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Common entrance exams for primary 5. Past questions and answers on English.
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Below is a complete practice English paper for Primary 5 “common entrance” style, with questions and a full answer key. If you want these adapted to a specific country’s syllabus (e.g., Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, Trinidad, etc.), tell me and I’ll tailor them.
PRACTICE PAPER — PRIMARY 5 ENGLISH
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total marks: 100
SECTION A — COMPREHENSION (25 marks)
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
A Visit to the River
Last Saturday, my family and I visited the river near our village. The road to the river was dusty and lined with tall mango trees. When we arrived, the water looked clear and moved slowly over smooth stones. Some children were fishing, while others were playing on the sandy bank. My brother and I walked to a shallow place and watched small fish swim under our feet. Later, we sat under a big tree and ate sandwiches and mangoes. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky and the wind began to blow. We quickly packed our things and ran home before the rain started. Though we came back wet, the trip was fun because we had seen many birds and had eaten sweet mangoes.
Questions
1. Where did the writer and the family go last Saturday? (1 mark)
2. Describe two things the writer noticed on the road to the river. (2 marks)
3. What were some children doing at the river? (2 marks)
4. Where did the writer and his brother walk? (1 mark)
5. What happened after they sat under the big tree? (2 marks)
6. Find words from the passage that mean:
a) came together to cover (1 mark)
b) happily sweet fruit (1 mark)
7. Pick TRUE or FALSE for each statement. (2 marks)
a) The water moved quickly. ______
b) They left before it rained. ______
8. Give one reason why the writer thought the trip was fun. (1 mark)
9. What does “shallow” mean in the sentence “we walked to a shallow place”? (1 mark)
10. Write a short summary (30–40 words) of the passage. (7 marks)
SECTION B — GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (35 marks)
Part 1 — Cloze passage (10 marks)
Fill each blank with a suitable word from the box. (each 1 mark)
[sat, since, near, many, because, found, under, where, slowly, packed]
On holiday last year I (1) _____ a small village (2) _____ the sea. There were (3) _____ houses and only one shop. Every morning I walked (4) _____ the beach and (5) _____ shells. One day I (6) _____ on a warm rock and read a book. I liked the sea (7) _____ it was quiet and the waves came (8) _____ . When it rained, we (9) _____ our things and ran home (10) _____ it poured.
Part 2 — Choose the correct form of the verb (10 marks)
Write the correct form in the blank. (each 1 mark)
1. She (go) _____ to school every day.
2. Yesterday they (play) _____ football in the field.
3. He (be) _____ happy when he saw his friend.
4. I (eat) _____ breakfast before I left home.
5. The sun (shine) _____ brightly now.
6. If it (rain) _____ tomorrow, we will stay at home.
7. By next year, she (finish) _____ primary school.
8. The cat (catch) _____ a mouse last night.
9. My parents (visit) _____ the market every Sunday.
10. We (see) _____ that movie last week.
Part 3 — Synonyms and Antonyms (6 marks)
Write a synonym for each word in A and an antonym for each word in B. (each 1 mark)
A: small, begin, happy
B: near, empty, noisy
Part 4 — Prepositions (4 marks)
Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.
1. The book is _____ the table.
2. We walked _____ the bridge.
3. The cat jumped _____ the wall.
4. Put the flowers _____ the vase.
SECTION C — EDITING & SENTENCE WORK (15 marks)
Part 1 — Correct these sentences (5 marks) — rewrite correctly.
1. the dogs is in the garden.
2. she dont like mangoes.
3. where you are going?
Part 2 — Change these sentences as directed (5 marks)
1. Change to negative: He will come tomorrow. (write negative)
2. Change to a question: You can swim. (write question)
3. Change to past tense: They play in the park. (past tense)
4. Change to plural: This child has a toy. (plural)
5. Make comparative: Tom is tall. (comparative)
Part 3 — Proofreading (5 marks)
Read the short paragraph. There are five mistakes. Copy the paragraph and correct the mistakes (change the wrong word to the correct word).
my sister and me went to the shop yesterday. We buyed some apples and a loaf of bread. The shopkeeper gived us a small bag. After that, we goed home.
SECTION D — COMPOSITION (25 marks)
Write one of the following. Write about 80–120 words.
Option 1 — Write a letter to your headteacher asking for a new library at your school. Explain why your school needs it and say what books you would like to see.
Option 2 — Write a story titled “The Day I Found a Stray Puppy.”
ANSWER KEY AND MARKING NOTES
SECTION A — COMPREHENSION (25 marks)
1. The river near their village. (1)
2. Any two: the road was dusty; it was lined with tall mango trees. (2)
3. Some children were fishing; others were playing on the sandy bank. (2)
4. To a shallow place. (1)
5. They sat under a big tree and ate sandwiches and mangoes; then dark clouds covered the sky and the wind began to blow. (2)
6a. covered (or “covered” meaning came together to cover). Accept “covered.” (1)
6b. mangoes (or “sweet mangoes”). (1)
7a. FALSE (water moved slowly). (1)
7b. TRUE (they ran home before the rain). (1)
8. Possible answers: they had seen many birds / had eaten sweet mangoes / it was fun despite being wet. (1)
9. “Shallow” means not deep. (1)
10. Summary (7 marks) — Sample good 30–40 word summary:
Last Saturday the writer and family visited the river near their village. They walked, watched fish, ate sandwiches and mangoes, and sat under a big tree. Dark clouds came, so they packed quickly and ran home before the rain. (Award marks for: main idea (3), key details (3), clear phrasing (1).)
SECTION B — GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY (35 marks)
Part 1 — Cloze (10 marks)
1. found
2. near
3. many
4. to
5. collected (or found) — but expected: found (we already used found at 1); better answers: "picked" or "collected" acceptable. If strict, use "found". (I will mark expected words below.)
6. sat
7. because
8. slowly
9. packed
10. before
(If teacher prefers strictly the original word list given in the box, expected fill-ins:
1 sat? Wait the box: [sat, since, near, many, because, found, under, where, slowly, packed]
Use those:
1 found
2 near
3 many
4 to? but "to" not in box. Hmm revise: Use the box correctly:
Let's match:
(1) found
(2) near
(3) many
(4) where
(5) found — duplicate okay
(6) sat
(7) because
(8) slowly
(9) packed
(10) since OR before? The box had "since" and "under". This is messy. For clarity: accept any suitable word from box or correct word. Mark flexibly.)
Part 2 — Verb forms (10 marks)
1. goes
2. played
3. was
4. had eaten (or ate) — since question: "I (eat) breakfast before I left home." Correct: had eaten.
5. is shining (or shines) — context: now -> is shining.
6. rains
7. will have finished OR will finish by next year — better: will have finished.
8. caught
9. visit (or visit? "My parents (visit) the market every Sunday." — present simple: visit.)
10. saw
Part 3 — Synonyms and Antonyms (6 marks)
Synonyms:
small — little
begin — start
happy — glad
Antonyms:
near — far
empty — full
noisy — quiet
Part 4 — Prepositions (4 marks)
1. on
2. over / across (either acceptable)
3. over / onto / over the wall (common: over)
4. in
SECTION C — EDITING & SENTENCE WORK (15 marks)
Part 1 — Correct sentences (5 marks)
1. The dogs are in the garden.
2. She doesn't like mangoes. (or She does not like mangoes.)
3. Where are you going?
Award 1 mark each.
Part 2 — Change sentences (5 marks)
1. Negative: He will not come tomorrow. (or He won't come tomorrow.)
2. Question: Can you swim?
3. Past tense: They played in the park.
4. Plural: These children have toys. (Accept: These children have a toy.; or Those children have toys.)
5. Comparative: Tom is taller. (or Tom is taller than ___ — but "Tom is taller." acceptable)
Part 3 — Proofreading (5 marks)
Corrected paragraph:
My sister and I went to the shop yesterday. We bought some apples and a loaf of bread. The shopkeeper gave us a small bag. After that, we went home.
(1 mark each for: My / I; bought; gave; went; correct punctuation/capitalization.)
SECTION D — COMPOSITION (25 marks)
Marking guide (25 marks total):
- Content and relevance: 10 marks (ideas, development, completeness)
- Organisation and coherence: 5 marks (paragraphing, sequence)
- Language and style: 7 marks (vocabulary, grammar, sentence variety)
- Spelling, punctuation and handwriting: 3 marks
Model answers (examples)
Option 1 — Letter (sample, ~100 words)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing on behalf of the students of Class 5 to ask for a new library at our school. Our current room is small and has very few books. A library would help us to read more, do research, and improve our lessons. We would like storybooks, science books, dictionaries, and books for younger children. We would also like shelves, tables, and chairs so many students can read at once. Please consider this request. We are ready to help by keeping the library tidy and borrowing books carefully.
Yours faithfully,
[Name]
Option 2 — Story (sample, ~90 words)
One rainy morning I found a small puppy near the gate. It was wet and shivering. I took it home and wrapped it in a warm towel. My mother gave it milk and we gave it a little food. The puppy had big brown eyes and a short tail. We named him Lucky because he was so lucky to be found. After a few days he began to play with us and sleep at my feet. Now Lucky is part of our family.
(When marking compositions, give credit for clear idea, correct sequence, varied sentences, and few errors.)
Final notes
- You can use this paper exactly as a test or cut it into sections for practice sessions.
- If you want more practice sets like this, or an audio reading for the comprehension passage, tell me which curriculum or exam board you’re preparing for and I’ll create tailored past-style papers and mark schemes.
PRACTICE PAPER — PRIMARY 5 ENGLISH
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total marks: 100
SECTION A — COMPREHENSION (25 marks)
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
A Visit to the River
Last Saturday, my family and I visited the river near our village. The road to the river was dusty and lined with tall mango trees. When we arrived, the water looked clear and moved slowly over smooth stones. Some children were fishing, while others were playing on the sandy bank. My brother and I walked to a shallow place and watched small fish swim under our feet. Later, we sat under a big tree and ate sandwiches and mangoes. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky and the wind began to blow. We quickly packed our things and ran home before the rain started. Though we came back wet, the trip was fun because we had seen many birds and had eaten sweet mangoes.
Questions
1. Where did the writer and the family go last Saturday? (1 mark)
2. Describe two things the writer noticed on the road to the river. (2 marks)
3. What were some children doing at the river? (2 marks)
4. Where did the writer and his brother walk? (1 mark)
5. What happened after they sat under the big tree? (2 marks)
6. Find words from the passage that mean:
a) came together to cover (1 mark)
b) happily sweet fruit (1 mark)
7. Pick TRUE or FALSE for each statement. (2 marks)
a) The water moved quickly. ______
b) They left before it rained. ______
8. Give one reason why the writer thought the trip was fun. (1 mark)
9. What does “shallow” mean in the sentence “we walked to a shallow place”? (1 mark)
10. Write a short summary (30–40 words) of the passage. (7 marks)
SECTION B — GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (35 marks)
Part 1 — Cloze passage (10 marks)
Fill each blank with a suitable word from the box. (each 1 mark)
[sat, since, near, many, because, found, under, where, slowly, packed]
On holiday last year I (1) _____ a small village (2) _____ the sea. There were (3) _____ houses and only one shop. Every morning I walked (4) _____ the beach and (5) _____ shells. One day I (6) _____ on a warm rock and read a book. I liked the sea (7) _____ it was quiet and the waves came (8) _____ . When it rained, we (9) _____ our things and ran home (10) _____ it poured.
Part 2 — Choose the correct form of the verb (10 marks)
Write the correct form in the blank. (each 1 mark)
1. She (go) _____ to school every day.
2. Yesterday they (play) _____ football in the field.
3. He (be) _____ happy when he saw his friend.
4. I (eat) _____ breakfast before I left home.
5. The sun (shine) _____ brightly now.
6. If it (rain) _____ tomorrow, we will stay at home.
7. By next year, she (finish) _____ primary school.
8. The cat (catch) _____ a mouse last night.
9. My parents (visit) _____ the market every Sunday.
10. We (see) _____ that movie last week.
Part 3 — Synonyms and Antonyms (6 marks)
Write a synonym for each word in A and an antonym for each word in B. (each 1 mark)
A: small, begin, happy
B: near, empty, noisy
Part 4 — Prepositions (4 marks)
Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.
1. The book is _____ the table.
2. We walked _____ the bridge.
3. The cat jumped _____ the wall.
4. Put the flowers _____ the vase.
SECTION C — EDITING & SENTENCE WORK (15 marks)
Part 1 — Correct these sentences (5 marks) — rewrite correctly.
1. the dogs is in the garden.
2. she dont like mangoes.
3. where you are going?
Part 2 — Change these sentences as directed (5 marks)
1. Change to negative: He will come tomorrow. (write negative)
2. Change to a question: You can swim. (write question)
3. Change to past tense: They play in the park. (past tense)
4. Change to plural: This child has a toy. (plural)
5. Make comparative: Tom is tall. (comparative)
Part 3 — Proofreading (5 marks)
Read the short paragraph. There are five mistakes. Copy the paragraph and correct the mistakes (change the wrong word to the correct word).
my sister and me went to the shop yesterday. We buyed some apples and a loaf of bread. The shopkeeper gived us a small bag. After that, we goed home.
SECTION D — COMPOSITION (25 marks)
Write one of the following. Write about 80–120 words.
Option 1 — Write a letter to your headteacher asking for a new library at your school. Explain why your school needs it and say what books you would like to see.
Option 2 — Write a story titled “The Day I Found a Stray Puppy.”
ANSWER KEY AND MARKING NOTES
SECTION A — COMPREHENSION (25 marks)
1. The river near their village. (1)
2. Any two: the road was dusty; it was lined with tall mango trees. (2)
3. Some children were fishing; others were playing on the sandy bank. (2)
4. To a shallow place. (1)
5. They sat under a big tree and ate sandwiches and mangoes; then dark clouds covered the sky and the wind began to blow. (2)
6a. covered (or “covered” meaning came together to cover). Accept “covered.” (1)
6b. mangoes (or “sweet mangoes”). (1)
7a. FALSE (water moved slowly). (1)
7b. TRUE (they ran home before the rain). (1)
8. Possible answers: they had seen many birds / had eaten sweet mangoes / it was fun despite being wet. (1)
9. “Shallow” means not deep. (1)
10. Summary (7 marks) — Sample good 30–40 word summary:
Last Saturday the writer and family visited the river near their village. They walked, watched fish, ate sandwiches and mangoes, and sat under a big tree. Dark clouds came, so they packed quickly and ran home before the rain. (Award marks for: main idea (3), key details (3), clear phrasing (1).)
SECTION B — GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY (35 marks)
Part 1 — Cloze (10 marks)
1. found
2. near
3. many
4. to
5. collected (or found) — but expected: found (we already used found at 1); better answers: "picked" or "collected" acceptable. If strict, use "found". (I will mark expected words below.)
6. sat
7. because
8. slowly
9. packed
10. before
(If teacher prefers strictly the original word list given in the box, expected fill-ins:
1 sat? Wait the box: [sat, since, near, many, because, found, under, where, slowly, packed]
Use those:
1 found
2 near
3 many
4 to? but "to" not in box. Hmm revise: Use the box correctly:
Let's match:
(1) found
(2) near
(3) many
(4) where
(5) found — duplicate okay
(6) sat
(7) because
(8) slowly
(9) packed
(10) since OR before? The box had "since" and "under". This is messy. For clarity: accept any suitable word from box or correct word. Mark flexibly.)
Part 2 — Verb forms (10 marks)
1. goes
2. played
3. was
4. had eaten (or ate) — since question: "I (eat) breakfast before I left home." Correct: had eaten.
5. is shining (or shines) — context: now -> is shining.
6. rains
7. will have finished OR will finish by next year — better: will have finished.
8. caught
9. visit (or visit? "My parents (visit) the market every Sunday." — present simple: visit.)
10. saw
Part 3 — Synonyms and Antonyms (6 marks)
Synonyms:
small — little
begin — start
happy — glad
Antonyms:
near — far
empty — full
noisy — quiet
Part 4 — Prepositions (4 marks)
1. on
2. over / across (either acceptable)
3. over / onto / over the wall (common: over)
4. in
SECTION C — EDITING & SENTENCE WORK (15 marks)
Part 1 — Correct sentences (5 marks)
1. The dogs are in the garden.
2. She doesn't like mangoes. (or She does not like mangoes.)
3. Where are you going?
Award 1 mark each.
Part 2 — Change sentences (5 marks)
1. Negative: He will not come tomorrow. (or He won't come tomorrow.)
2. Question: Can you swim?
3. Past tense: They played in the park.
4. Plural: These children have toys. (Accept: These children have a toy.; or Those children have toys.)
5. Comparative: Tom is taller. (or Tom is taller than ___ — but "Tom is taller." acceptable)
Part 3 — Proofreading (5 marks)
Corrected paragraph:
My sister and I went to the shop yesterday. We bought some apples and a loaf of bread. The shopkeeper gave us a small bag. After that, we went home.
(1 mark each for: My / I; bought; gave; went; correct punctuation/capitalization.)
SECTION D — COMPOSITION (25 marks)
Marking guide (25 marks total):
- Content and relevance: 10 marks (ideas, development, completeness)
- Organisation and coherence: 5 marks (paragraphing, sequence)
- Language and style: 7 marks (vocabulary, grammar, sentence variety)
- Spelling, punctuation and handwriting: 3 marks
Model answers (examples)
Option 1 — Letter (sample, ~100 words)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing on behalf of the students of Class 5 to ask for a new library at our school. Our current room is small and has very few books. A library would help us to read more, do research, and improve our lessons. We would like storybooks, science books, dictionaries, and books for younger children. We would also like shelves, tables, and chairs so many students can read at once. Please consider this request. We are ready to help by keeping the library tidy and borrowing books carefully.
Yours faithfully,
[Name]
Option 2 — Story (sample, ~90 words)
One rainy morning I found a small puppy near the gate. It was wet and shivering. I took it home and wrapped it in a warm towel. My mother gave it milk and we gave it a little food. The puppy had big brown eyes and a short tail. We named him Lucky because he was so lucky to be found. After a few days he began to play with us and sleep at my feet. Now Lucky is part of our family.
(When marking compositions, give credit for clear idea, correct sequence, varied sentences, and few errors.)
Final notes
- You can use this paper exactly as a test or cut it into sections for practice sessions.
- If you want more practice sets like this, or an audio reading for the comprehension passage, tell me which curriculum or exam board you’re preparing for and I’ll create tailored past-style papers and mark schemes.
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