EIKEN Grade 2 cheat sheet

Eiken Grade 2 reading has three parts: Passage A (short informational text, 3 questions), Passage B (longer expository text, 4 questions), and Passage C (practical/advertisement-style text, 2 questions).

Time allocation per passage: Passage A about 8 minutes, Passage B about 14 minutes, Passage C about 5 minutes; remaining time goes to checking and the Writing task.

Question types in Passage A: main idea, true/false detail selection, and paragraph-insertion ordering; answers must be supported by an explicit sentence in the passage.

Passage B asks for paragraph-order questions (choose the correct arrangement of numbered paragraphs) and content-match questions; paragraph order follows logical connectors (however, therefore, for example, first) and pronoun reference.

For paragraph-ordering items, find the topic sentence first; the topic sentence has no backward-referencing pronouns and introduces the key noun, while later paragraphs begin with it, this, such, or another.

Lexical clues: contrast connectors (but, although, on the other hand) signal a reversal; cause-effect connectors (because, thus, as a result) signal a consequence; sequence connectors (then, after that) signal time order.

Passage C is practical: notices, schedules, menus, email exchanges, or ads; the correct answer often requires combining two pieces of information (price plus condition, date plus time).

Distractors typically restate passage words but change one element: a number, a negation, a time, or the subject of the sentence; verify each option against the text before choosing.

Grade 2 vocabulary covers roughly 5,000 basic words plus common phrasal verbs and idioms; unfamiliar words should be inferred from word formation (prefix, suffix, compound) and surrounding context.

The Writing task gives a topic with a fixed question, and the candidate writes an English composition of 80 to 100 words in about 25 minutes.

The prompt is typically opinion-based (Do you think ...?); the answer must state a position and support it with at least two reasons or examples.

Scoring uses four criteria: content (relevance and clarity of reasons), structure (paragraphing and logical flow), vocabulary (range and appropriateness), and grammar (accuracy and variety).

Structure rule: opening sentence stating the position, two body points each with a supporting example or detail, closing sentence restating the position without new information.

Word count: 80-100 words is the requirement; a composition under 80 words loses content points, and one far over 100 words risks grammar errors without extra credit.

Useful opinion frames: I think that..., In my opinion..., There are two reasons for this., For example..., For these reasons, I believe...

Grammar targets at Grade 2: present perfect, passive voice, relative clauses (who/which/that), infinitives of purpose, comparatives, and conditionals with if.

Avoid memorized templates unrelated to the topic; content points require reasons that answer the specific question asked, not generic statements about the importance of the issue.

Edit for subject-verb agreement, article use (a/an/the), and singular/plural nouns in the final two minutes; these are the most frequent deductions at this level.

The listening section has three parts: Part 1 (dialogues with written options, 10 questions), Part 2 (dialogues with no printed options, 10 questions), and Part 3 (monologues or longer talks, 5 questions).

Part 1: read the four printed options during the pause before each dialogue; the options usually differ by one detail - time, place, number, or person.

Part 2: no options are printed, so answers must be written in English; listen for the question word (what, where, when, who, how, why) and note the answer in a few words.

Part 3: passages are announcements, talks, or news-style monologues; questions ask about the main point, specific numbers, reasons, and the speaker's conclusion.

Numbers, times, and prices are frequent answer points and are often corrected mid-sentence (It was 3 o'clock - no, sorry, 3:30); write the corrected value.

Distractor technique: a wrong option is often mentioned and then denied or changed (I wanted the blue one, but it was sold out, so I took the black one) - the final statement is the answer.

Signal phrases for the answer: The reason is..., What I mean is..., The most important thing is..., so the correct option usually follows these markers.

Each listening part is played once only; if a question is missed, mark a provisional answer and move to the next question rather than stopping to think.

The speaking test is a face-to-face interview of about 7 minutes with four stages: reading aloud, questions about the passage, picture description, and opinion questions.

Stage 1 reading aloud: read a short passage of about 50 words silently for 20 seconds, then aloud; accuracy of pronunciation, rhythm, and linking sounds is scored.

Stage 2: two questions about the passage just read; answers are short and factual, drawn directly from the passage text.

Stage 3: describe a picture in about 40 seconds; cover who, where, what they are doing, and one detail such as weather, clothing, or background.

Stage 4: two opinion questions (Do you think ...? Why?); the answer needs a clear position plus one or two supporting reasons in complete sentences.

Picture-description frame: In this picture, there are ... / A man is ...ing near ... / On the left, ... / It looks like ... because ...

Opinion frame: I think so, because ... / I don't think so. The reason is that ... / For example, ...

Fluency rule: a short hesitation (well, let me see) is acceptable, but long silences and Japanese words lower the score; paraphrase an unknown word instead of stopping.

Scoring criteria: pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and content (whether the answer addresses the question); grammar errors are tolerated if communication succeeds.