Reading
Reading tests understanding of written and visual Lea Faka-Tonga texts: notices, letters, articles, forms, and short stories. Tasks ask for gist, specific details, sequence, and the writer’s purpose or attitude.
Core rules and concepts
- Skim title, headings, and layout first; then scan for names, dates, numbers, and repeated words.
- Track reference: ia, ko ia, and noun phrases tell you who or what is meant. Do not assume the nearest noun.
- Recognise negative and existential patterns: ʻoku ʻi ai (there is); ʻoku ʻikai ke ʻi ai (there is not).
- Use connectives to follow logic: ka (but), pea (then), koeʻuhi ko (because), ʻi he taimi (when).
- Watch the definitive accent: fale (a house) versus falé (the house). It signals specific reference.
Worked example
Notice: Fakaʻilonga: ʻOku ʻikai ke ʻi ai ha ako ʻi he ʻaho Falaite koeʻuhi ko e ʻaho fakamanatu. Question: Why is there no school on Friday? Reasoning: ʻikai ke ʻi ai is negative existential; ha ako is indefinite; koeʻuhi ko means because; ʻaho fakamanatu is memorial day. Answer: Koeʻuhi ko e ʻaho fakamanatu. If you translate ha as the, you misread the notice.
Traps that cost marks
- Word-for-word translation that misses negation.
- Answering purpose when the question asks for a detail, or vice versa.
- Ignoring visual layout such as headings and bullet points.
- Missing that ha is indefinite, not definite.