ESL: Reading Skills, Language Use, Listening, and Essay
Reading Skills
Passages are short and practical. Expect main-idea, detail, sequence, vocabulary-in-context, and simple inference questions. Read the questions first so you know what to look for, then locate the sentence that supports your choice. Do not import outside facts.
Language Use
This is grammar in single sentences: articles (a, an, the), prepositions (in, on, at, for, since), verb tense and form, subject-verb agreement, count versus noncount nouns (much information, many facts), comparatives and superlatives, and word order. Trap: an answer that sounds natural in your first language but breaks English patterns, especially with prepositions and articles. Test each blank by reading the whole sentence aloud mentally.
Listening
You hear short conversations and talks, often played once or twice. Before the audio starts, scan the answer choices to predict the topic. Note key nouns, numbers, and the speaker's purpose. Traps: a choice that repeats a word you heard but answers the wrong question, and distractors with a reversed cause and effect.
Essay
You have roughly 25 minutes to write a short opinion or experience essay. Use a clear structure: a one-sentence thesis, two body paragraphs each with a topic sentence and a specific example, and a brief conclusion. Length matters less than clarity. Save two minutes to check verb tense consistency, articles, and sentence boundaries.
Rule of thumb
One idea per paragraph, one example per idea, and one tense per narrative. A simple, correct sentence scores better than an ambitious, broken one.