How to Use Practice Tests to Reach 40/40

For Students · للطلاب · 6-minute read

Doing practice tests is good. Learning from them is what raises your score. This guide shows you how to turn every test into a lesson, step by step, using the free Term 1 resources on Smart Students Hub.

1. Know the test

Our Grade 10 and Grade 11 practice tests follow the end-of-term format: 40 marks in 90 minutes, in four parts.

• Part A · Reading — 10 marks
• Part B · Vocabulary — 10 marks
• Part C · Grammar — 10 marks
• Part D · Writing — 10 marks

Grade 12 students: your test is organised as Use of Language, Reading and Writing. The Exam Map at the start of the Complete Revision Booklet shows every question type and where to revise it.

2. Revise before you test

Don’t start with a test. Start with the revision booklet: study one topic, do its exercises, then check your answers. A test only shows what you know; the booklet is where you learn what you don’t.

3. Take each test like the real exam

• Set a timer for 90 minutes.
• No notes, no phone and no AI. You need to see what you can do.
• Answer every question, even if you are not sure.

4. Mark it honestly with the answer key

Use a different colour pen. For writing, use the marking guide in the answer key. In our Grade 10 and 11 keys, writing is marked out of 10: Content 4 · Organisation 2 · Language 2 · Accuracy 2. Ask yourself: did I cover every point in the task?

5. Keep a mistake log

This is the step most students skip, and it makes the biggest difference. For every mistake, write one line in a notebook:

Test · Question	My answer	Correct answer	Why I got it wrong	Rule to remember
Test 2 · Q6	has finish	has finished	Forgot the past participle	has / have + past participle
Test 2 · Q9	True	Not Mentioned	Guessed from my own knowledge	Only use what the text says

After three tests, read your log. You will see the same few problems again and again. Those are your priorities.

6. Fix, then test again

Go back to the booklet for every repeated mistake, then take the next test. When you score 35/40 or more on two tests in a row, move on to the Advanced Practice Tests.

Four golden rules on exam day

1. Read every sentence to the end before you choose an answer.
2. Look for time words: since, by, while, this time tomorrow. They tell you the tense.
3. In reading, the answer is in the paragraph the question names.
4. In writing, cover every point in the task. Missing a point costs Content marks.

Get the free resources