Reading Comprehension Under Time Pressure
A student sits a 60-minute English paper containing a 400-word passage followed by five short-answer questions worth 10 marks in total, plus a 150-word writing task worth 15 marks. In a mock test the student spent 35 minutes on the passage and answered only three questions, leaving 25 minutes for the writing task, which was unfinished. The student's reading speed is about 150 words per minute but comprehension drops sharply when rushing. The teacher advises allocating time by marks and reading the questions before the passage. The pass mark is 40% of the total paper.
1. Propose a time plan for the 60 minutes that reflects the marks available, and justify the allocation.
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A workable plan is: 5 minutes to read the five questions and skim the passage headings; 10 minutes to read the passage carefully once; 15 minutes to locate evidence and write the five answers; 25 minutes for planning, drafting and checking the 150-word writing task; and 5 minutes for final review.
Justification: the writing task carries 15 of the 25 marks in this section, so it deserves the largest single block. The passage questions carry 10 marks, so roughly 30 minutes total on reading and answering is proportionate. Reading the questions first directs attention to relevant paragraphs and reduces re-reading, which is where the 35 minutes was lost in the mock. The 5-minute review protects against careless errors in spelling and grammar, which are explicitly assessed in the writing task.
2. The student's mock score was 12 out of 25 on this section. Explain, using the marks, whether the new plan is likely to raise the score above the pass threshold.
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The student scored 12/25, which is 48% on this section - already above the 40% threshold, but the margin is thin and the writing task was incomplete, so the lost marks were concentrated where they cost most.
If the writing task had been finished, the student might have gained several of the 15 marks rather than losing them. Under the new plan the writing task gets 25 minutes, enough for a plan, a full 150-word draft and a check. Even a modest gain of 4–5 marks would lift the section score to roughly 16–17/25, about 64–68%, which is comfortably above the threshold. The plan does not guarantee marks, but it removes the structural cause of the loss.