Angola 12th Grade English National Exam cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports one part only, so test each option against the entire text.

Scanning answers 'who/what/when/where' questions; skimming (first and last sentence of each paragraph) answers 'what is the passage about'.

An inference must follow necessarily from stated evidence; if an option needs outside knowledge, it is wrong.

Reference words (it, they, this, such) point to the nearest preceding noun phrase that agrees in number and makes sense.

True/False/Not Given: 'Not Given' applies when the passage is silent, not when it merely contradicts the statement.

Signal words (however, therefore, although, in contrast) mark the logical relation between clauses and usually carry the tested point.

For matching headings, choose the option covering the whole paragraph; a heading true of only one sentence is a distractor.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one preserving the author's tone and logic.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past action to now; past simple is used with finished time markers (yesterday, in 2019, last year).

Third conditional: if + past perfect, would have + past participle - for unreal past situations.

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and changes time/place words (now→then, today→that day, here→there).

Passive voice = be + past participle; the object of the active sentence becomes the subject.

Relative pronouns: who for people, which for things, whose for possession, where for places, when for times.

Subject–verb agreement: each, every, either, neither, nobody take a singular verb; collective nouns take singular in formal written English.

Gerund after prepositions and after verbs like enjoy, avoid, suggest, mind; infinitive after want, decide, hope, manage.

Modals of deduction: must (certain), may/might/could (possible), can't (impossible) - never 'mustn't' for logical impossibility.

Noun suffixes: -tion/-sion (educate→education), -ment (develop→development), -ness (happy→happiness), -ity (able→ability), -er/-or (teach→teacher).

Adjective suffixes: -ful (care→careful), -less (hope→hopeless), -ive (create→creative), -ous (danger→dangerous), -able (read→readable).

Prefixes of negation: un-, in-, im- (before m/p/b), il- (before l), ir- (before r), dis-, non-.

Verb prefixes change meaning: re- (again), over- (too much), under- (too little), mis- (wrongly), pre- (before).

Spelling rule: final consonant doubles before -ing/-ed when the word is one syllable with CVC ending and stress falls on it (stop→stopped).

Silent final -e drops before a vowel suffix (make→making) but is kept before a consonant suffix (hope→hopeful).

Collocation decides word choice: 'make a decision', 'do homework', 'take part in', 'pay attention to'.

Countable vs uncountable: much/little/fewer with uncountables or plurals; many/few/fewer with countables.

A paragraph = topic sentence + supporting sentences + concluding sentence; every supporting sentence must relate to the topic sentence.

Formal letter/email: no contractions, no slang, use 'Dear Sir/Madam' with 'Yours faithfully' or a named recipient with 'Yours sincerely'.

An essay structure is introduction (thesis), body paragraphs (one idea each), conclusion (restates thesis, no new arguments).

Cohesive devices: addition (moreover, furthermore), contrast (however, nevertheless), result (therefore, consequently), example (for instance).

Punctuation: a comma cannot join two independent clauses; use a full stop, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction.

Narrative writing uses past tenses and time markers (first, then, afterwards, finally); argumentative writing uses present tense for general claims.

Word count and task instructions (letter, article, report, story) determine register, layout, and whether headings are needed.

Editing checklist: subject–verb agreement, tense consistency, articles (a/an/the), prepositions, and spelling of irregular plurals.

Predict content from the question stems before audio plays; note the question type (number, name, reason, place) to know what to listen for.

Numbers, dates, and prices are often corrected mid-sentence (e.g. 'nine thirty - sorry, ten fifteen'); record the final version.

Distractors are words heard in the audio but answering a different question; match the answer to the question asked, not to familiarity.

Signposting phrases (firstly, another thing, however, on the other hand) announce a new point or a change of direction.

Spelling of proper names is usually given letter by letter; write as it is spelled, not as it sounds.

Answers appear in the same order as the questions in most exam formats; if you miss one, move to the next question.

Negative or conditional phrasing ('not until', 'unless', 'instead of') reverses or restricts the meaning; note it before choosing.