched a football match in a

beautiful stadium and even found time to spend an afternoon at the zoo, where

they admired animals which they had only seen on books or on television.

When Paul returned home, he related and described all he had seen. He never

tired of talking about his visit to the “Olimpico” where he had watched Roma

beat Lazio.

When he grows up, Paul wants to become a professional footballer.

Task 2 – Paul and his hobby (10 marks)

Underline the correct answer in questions 1 and 2. (2 marks)

1. On Sundays, Paul plays:

at the school playground

at the Mosta ground

at Ta‟ Qali Stadium

at the Olimpico.

2. While in Rome, Paul stayed:

at a hotel

at an inn

at a football club

with an Italian family.

3. Write down the names of two famous places which Paul visited in Rome.

___________________________________

___________________________________ (2 marks)

4. What did Paul do on returning home? (1 mark)

________________________________________________________________

5. When Paul grows up, does he want to play football just for fun, or does he

want to get paid for it? (2 marks)

________________________________________________________________

6. From the passage you have just heard, find words with the same meaning as

friends - ________________________

came back - _____________________

gets older - ______________________ (3 marks)

Task 2 – Paul and his hobby (10 marks)

Underline the correct answer in questions 1 and 2. (2 marks)

2. On Sundays, Paul plays:

at the school playground

at the Mosta ground

at Ta’ Qali Stadium

at the Olimpico.

2. While in Rome, Paul stayed:

at a hotel

at an inn

at a football club

with an Italian family.

3. Write down the names of two famous places which Paul visited in Rome.

St. Peter’s Basilica

the Zoo / Olimpico Stadium (2 marks)

4. What did Paul do on returning home? (1 mark)

He related and described all he had seen while in Rome.

5. When Paul grows up, does he want to play football just for fun, or does he

want to get paid for it? (2 marks)

He wants to get paid for it.

6. From the passage you have just heard, find words with the same meaning as:

friends – team – mates / mates

came back -returned

gets older – grows up. (3 marks)

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Task 1 - WARMER – NOT ASSESSED

Each numbered question has two questions – one question

for each student.

1A – Student A: Good morning …….., can you spell your name for me please?

1B – Student B: Good morning …….., can you spell your name for me please?

2A – Student A: Where do you live? What is your address?

2B – Student B: How old are you? Which month of the year do you like best?

Why?

3A – Student A: How do get to school in the morning?

What do you usually see on the way to school?

3B – Student B: Talk to me about your favourite room in the house.

Why is it your favourite room?

4A – Student A: What do you plan to do today after school?

4B – Student B: What did you do yesterday after school?

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Task 2 - INTERVIEW – 3 MINUTES

Interlocutor asks questions on one topic per student at a time as indicated below.

To Student A:

The interlocutor says: “I’m going to ask you some questions about helping

at home”.

1. Do you like helping at home? Why/Why not?

2. Do you think children should be paid for helping at home? Why/Why not?

3. How can you be helpful at home? Talk to me about things you can do to help at home.

To Student B:

The interlocutor says: “I’m going to ask you some questions about food and

drink”.

1. What is your favourite food? Describe it for me.

2. If you were going to make a pizza/pasta, what toppings/ingredients would you add?

3. Is there any food which you definitely will not eat? Why?

To Student A:

The interlocutor says: “I’m going to ask you some questions about the

weather”.

1. What is the weather like today? Describe it for me.

2. What clothes do we wear in warm weather / cold weather?

3. Do you prefer summertime or wintertime? Why?

To Student B:

The interlocutor says: “I’m going to ask you some questions about pets and

animals”.

1. Which is your favourite animal? Why?

2. Do you have a pet? If you were going to have a new pet, what would you prefer?

Why?

3. Is there an animal which you definitely will not keep as a pet? Why?

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Task 3 – Compare and Contrast – 3 MINUTES

Interlocutor says: “Look carefully at these two pictures and I will ask you

both some questions about them.”

1A: Student A: Tell me how they are different.

1B: Student B: Tell me how they are similar.

2A: Student A: a. What are the children in the first picture doing? Where are they

playing? How old do you think they are?

b. Are you a good friend to someone? Why do you think you are a good

friend?

c. What sort of things do you do with your friends at school/after school?

2B: Student B: a. What are the children in the second picture doing? Why are they sad?

How old do you think they are?

b. Do you fight with your friends sometimes? What do you fight about?

c. What do you feel after a fight with your best friend? What will you do

to make up with each other and move on?

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Task 4 – SINGLE PICTURE – 3 MINUTES

Interlocutor says: “Look at this picture; then we are going to talk about it.”

Interlocutor allows the students around 5 seconds to look at the picture. The

interlocutor should ask the questions to the two students in turn so that both students

participate equally.

1. Tell me what you can see in the picture.

2. Can you describe one of the children for me?

3. How old do you think they are?

4. Where do you think they are?

5. What do you think happened just before this picture was taken?

6. What do you think happened just after this picture was taken?

7. Is there something in particular you don’t like about the picture? Why?

8. What was the first thing that you noticed when you saw this photo?

9. Do you think this picture was taken in Malta? Why/why not?

10. When do you think this picture was taken? At what time of the day?

11. Can you try to guess at what time of the year it was taken? Why do you

think so?

12. Who do you think took this photo?

13. If this picture was an advertisement, what would it be advertising?

14. Can you think of a title for this picture?