English Language - Grammar, Reading and Guided Writing
The English paper for the Scientific stream tests reading comprehension of an unseen text, vocabulary in context, a grammar section (tenses, passive, conditionals, reported speech, relatives), and guided writing - usually a short paragraph, letter or email of a stated length. Marks are lost mainly through grammar slips inside otherwise correct answers, so accuracy in form matters as much as understanding.
Core rules
- Tenses and markers: present perfect with 'for' (duration) and 'since' (a point in time); past simple with 'ago', 'last', 'in 1999'.
- Passive: verb 'be' carries the tense, main verb becomes past participle - is done, was done, has been done, will be done.
- Conditionals: first (present + will), second (past + would), third (had + V3 → would have + V3).
- Reported speech: backshift one tense; 'said' becomes 'told' only when a listener is named; reported questions use statement word order.
- Relative clauses: defining clauses take no commas and allow 'that'; non-defining clauses take commas and never take 'that'.
- Verb patterns: enjoy, suggest, recommend, avoid + -ing; decide, hope, want, plan + to-infinitive.
Worked example
Turn into the passive: 'They have repaired the road.' Reasoning: (1) identify the tense - present perfect; (2) the object 'the road' becomes the new subject; (3) form 'be' in the present perfect → 'has been'; (4) add the past participle 'repaired' → 'The road has been repaired.' The agent 'by them' is dropped because it is unknown or unimportant.
Traps that cost marks
- 'would have went' instead of 'would have gone'; 'If I would have known' instead of 'If I had known'.
- Answering comprehension questions by copying whole sentences verbatim instead of a focused answer in your own words.
- Writing under the word limit, or omitting the opening/closing formulas in a letter or email.
- Using 'since' with a duration ('since three years') instead of 'for three years'.