Exam Tips for EMSA
How to complete the English Reading
exam if you cannot read very well.
Find your practice tests
http://abudhabisecondaryschool.w
ikispaces.com/English+EMSA+tests
First: READ THE QUESTION
• Make sure you understand what is being
asked.
• Reading the question first also helps you to
look for the key words in the text.
Second: SKIM FOR MAIN IDEA
At 2 pm on 5 December 1945, five US bombers took off from
Fort Lauderdale in the USA for a training flight in perfect
weather. Shortly afterwards, the pilots radioed that their flight
instruments were all malfunctioning. Two hours after take-off, all
contact with the planes was lost. A reconnaissance plane was
immediately dispatched to search for the missing planes. Within
20 minutes, radio contact with it had also been lost. No trace of
any of the planes was ever found. In all, six planes and 27 men
had vanished into the air.
What is this text about?
The disappearance of the six planes was far from being
the first mysterious incident in the area: for years,
navigational problems and strange magnetic forces had
been reported. The disappearance was not even the
greatest disaster within the triangle. The Cyclops, a
19,000-ton US ship was sailing from Barbados to Norfolk,
Virginia. In March 1918, when it vanished with its crew of
309 from the surface of he ocean without making a
distress call and without the slightest wreckage ever
being found.
The losses of boats and planes in that area defy
explanation. The disasters are the origin of a
new phrase in the English language – the
Bermuda Triangle and this phrase has entered
legend. The Bermuda Triangle has been called
the Devils’ Triangle, the Triangle of Death, the
Graveyard of the Atlantic. It has swallowed up
140 ships and planes and more than 1,000
people. Today many airmen and sailors are still
afraid of that area of the Atlantic Ocean.
Third: SCAN FOR DETAILS
Look for dates, numbers, names, and
KEY WORDS from the question!
The disappearance of the six planes was far from
being the first mysterious incident in the area: for
years, navigational problems and strange magnetic
forces had been reported. The disappearance was
not even the greatest disaster within the triangle.
The Cyclops, a 19,000-ton US ship was sailing from
Barbados to Norfolk, Virginia. In March 1918, when
it vanished with its crew of 309 from the surface of
he ocean without making a distress call and without
the slightest wreckage ever being found.
Fourth: USE YOUR WHOLE BRAIN
Don’t ignore what you know from other subjects
or other parts of the test.
Remember what you’ve read or studied!
Fifth: NARROW DOWN YOUR CHOICES
• If you cannot decide the best answer, start by
eliminating the ones that are definitely wrong.
Sixth: USE CONTEXT CLUES
Try to figure out the meaning of a word from the
text around it. This is also a good way to check
your answer.
Seventh: CHECK YOUR WORK
• If you have time, go back and check.
ONCE.
• Don’t obsess over every little thing.
Second guessing yourself doesn’t help.
Exam Tips for EMSA
How to complete the English Writing exam.
Step 1: PUNCTUATION COUNTS
• Every sentence ends with a full stop.
.
• Every sentence begins with a capital letter.
Capital Letter
Step 2: USE YOUR VERBS!
• Every sentence has a verb.
•If there is no verb,
THERE IS NO SENTENCE!
• So use your linking verbs if there is no action:
– I am
– She is
– You/We/They are
I was
She was
You/We/They were
I want/think/feel/like
She wants/thinks/feels/likes
You/We/They want/think/feel/like
Step 3: MAKE A PLAN
• On the side or back of your exam, or wherever
there is space, plan what you want to say.
• You can make a list.
• You can just write some words to remind you.
• You can write an outline:
– Introduction (1 paragraph)
– Body (1-3 paragraphs)
– Conclusion (1 paragraph)
Step 4: PRACTICE!
1. Read the topic sentence:
1. Tourism is a growth industry in the UAE. Write a report
explaining the pros and cons of the growth in tourism.
2. Some people say it is more important to have money than
friends. Do you agree or disagree?
3. The world has changed dramatically in the last one
hundred years, and how we live now is very different to
life in 1909. What do you think life will be like in 2109?
Why?
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
3. Write!
4. Then give your writing to someone else to
check.
5. Tomorrow…do it again!