EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Plus cheat sheet

Short passages (150-250 words) usually carry one main-idea question plus detail and inference items; answer with the option that the whole passage supports, not a single true sentence.

Main-idea answers must cover the entire passage; a choice that is true but limited to one paragraph is a detail distractor, not the main idea.

Inference items ask what is implied, not stated; reject options that repeat the text verbatim unless the question says "according to the passage."

Vocabulary-in-context items: substitute each option into the sentence and keep only the one that preserves the passage's logic and tone.

EXCEPT and NOT questions: three options are supported by the text; locate the line for each and eliminate, then choose the remaining one.

Information-retrieval tasks (notices, schedules, menus, flyers) require matching two or more conditions at once; underline every condition (date, price, eligibility) before scanning the chart.

In retrieval tables, wrong options typically satisfy one condition but violate another; a choice that meets all stated conditions is correct even if it looks less obvious.

Pronoun and reference questions (it, this, they) resolve to the nearest preceding noun phrase that fits grammatically and logically.

Part 1 dialogues: the correct answer paraphrases the speakers' words; an option that repeats an exact word from the audio is often a trap.

Listen for the second speaker's response, which usually resolves the question (agreement, correction, or new plan); the first speaker often sets up a false expectation.

Announcements: note who the message is for, what changes, and when; questions target time, place, and required action.

Numbers, times, and prices are frequently revised mid-announcement ("instead of," "changed to"); the later figure is normally the answer.

Longer talks follow a structure (introduction, details, conclusion); the first question often targets the speaker's purpose or topic, stated near the start.

Signal words (however, so, because, actually) mark the information that questions test; train attention on these transitions.

When two answer options seem possible, choose the one consistent with the speaker's stated reason, not the one that merely sounds plausible.

Email response: address every question or request in the prompt; omitting one required point costs content marks even if the English is accurate.

Email format: greeting, brief opening, answers to each prompt point in separate sentences, closing line, and sign-off; keep register consistent (polite neutral for a teacher or stranger).

Opinion essay: state a clear position in the introduction, give two supporting reasons with examples, and restate the position in the conclusion.

Use linking devices (first, moreover, for example, however, therefore) to make the logic explicit; graders reward clear organization.

Word-count targets: email responses are typically 40-50 words; opinion essays typically 80-100 words; stay within the range rather than padding.

Accuracy beats complexity: a correctly formed simple sentence scores better than a long sentence with broken agreement or tense.

Avoid memorized openers unrelated to the prompt; each sentence should carry prompt-specific content.

Read-aloud: read the passage silently first, then aloud with clear pauses at commas and periods; pronunciation, rhythm, and linking are scored, not speed.

Question-response items: answer in one or two complete sentences that directly address the question word (who, when, why); a fragment may be penalized.

Illustration description: describe people, actions, and setting in a fixed order (who, what they are doing, where), using present continuous.

Opinion question: give a clear position, one or two reasons, and a closing sentence; hesitation costs fluency, so use short planned frames ("I think ... because ...").

If a word is unknown during read-aloud, pronounce it confidently; stopping or restarting harms fluency more than a slight mispronunciation.

Keep answers to the time limit; an unfinished answer loses more than a shorter complete one.

Verb-tense items: match the time marker (yesterday, since 2020, by next week) to the tense; "since" plus present perfect, "by" plus future perfect.

Subject-verb agreement: ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb; the verb agrees with the head noun ("The list of items is").

Comparatives: use "-er/more" for two items and "the -est/most" for three or more; "as ... as" takes the base form.

Preposition collocations are tested directly: depend on, interested in, good at, look forward to plus -ing.

Word-form items: decide the part of speech needed from the slot (article plus noun, adverb modifying a verb) before choosing the form.

Countable versus uncountable: much/little with uncountable, many/few with countable; "information," "advice," and "news" are uncountable.

Relative clauses: use "who" for people, "which" for things, "where" for places; omit the relative pronoun only when it is the object.

Section order is typically vocabulary/grammar, reading, listening, writing, then speaking; allocate time per section and do not carry unfinished items forward.

Reading: answer detail and retrieval items first, then return to inference items; never leave a blank, since there is no penalty for guessing.

Listening audio plays once in most formats; read the question and options during the pause before each item to predict what to listen for.

Writing is scored on content, organization, vocabulary, and grammar; a short, accurate, fully-on-topic answer outscores a long, off-topic one.

Speaking is scored on pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and content; self-correction of a small error is acceptable, but long pauses are not.

Mark uncertain items and revisit only after completing all items in the section; changing answers without a textual reason usually lowers the score.