English language
The English section checks control of grammar, vocabulary and register at an upper-intermediate level, applied to short academic or institutional texts. Most items are decided by one structural clue, so read the whole sentence before choosing.
Checkpoints
- Conditionals: first (if + present, will), second (if + past, would + base form), third (if + had + past participle, would have + past participle). Never write «if I would».
- Past simple versus present perfect: with yesterday, ago, in 1990 use the past simple; with since, for, just, yet, already use the present perfect.
- Passive voice: the bill was approved by Parliament; the defendant is presumed innocent.
- Connectors: however introduces contrast between sentences; whereas contrasts two clauses; therefore marks a consequence; despite takes a noun or -ing form, although takes a clause.
- False friends: actual means effettivo, eventual means finale, to attend means frequentare, sensible means ragionevole.
- Institutional collocations: to come into force, to be bound by a rule, breach of contract, burden of proof.
Worked example
Complete: «If the court had applied the precedent, the outcome ___ different». A) would be B) would have been C) will be D) had been. The if-clause uses had applied, so the sentence is a third conditional describing an unreal past: the correct form is would have been (B). Option A belongs to the second conditional, C to the first, D is ungrammatical after would. The clue is entirely inside the if-clause.
Traps
Translating literally from Italian; using the present perfect with a finished past time; confusing although and despite; choosing a synonym that fits the meaning but not the collocation; ignoring singular or plural agreement in gap-fill items with quantifiers such as each, neither, none of.