S3 English Language Practice Paper (Set 1): Reading Comprehension With Data Analysis, Tenses, Passive Voice, Conditionals And Reported Speech, Word Formation, Proofreading, Email And Article Writing

S3 English Language Practice Paper (Set 1): Reading Comprehension with Data Analysis, Tenses, Passive Voice, Conditionals and Reported Speech, Word Formation, Proofreading, Email and Article Writing

2026-11-15

Junior Secondary English

S3 English practice paper, Set 1: six questions in 24 parts, 100 marks, 60 minutes covering reading, data analysis, grammar, vocabulary, proofreading and writing.

Paper details　S3 English Language practice paper with answers: reading, data analysis, grammar, vocabulary, proofreading and writing.

Reading Comprehension: Waste-Free Week

Read the passage below and then answer the questions.
Last month Sunny Bay Secondary School held its first Waste-Free Week. Students were asked to bring reusable bottles and lunch boxes, and the tuck shop stopped selling drinks in plastic bottles. The school produced 320 kg of rubbish that week, compared with 512 kg in the same week last year. The Environmental Club calculated that each student produced 0.40 kg of rubbish per day during the campaign, down from 0.64 kg. However, some students complained that the tuck shop had sold out of juice by 11 a.m., and the club admitted that the campaign could continue for only two more months unless more volunteers joined.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	According to the passage, what two items were students asked to bring?	Reusable bottles and lunch boxes.
2	How much rubbish was produced during the campaign week, and how much in the same week last year?	Campaign week: 320 kg; same week last year: 512 kg.
3	Calculate the fall in rubbish per student per day in kg, and the overall percentage drop (one decimal place).	Daily cut per student = 0.64 − 0.40 = 0.24 kg; overall drop = (512 − 320) ÷ 512 × 100% = 37.5%.
4	State one problem mentioned in the passage and one condition for continuing the campaign.	Problem: the tuck shop had sold out of juice by 11 a.m.; condition: more volunteers must join.

Data Analysis: School Travel Survey

A survey of 200 students at a school recorded their usual way of travelling to school and the average journey time: Bus: 70 students, 35 minutes; MTR: 60 students, 25 minutes; Walking: 40 students, 15 minutes; School bus: 20 students, 30 minutes; Others: 10 students, 40 minutes. Give answers to one decimal place unless stated otherwise.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	What percentage of the students surveyed travel by bus?	70 ÷ 200 × 100% = 35.0%.
6	Find the mean journey time of all students surveyed, in minutes.	Total student-minutes = 70×35 + 60×25 + 40×15 + 20×30 + 10×40 = 5550; mean = 5550 ÷ 200 = 27.75 minutes.
7	Find the ratio of students travelling by bus to those walking, in simplest form.	70 : 40 = 7:4.
8	The school wants to support the group with the longest journey. Name that group and state one limitation of using this data set.	The longest group is “Others” (40 minutes); limitation: it has only 10 students (5%), a very small sample, so it may not represent the whole school.

Grammar: Tenses, Passive Voice, Conditionals and Reported Speech

Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets. For item 4, rewrite the direct speech as reported speech.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	By the time the bell rang, the students ______ (finish) the test.	had finished (past perfect: the action was completed before the bell rang).
10	The new library ______ (open) by the principal next Monday.	will be opened (future passive).
11	If I ______ (be) you, I would join the drama club.	were (second conditional uses “were” for all subjects).
12	The teacher said, “Hand in your homework tomorrow.”	The teacher told us to hand in our homework the next day. (told + to-infinitive; tomorrow becomes the next day)

Word Formation and Vocabulary

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in brackets.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
13	The school encourages ______ (responsible) among all students.	responsibility (noun).
14	Air pollution is a serious ______ (environment) problem in the city.	environmental (adjective).
15	Her ______ (decide) to study abroad surprised everyone.	decision (noun).
16	The map was ______ (use), so we got lost twice.	useless (adjective formed with the suffix -less).

Proofreading

Each sentence contains one error. Identify it, correct it, and name the type of error.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
17	She don’t like waking up early.	Change to: She doesn’t like waking up early. Type: subject-verb agreement (third-person singular).
18	I am living here since 2021.	Change to: I have lived here since 2021. Type: tense (present perfect with “since”).
19	The book which I bought it yesterday is interesting.	Delete “it”: The book which I bought yesterday is interesting. Type: repeated object in a relative clause.
20	He is more taller than his brother.	Change to: He is taller than his brother. Type: double comparative.

Writing: Proposal, Email and Article

Complete the writing tasks below. Pay attention to length, tone, format and organisation.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
21	Write three proposal points on reducing food waste at school (one sentence each, not full paragraphs).	Suggested: 1. The tuck shop offers half portions to cut leftovers; 2. Set up a share shelf for unwanted food with student sign-out; 3. Run an inter-class competition weighing and posting each class’s food waste.
22	Write an email of about 80 words to the principal proposing one of the actions and giving one reason.	Marking: correct email frame (Dear Principal … Yours sincerely), a clear proposal, one concrete reason (e.g. less waste to landfills), polite tone, about 80 words.
23	Write an article of about 120 words for the school magazine with your own title, giving two benefits of reducing food waste and one difficulty.	Marking: an engaging title, two benefits (saving money, less landfill waste), one difficulty (students find it inconvenient / lack of time), clear paragraphs, about 120 words, accurate grammar.
24	Using the data in Question 1, write about 60 words of talking points (five bullet points) for a morning assembly announcement.	Suggested: waste fell from 512 kg to 320 kg; a drop of 37.5%; daily waste per student fell from 0.64 kg to 0.40 kg; the tuck shop sold out of juice by 11 a.m.; more volunteers are needed to continue.

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A TutorZone practice paper; original questions and passages, not publisher material.