Password Skills Plus flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Not Given

In True/False/Not Given items, the answer when the passage neither confirms nor contradicts the statement; absence of information is different from contradiction.

Skimming

Reading a passage quickly for general meaning and structure, usually in two or three minutes, before searching for the specific information each question requires.

Scanning

Moving the eyes rapidly over a text to locate specific words, numbers or names without reading every sentence for full comprehension.

Matching headings rule

The chosen heading must summarise the whole paragraph; an option that paraphrases only one supporting detail is a distractor and should be rejected.

Paraphrase recognition

The skill of noticing that question wording rarely repeats passage wording; correct answers restate the same idea using synonyms and altered grammar.

Word limit instruction

An instruction such as 'no more than two words' that caps answer length; answers exceeding the limit are marked wrong even when the content is correct.

Negative marking

A scoring rule that deducts points for incorrect answers; Password Skills Plus does not apply it, so every question should be attempted.

Multiple-choice distractor

An option that repeats exact wording from the passage while answering a different question, or distorts the meaning; verbatim matches are rarely correct.

Single-play audio

Recordings in the listening section are heard once only and are not paused, so answers must be written while the audio continues to play.

Self-correction cue

Words such as 'actually', 'sorry' or 'I meant' signal that a speaker is replacing earlier information; the corrected detail is the answer.

Teen versus ty numbers

Pairs like thirteen and thirty differ by stress: -teen is stressed and longer, -ty is unstressed and shorter; the stress pattern identifies the figure.

Form completion spelling

An item type where answers must be spelled exactly as heard; misspelled names and place names score zero even when the word is recognisable.

Prediction before listening

Using the grammar and surrounding words of a question to guess the answer's word class, such as number, noun or verb, before the audio reaches that point.

Map labelling directions

An item type answered by following phrases such as opposite, adjacent, just past and at the end of, starting from the labelled point on the plan.

Signpost words

Discourse markers such as however, although and on the other hand that announce contrast; the information following them usually overrides what came before.

Abandon and re-enter rule

If an answer is missed, stop dwelling on it and begin listening at the next question, because the recording continues and later items remain available.

Word count penalty

Responses shorter than the stated minimum lose marks under task response; exceeding the maximum earns nothing and uses up checking time.

Task response criterion

The marking criterion covering whether every part of the prompt is addressed, the writer's position is clear, and ideas are developed with support.

Coherence and cohesion

The criterion for logical paragraphing and linking; it rewards clear progression of ideas and penalises mechanical or excessive use of connectives.

Topic sentence

The first sentence of a body paragraph, stating its single controlling idea, which is then supported by explanation and an example.

Academic register

Formal written style that avoids contractions, slang, the pronoun 'you' and vague quantifiers, preferring precise nouns and verbs instead.

Report task rule

Data-description tasks require selecting and comparing key features without opinion, speculation about causes, or conclusions the data do not support.

Error-free sentence ratio

The proportion of sentences containing no grammatical error; raising it improves the accuracy score more reliably than adding complex structures.

Position statement

A sentence in the introduction and conclusion that states the writer's view clearly and consistently, without hedging or switching sides mid-essay.

Fluency

The ability to speak at length without undue hesitation, repetition or self-repair; short content-related pauses are acceptable, but searching for basic grammar is not.

Long turn cue card

A speaking task giving a topic with prompt points and roughly one minute of preparation, requiring a monologue of one to two minutes.

Circumlocution

Describing a forgotten word instead of stopping, for example 'the thing you use to open a bottle', which protects fluency and shows lexical flexibility.

Pronunciation intelligibility

The criterion measuring how easily a listener understands the speaker; accent is not penalised, but unclear stress and dropped word endings are.

Extension pattern

Answer expansion using because, for example and so, which adds reasons and examples and demonstrates a wider range of grammar and vocabulary.

Asking for repetition

Requesting that a question be repeated once when it is not understood; this is not penalised, whereas answering the wrong question is.

Lexical resource

The range and precision of vocabulary used, including collocations and less common words, plus the ability to paraphrase when a word is unavailable.

Sentence stress

Emphasising the key content words in an utterance while weakening function words, which makes the intended meaning clear to the listener.