Why does the challenge paper test mustn't and don't have to side by side?

Both are easily confused when translated, so placing them in one sentence forces the learner to separate forbidden from optional.

What three things should be checked in the correction items?

Whether to has been added after a modal, whether the base verb has been changed into a form such as goes, and whether a negative answer to Must I wrongly uses mustn't.

Primary English: Modal Verbs Challenge (10 Questions)

2026-11-05

Tutor Prep Guide · Primary English

The third paper mixes everything: don’t have to beside mustn’t in one sentence, must be as a guess, the negative answer to Must I, the politeness ladder of May I and Could you, and three correction items on can to, mustn’t to and should goes.

Quick answer Don’t have to marks something optional and mustn’t marks something forbidden, so context decides when both appear; must be draws a conclusion; a negative answer to Must I uses don’t have to, never mustn’t; May I is more formal than Can I and Could you is the politest request; the corrections remove to after can and mustn’t and change should goes to should go.

01 Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10 questions
Suggested time	about 25 minutes
Difficulty mix	Challenge 10
Chapter	Chapter: Primary English \| Modal Verbs: can / must / should
Level	P6

02 Questions (10 items)

ChallengeMy grandfather ______ swim across the harbour when he was young.
ChallengeLook at the queue. The shop ______ be very popular.
ChallengeOn Fridays students ______ wear a tie, but they ______ wear sandals.
ChallengeYou ______ park here; the sign says no parking.
Challenge______ I leave the table, please?
Challenge______ you pass me the salt, please?
ChallengeMust I hand in the form today? No, you ______.
ChallengeCorrect the sentence: He can to swim very fast.
ChallengeCorrect the sentence: You mustn’t to touch the paint.
ChallengeCorrect the sentence: She should goes to bed early.

03 Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	could	Past ability takes could.
2	must	Must be draws a firm conclusion from the evidence.
3	don’t have to / mustn’t	Don’t have to means optional and mustn’t means forbidden, so the two cannot be swapped.
4	mustn’t	A sign that forbids parking takes mustn’t.
5	May	May is politer than can when asking an adult for permission.
6	Could	Could you is the most polite way to ask a favour.
7	don’t have to	A negative answer to Must I uses don’t have to, never mustn’t.
8	He can swim very fast. A modal is followed by the base verb with no to.	Modals never take to before the verb.
9	You mustn’t touch the paint. Mustn’t is followed straight by the base verb.	Mustn’t takes the base verb with no to.
10	She should go to bed early. Should is followed by the base verb, so goes is wrong.	A modal never changes for the subject, so the base verb go is used.

04 What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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