NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________

EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

EXAMS
Junior Certificate
English
It is not necessary to carry out all the activities contained in
this unit.

Exams: English
Theme

Level A1 – B1

Language Key vocabulary for exam questions, type and structure of

focus questions, capitalisation, recognising different fonts/sizes

Learning Understanding the instructions on an exam paper, reading

focus questions for detail

For the It is recommended that teachers examine the keyword lists as it

teacher may be appropriate for students taking Ordinary Level
examinations to familiarise themselves with some of the
vocabulary from Higher Level papers.

CONTENTS

Section Exercise number/name Page number

A. Understanding the 1-15 4,5

language of questions

B. Understanding question 16 - 23 6,7,8

types
24-28
C. Preparing for sample
Letters 9
questions
Personal opinions 9
Interpreting a poem 10
Writing a description 11

12
Answer Key

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Keywords
The keywords which are found in English exam papers are as follows:

Both Ordinary and Higher Level

Types of text/genres best

poem short
scene
story Nouns
novel adventure
dialogue reasons
film thing
caption words
paragraph
play
what
Instructions in questions said
Think adapted
Answer what's
Imagine like
Describe about
Say going
Give studied
something
People got
poet must
character head
writer looking
listeners happened
audience back
author reading
hero anyway
any
Adjectives started
exciting thinking
ordinary
unexpected

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Keywords
Additional keywords for English Higher Level

Text/genres
bear as in “bear in mind”
extract attempt
reference spelling
text grammar
narrative capitals
poetry punctuation
advertisement background
prose reasons
passage impression
composition supporting
title suppose (why do you suppose?)
essay
scene Nouns
style channel
media version
feelings
Instructions in questions quotation
Write
Support
Choose Adjectives
Think short
Suggest dramatic
Select descriptive
Must edited

Answering questions Other words

basis / basing/ based on thee
thou
anyone

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Trinity Immigration Initiative 2007-2009
NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

SECTION A. Understanding the language of questions

You must read exam questions very carefully. Here are some typical
instructions from English exam questions. Read the text carefully and do
the activities. If you are not sure about any words, check them in your
dictionary and make a note of them in your own language.

YOU MUST ANSWER SECTIONS 1, 2, 3, AND 4

YOU MUST ALSO ANSWER ANY TWO OF
SECTIONS 5, 6, AND 7

1. How many sections must you answer? (√) 4___ 7___ 5___ 6___

Are you allowed to choose from sections 1, 2, 3, and 4? Yes No

YOU HAVE, ON AVERAGE, 25 MINUTES

FOR EACH SECTION
2. What does on average mean? __________________________

Do you have 25 minutes for each question? _________________

ƒ Read this passage carefully and answer the questions which follow it.
ƒ Read this piece and then answer the questions which follow it.

3. What is a passage? _____________________________________

What does piece mean in this question? ______________________

Where will you find the questions? __________________________

According to the passage,

4. What does according to mean? _______________________________

What is the chief difference between

5. What does chief mean in this question? _________________________

Read this scene

6. Where would you find a scene? _______________________________

Do you find one person speaking in a scene? Yes No

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Explain any two of the following in your own words.

7. How many things do you have to explain? _____________

What does in your own words mean? ___________________________

the MAIN IDEA of this piece

8 What does this mean? ______________________________________

CHOOSE ONLY ONE TOPIC

You may find this type of instruction in the composition section of the paper.

9. What does ONE TOPIC mean? _______________________________

Examine carefully

10. What does examine mean in this instruction? _____________________

Which picture do you consider

11. Write do you consider in another way. _________________________

Using ONE of the following headings

12. Explain the word headings. __________________________________

How many headings must you use for your answer? ________________

Explain your answer with reference to the story.

13. What does with reference to the story mean? ___________________

______________________________________________________

Which of these ideas is, in your opinion, the most important?

Give reasons for your answer.

14. There are two parts to this question. What are they?

a) ____________________ b) __________________

What evidence do we have

15. What does evidence mean in this question? ______________________

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

SECTION B. Understanding question types

16. Reading text and answering questions.

Remember!

• Many of the answers to the questions are in the text.

• For some answers you have to use your own ideas/imagination.

• Be careful not to spend all your time reading the text.

• Look at the marks for each question.

What do we discover about the way people travel to work? (paragraph 1)

a) When you see (paragraph 1) in a question what will you do?

______________________________________________________

Is the main idea in this piece to:

advertise cheap clothing?
or
show us how clothes are made in a factory?
or
tell us about young children working for long hours every day?

b) How many answers are there to this question? (√) 1____ 2____ 3____

(Personal Writing)
Write a composition on ONE of the following topics.
17. How many topics must you choose? ______________________

The composition is a section of the exam paper. How long, approximately,

do you have to write your composition? _____________________

(Functional Writing)
You disagree strongly with the writer of the article in Section 1,
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper stating your point of view.

18. What is this question based on? _____________________________________

What does your point of view mean? _________________________________

This question is a section of the exam paper. How long, approximately do

you have to write the letter? _______________________________________

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Look at Picture 8 on page 4 of Paper X. You are a resident in this

street and you are very upset by the lorries and vans that are passing your home .
Write a letter to your local council about the situation.
In it, you should:
describe the problem
state your annoyance
make suggestions for dealing with the situation.

19. Where do you get the information for this question? ______________

What do you describe in your letter? __________________________

What does state mean? ____________________________________

What does make suggestions mean? ___________________________

(Fiction)
Think about a NOVEL or SHORT STORY you have studied
in which people have suffered cruelty. Describe the story briefly in your own words
and say why you think it is important for young people to read such stories.

20. Where do you get the information for this question? _______________

What do these mean:

briefly ____________________________

in your own words _____________________________________

such stories _________________________________________

(Drama)
How would you describe the behaviour of Jones in this scene?
What does he say or do in this extract which leads you to your opinion of him?
21. What are the two parts in this question?

1____________________________________________________

2 ___________________________________________________
(Poetry)
Read stanza 3 of the poem. Describe the speaker's feelings in this stanza.
What words convey this feeling?

22. Where would you find the answer to the question, ‘What words convey
this feeling?’. ____________________________________________

What does convey mean in this question? _______________________

(Media Studies)
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EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Examine carefully Pages 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Paper X.

Then, answer the questions.

23. a) Where do you find the information for the questions in the Media
Studies section? __________________________________________

Look carefully at pages 4 and 5 of Paper X. Now, match the cartoons

lettered A - F with the captions numbered 1- 6.
One match has been made for you as an example.
B 2
Write the remaining five matches in your answerbook.
b) Where do you write your answers? __________________________

What is a cartoon? _______________________________________

What is a caption? ________________________________________

Is there a caption for every cartoon? Yes ________ No ________

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

SECTION C. Preparing for sample questions

(Writing a letter)
24. A letter may appear on your exam paper in one or another section. It is
not always in the same section.

Write a letter to a newspaper in another country in the hope of finding a pen pal.
In your letter, introduce yourself giving some detail about your daily life, likes and
dislikes, and hobbies and interests.
Explain why you are interested in corresponding with a pen pal from the country you
have chosen.

Read this question carefully.

a) What is the purpose of the letter? ___________________________

b) How will you begin the letter? _____________________________

c) How will you organise the information in your letter?

1 ___________________________

2 ___________________________

3 ___________________________

4 ___________________________

d) What adjectives will you use to describe yourself? ________________

Say which country you have chosen and note some of the reasons for your

choice:

e) Country you have chosen: ______________________

f) Reasons: ______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

25. You may be asked to choose a word, slogan, picture or other image and
explain why you think it is good or the best.

For example:
Examine the slogans on all four posters on Page 1.
Which is the best slogan?
Say why you think it is the best.

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Read the three slogans below. They are all related to anti-racism
campaigns. Which one do you think is the best? Explain your choice.

Racism, it’s all in your head.

Unite against racism in European football

RACISM: SPOT IT AND STOP IT!

a) The best slogan: __________________________________________

b) Why I think this is the best slogan: ____________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

26. You may be asked to identify your favourite word or image in a text.
Example:
What is your favourite word or image in this text?

Read a poem in your textbook and find a word that you like.

a) What is the word? ______________________

b) Why do you like this word? __________________________________

______________________________________________________

27. You may be asked about a poem and why the poet has written it.

Example:
Who is the speaker in this poem and who do you think he/she is speaking to?

Is the speaker the same person as the poet? ___________________

Give some words that you might use to describe a speaker’s feelings:
___________________ _______________ ___________________

___________________ _______________ ___________________

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

28. Writing a description.

Example:
Look at picture 2 on page 2 of Paper X.
It shows that there has been an accident in a city street.
Write a headline and a description of the accident for the front page of your local newspaper.

a) Write a headline about an accident:

______________________________________________________

b) Think about how you would describe the scene following an accident.

Suggest some verbs you could use:

__________________ _________________ _________________

Suggest some adjectives you could use:

__________________ _________________ _________________

__________________ _________________ _________________

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NAME: ________________________ DATE:________________________
EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

Answer key
Section A. Understanding the language of questions
Page 4
1. 6
No
2. You have approximately 25 minutes
No, 25 minutes for each SECTION
3. a short text
a short text
after / below the text
4. as it is in the text
5. main, most important, principal
6. in a drama or film
usually you have more than one person in a scene

Page 5
7. 2
describe this using your words not the words on the exam paper
8. the most important idea in the text
9. one composition from the titles that are on the paper
10. read carefully
11. do you think
12. title
1
13. you must give examples from the story
14. a) the most important idea
b) why you think this is the most important idea
15. a reason for believing something – the reason is in the text

Section B. Understanding question types

Page 6
16. a) read paragraph 1 carefully to find the answer
b) 1
17. 1
25 minutes
18. The article that is printed in Section 1 of the exam paper.
your opinion or way of seeing the problem
25 minutes
Page 7
19 . from picture number 8 on page 4 of the paper with the images

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EXAMS: English Junior Certificate

what happens when the lorries and vans use the road that you live on.
express, make it clear (that you are annoyed)
give some ideas
20. a story that you have read either in school or at home
briefly - describe it in a short piece of text
in your own words - using your own way of telling the story
such stories - stories like this
21. 1. When you read this scene how do you think Jones is behaving?
2. What does he say in this scene that makes you think this?
22. In the third verse / part of the poem
pass / transmit the feeling from the speaker or poet to the reader

Page 8
23. a) on pages 4 and 5 of the paper with the images
b) in the answerbook
a drawing that tells a joke or shows a funny situation
a short piece of text that explains what is in a picture or cartoon
Yes
Section C. Preparing for sample questions
Page 9
24. a) to find a penpal in another country
b) Dear Sir or Madam
c) Example: 1 describe myself, age, gender, why I am writing

2 describe family, school

3 talk about what I like doing after school / weekends
4 explain why I want a penpal from *********
Page 10
27. The poet may be speaking for somebody else, not for himself.
Examples: angry, sad, amazed, happy, satisfied, tired, hungry, lonely, uncertain

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