Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination - English study plan
Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination - English · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Reading comprehension (short and long passages) & Grammar and vocabulary in context (word order, inflection, function words)
Skim every long passage first for its topic sentence and structure before answering, timing 12 minutes per passage
Underline and define unknown words from context instead of stopping to translate
Classify the five most common Shiga-style reading question types (main idea, detail, inference, pronoun reference, author's purpose) and label them in practice sets
Drill word-order rearrangement items by identifying the grammatical subject and verb first
Log every missed grammar point in a personal error notebook with the corrected sentence
Your checkpoint
A completed error notebook page listing 20 missed items with corrected sentences and a labeled question-type tally for 6 practice passages
Reading comprehension (short and long passages) & English-to-Japanese translation and meaning explanation
Read two long passages per session and write a one-sentence Japanese summary of each paragraph
Translate 15 underlined English sentences into natural Japanese, checking particle choice and tense
Explain in Japanese why a wrong answer choice is wrong for 10 reading questions
Identify signal words (however, therefore, for example) and mark their function in each passage
Practice paraphrasing question stems to confirm what is actually being asked
Your checkpoint
A translation worksheet of 15 sentences with self-corrections and a 10-item wrong-answer analysis written in Japanese
Reading comprehension (short and long passages) & Grammar and vocabulary in context (word order, inflection, function words)
Complete a full reading section under 40-minute timed conditions without a dictionary
Review every error and tag it as vocabulary, grammar, or logic failure
Drill inflection and function words (tense, articles, prepositions, comparatives) in 60 short fill-in items
Rewrite 10 incorrect sentences correctly from memory the following day
Build a vocabulary list of 40 high-frequency exam words with Japanese meanings
Your checkpoint
A timed reading section score record plus a 40-word vocabulary sheet with Japanese glosses
Listening comprehension & Dialogue and situational communication (appropriate response selection)
Listen to 10 short dialogues and note the speaker, setting, and key request in each
Practice shadowing 5 audio scripts to improve recognition speed
Answer 20 situational response items by eliminating responses that break politeness or logic
Memorize 15 fixed conversational formulas (asking directions, offering help, apologizing, declining politely)
Predict the likely next line from a given utterance before hearing the options
Your checkpoint
A listening log of 10 dialogues with speaker/setting/request notes and a 20-item response drill score
Listening comprehension & Dialogue and situational communication (appropriate response selection)
Listen once only, then answer, to simulate real exam conditions for 3 sets
Transcribe 8 short audio segments and compare against the script to find misheard sounds
Role-play 6 situational exchanges aloud, responding within two seconds
Distinguish similar-sounding minimal pairs and contractions that cause mishearing
Review polite vs. casual register and choose responses matching the speaker's tone
Your checkpoint
Three one-listen listening set scores with a mishearing list of at least 10 sound or contraction confusions
Writing and composition (guided English production) & Grammar and vocabulary in context (word order, inflection, function words)
Write 8 guided compositions of 25-35 words answering a prompt with a clear topic sentence
Apply a fixed checklist: tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, capitalization, spelling
Rewrite 5 weak drafts into stronger ones by adding a reason or example
Complete 40 grammar-in-context items mixing word order and inflection
Self-correct writing using a personal error list from weeks 1-5
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of 8 corrected compositions with before-and-after versions and a grammar drill score
Reading comprehension (short and long passages) & English-to-Japanese translation and meaning explanation & Writing and composition (guided English production)
Complete two full mock exams under official timing and record section scores
Translate 10 exam-style sentences into Japanese and back-translate to check meaning
Write 3 compositions in 10 minutes each to build speed
Re-read the error notebook and re-solve 15 previously missed items
Identify the two weakest question types and drill 10 items of each
Your checkpoint
Two mock exam score sheets with a comparison table showing improvement per section
Reading comprehension (short and long passages) & Listening comprehension & Grammar and vocabulary in context (word order, inflection, function words) & Dialogue and situational communication (appropriate response selection) & Writing and composition (guided English production) & English-to-Japanese translation and meaning explanation
Take one final full mock exam under strict timing and review every error
Re-drill the 30 highest-priority items from the error notebook
Practice 20 rapid situational responses and 20 word-order items for speed
Write 2 timed compositions and translate 5 sentences to maintain all skills
Plan exam-day time allocation for each section and rehearse it once
Your checkpoint
A final mock exam score report with a one-page exam-day timing plan and a resolved error-notebook summary
Milestones
Week 2: Can summarize each paragraph of a long passage in one Japanese sentence and translate 12 of 15 target sentences acceptably
Week 4: Scores at least 60% on a timed reading section and 70% on a 20-item situational response drill
Week 6: Writes a 30-word guided composition with no tense or agreement errors in under 10 minutes
Week 8: Final mock exam total improves over the week-7 mock, with no section below 50%