Yamaguchi Prefectural Public High School Entrance Examination - English

It tests what junior high English teaches: listening to short dialogues and announcements, reading passages of several paragraphs, understanding situations and choosing suitable expressions, grammar and vocabulary inside sentences, and writing, including sentence reordering and short guided English. Expect inference questions, not only literal comprehension, so practise explaining why each answer is correct.

The individual grammar points stay within junior high level, but the paper is longer, the passages are denser, and questions ask you to infer, summarise and apply. School tests often reward memorised patterns; this exam rewards reading speed, careful question reading and the habit of checking your answer against the text.

Eligibility is decided by the prefecture, not by individual schools. Current junior high graduates sit the exam in the year they graduate, while past graduates and transfer applicants follow separate provisions. Check the current guidelines published by the Yamaguchi Prefectural Board of Education, because rules and required documents change from year to year.

The Board of Education publishes the official time allotment for the English paper, so build your practice around that current figure rather than a remembered one. A workable habit: for long passages read the questions first, keep the last few minutes for the composition, and never leave a blank, since partial answers can still earn credit.

Start with the grammar and vocabulary of your junior high textbooks, because every other section depends on them. Then add daily listening and timed reading of longer passages, and only after that drill sentence reordering and guided writing. Fixing your weakest area early beats polishing what you already do well.

Usually because they translate Japanese word order directly, give an opinion with no supporting reason, or run out of time and leave it unfinished. Practise a short paragraph pattern of statement, reason, example and closing sentence, using vocabulary you genuinely control. Simple, correct English scores better than ambitious, broken English.

The prefectural board generally makes past English questions available through its official website, so treat those as the authoritative model for layout and question style. Sit them under timed conditions, then mark them and write down the reason for every mistake. One paper analysed carefully is worth more than three rushed through.

It carries a substantial share of the marks and is the section students most often neglect because it feels passive. Practise natural-speed English several times a week, using textbook audio, announcements and short interviews, and train yourself to note key numbers, names and reasons while listening rather than afterwards.

It depends on the question type. Multiple-choice items, sentence reordering and some short answers need only letters or a few words, while the guided composition must be written in English. Read each instruction carefully and answer in exactly the form requested, because a correct idea in the wrong format can lose marks.

Doing new material instead of consolidating. In the last month, revise the grammar points you keep getting wrong, keep listening daily, and write at least one timed composition each week. Also confirm the schedule and requirements on the official board website rather than relying on what senior students tell you.