ABC Education

ABC Education · 7+ Practice

Week 11 · English Practice Paper

Reading: 35 marks · Writing: 15 marks · Suggested time: 1 hour.

Reading Passage

SECTION A - COMPREHENSION (40 minutes) (35 marks) The passage below is about two children, Ellie and Sam, who go to visit their great-aunt Mabel for tea. She is a rather unusual lady who likes everything to be a certain colour. Read the passage CAREFULLY and then answer the questions in full sentences.

Great-Aunt Mabel's Tea Party

Great-Aunt Mabel's house was the strangest place Ellie and Sam had ever visited. Every room was painted a different colour, and today, when they arrived for tea, the whole dining room was yellow — the walls, the curtains and even the carpet.

The tea itself was rather odd, too. There were egg sandwiches, but they had been dyed a bright sunshine yellow. The lemonade fizzed away in yellow cups, and the biscuits were shaped like little yellow stars.

"Isn't it marvellous?" said Great-Aunt Mabel, clapping her hands. "Yellow is such a cheerful colour. I do think everybody should have a yellow tea party at least once a year."

After tea, they all went into the sitting room, where a small fire crackled in the grate. Great-Aunt Mabel settled herself into her favourite armchair and wrapped a thick woollen shawl around her shoulders, even though the room was already warm.

"Make it bigger," she said to Sam, pointing at the fire. Sam added another log, and the flames leapt higher for a moment, but within a few minutes they had died down again. Great-Aunt Mabel sighed and pulled her shawl tighter.

Ellie and Sam left as soon as they politely could.

"What a funny old aunt she is," said Sam, once they were outside. "Everything has to be yellow, and she's never satisfied with the fire!"

Ellie laughed, because she knew Sam didn't really mean it unkindly.

Section A: Reading

Question 1

[2 marks]

What colour was the dining room when Ellie and Sam arrived for tea?

Question 2

[2 marks]

What was unusual about the egg sandwiches and the biscuits?

Question 3

[2 marks]

What two things does Great-Aunt Mabel say about the colour yellow?

Question 4

[1 marks]

What did Great-Aunt Mabel wrap around her shoulders in the sitting room?

Question 5

[4 marks]

How does Great-Aunt Mabel behave differently from Ellie and Sam in the sitting room?

Question 6

[2 marks]

Why do you think Great-Aunt Mabel keeps asking for the fire to be made bigger?

Question 7

[2 marks]

What do you think the sentence 'Ellie and Sam left as soon as they politely could' means?

Question 8

[2 marks]

What does Sam find funny about Great-Aunt Mabel?

Question 9

[3 marks]

The passage says Ellie laughed 'because she knew Sam didn't really mean it unkindly'. Do you think Sam was being unkind? Explain your answer.

Question 10

[15 marks]

Read the whole passage again. What does it tell you about the sort of person Great-Aunt Mabel is? Use words from the passage to explain your views. You might consider her house, the food she serves, what she says, and how she behaves. (15 marks)

Section B: Writing

Choose ONE of the following:

  • SECTION B - COMPOSITION (20 minutes) (15 marks)
  • Use the picture in your mind to help you: imagine a knock at the front door on an ordinary afternoon.
  • Describe what the visitor looks like and how they behave.
  • Write in full sentences, using capital letters and full stops.
  • Write in paragraphs.
  • Don't write a long story; write an interesting one — think carefully about the words you choose.

Option 1: Write a story called 'The Unexpected Guest'.

  • Start by describing where you are and what you are doing before the knock at the door.
  • Describe what the visitor looks like and how they behave.
  • Decide whether your story is funny, surprising or a little bit strange, and end it in a way that makes sense.