English: reading comprehension, grammar and writing
What you must master
English on the MAVO exam tests reading comprehension (main idea, details, inference, reference words), vocabulary in context, grammar (tenses, comparatives, prepositions, question forms) and short writing tasks such as a note, email or message.
Traps in questions
- The main idea covers the whole text; a detail that appears in one sentence is usually a distractor.
- Reference words: it, they, this and which point back to a noun or idea. Read the sentence before to find the referent.
- Tense questions: look for time markers. Yesterday and last week signal the past simple; since and for signal the present perfect; at the moment signals the present continuous.
- False friends: actually means 'in fact', not 'currently'; eventually means 'in the end', not 'possibly'.
- In a writing task, check the required elements: greeting, reason, question, closing. Missing one element costs marks even with correct grammar.
Rule of thumb with an example
When two answers look correct, choose the one supported directly by the text, not the one that sounds logical in real life. Example: 'Tom has lived in Oranjestad ___ 2019.' The marker since with a starting point gives since; for would need a duration such as for five years.
Practice
Read short news items and write one sentence summarising each in your own words. This trains both comprehension and sentence control for the writing task.