Paper 1 Patrice Paper 8ab

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Practice paper 8A Reading Text 1 1. B 8. Not Given 2. E 9. False 3. F 10. True 4. A 11. False 5. D 12. True 6. C 13. False 7. Not Given 14. I want to learn how to do well in the oral English exam.: English Today Programme I want to learn a foreign language other than English, and would like to attend classes every day.: Summer French Intensive Course I want to do a course that might help me to become a teacher.: Summerbridge Programme Text 2 15. C *16. killed 17. B *18. Cheung’s team were called out to a rescue / to rescue a woman Cheung’s leg was hurt Cheung was taken / rushed to hospital 19. D 24. training / practising 20. C 25. used 21. A 26. taught 22. hours 27. develop 23. first 28. strength (i) 0 (ii) 5 (iii) 3 30. A 31. A 32. D 33. F 34. D 35. A Text 3 *36. that everyone was equal *37. to make him less intelligent / stop him from taking unfair advantage of his brain / intelligence *38. (i) They are wearing weights / weighed down with items. (1 mark)

(ii) They are wearing masks. (1 mark) 39. C 40. 2 *41. a twenty-one-gun salute 



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*42. the weight of the bag *43. George and Hazel *44. He disagrees with it because (1 mark)

— he would go to prison / he would be fined (2 marks for any 2) — other people would do the same / it would make everyone start competing again *45. a handicap bag *46. the dark ages *47 a mental handicap radio *48. a doozy 49. (i) E (ii) A (iii) D 50. D * According to the new HKCEE marking scheme, answers for these questions will be marked correct even if there are grammatical or spelling mistakes as long as the meaning is clear.



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Practice paper 8B Writing Task 1

Report on effectiveness of attending revision classes for exams Introduction N students

W at

In recent years, many student have felt that it is difficult to study for exams in home T have

to

and had asked the school to continue offer revision classes. To determine whether or ^

W they

not revision classes have been effective and if their should continue to be offered, T was

a study is carried out by the Student Council. Sixty students who attended revision S studied

S participate

classes and sixty students who studyed at home were asked to partisipate the

in survey. This report presents the findings and conclusion and makes ^

N recommendations

some recommendation. Findings The findings show that three-quarters of the revision class group achieved or exceeded the marks that they predicted compared to just half of the home study group. In addition, far fewer students from the revision class group received lower marks than they expected.

The students who attended the revision classes also achieved better marks than those who studied at home. The revision class group received more A, B and C marks, and fewer D and E marks than the home study group.

Conclusion and recommendations The above findings show that revision classes are a successful way of improving students’ marks. Therefore, it is recommended that the school continues to offer revision classes to students.

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Answer key Task 2 Question 1

Suggested model answer for Task 2 Question 1 (about 250 words) Mr Chairman and debate club members, the motion before us today is that the best way to achieve good marks in the HKCEE is to attend a tutorial centre crash course. We are strongly against this motion.

Our opponents might say that tutorial centre crash courses help students to achieve better marks in the HKCEE. However, it is short-sighted to believe that these courses are effective. They are also expensive and provide no guarantee of a satisfying result.

There are several reasons for opposing this motion, which I shall outline.

First, crash courses do not teach students how to learn the material properly. Instead, they teach memorisation. This method may work temporarily, but then the material is forgotten.

Next, crash courses cause added stress that can negatively affect students’ performances. As these courses are extra-curricular and require more homework, students have less time to themselves and become more stressed. Therefore, they are unable to work to the best of their abilities.

Finally, crash courses do not teach students important skills. Instead of teaching proper planning and organisational skills, these courses only teach students to memorise material at the last minute. To succeed in the long run, students need to know how to organise and plan effectively.

To sum up, we are sure you will agree that tutorial centre crash courses are not the best way to achieve good marks in the HKCEE because they do not teach the material properly, they cause added stress and they do not teach students to be effective planners and organisers.

Thank you.

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Answer key Task 2 Question 2

Suggested model answer for Task 2 Question 2 (about 250 words) Today was the best day of my life though I could have never predicted it. I woke up in a sweat, and my hands immediately started keying Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’, the piece I was performing at the Hong Kong Schools’ Music Contest. I had practised the piece over a hundred times, but thinking about playing in front of all the judges and the audience made me feel very nervous.

At the concert hall, my nerves were even worse. The other performers looked really relaxed as they warmed up by playing scales. I held the sheet music in my trembling hands and tried to calm myself down before it was my turn.

Then my name was called. My parents wished me good luck, and I walked up to the stage. I was breathing so heavily. ‘Five minutes,’ I told myself, ‘and this will all be over.’

Sitting down at the bench, I poised my fingers above the keys. Amazingly, as soon as I played the first note, I felt calm. I forgot about the judges and the audience, and just enjoyed the experience of playing on a beautiful grand piano.

When I finished and stood up to take a bow, the audience burst into a huge roar of approval. I felt so happy because I knew that I’d done my best. After an excruciating half-hour, the judges announced that I had won first prize. When I collected my trophy, I was smiling from ear to ear. I’ll never forget the most amazing day of my life!

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