Use this diagnostic to find which Unit 4 topics to revisit: one question per topic, then two short written tasks.
These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. All passages are written by Marlbridge for this resource. The diagnostic is not calibrated and gives no predicted score. Rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric.
How to take it. Allow 30 minutes. Answer everything before opening any answers. No calculator is needed.
Question 1 (multiple choice · 4.1)
Read the opening of an essay (Marlbridge passage).
Every autumn the council spends £12,000 collecting leaves that, left alone, would feed the soil beneath the trees they fell from. The money is not wasted on a luxury; it is spent on a habit. The town should stop raking.
Which choice best describes what the opening does?
- (A) It opens with a specific figure and a mild paradox to engage the reader, then states a clear claim.
- (B) It opens with a dictionary definition and a long history of leaf collection.
- (C) It announces what the essay will discuss without taking a position.
- (D) It quotes an expert to establish authority.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). A figure (£12,000) and a contrast (money spent collecting what would feed the soil) orient and engage, and the last sentence presents the claim.
- (B) The passage contains no definition or history.
- (C) The passage takes a position (“should stop raking”).
- (D) No expert is quoted.
If you missed this: 4.1 study guide.
Question 2 (multiple choice · 4.2)
An essay argues that a town should keep its public library open on Sundays. Which closing sentence adds the most beyond repeating the claim?
- (A) In conclusion, libraries are good and should be open on Sundays.
- (B) A town that keeps its library open on Sundays keeps something that cannot be bought back: a place to go on a day with nowhere to be.
- (C) As I have said, libraries should be open.
- (D) Thank you for reading this essay about libraries.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). It explains significance and leaves the reader with an image, so it passes the so-what test.
- (A) and (C) repeat the claim.
- (D) is a courtesy, not a conclusion.
If you missed this: 4.2 study guide.
Question 3 (multiple choice · 4.3)
Which thesis best previews a line of reasoning for an argument about school uniforms?
- (A) This essay will discuss school uniforms.
- (B) Schools should drop compulsory uniform, because it costs families money, takes up lesson time in enforcement and does little to improve behaviour.
- (C) Uniforms are an interesting subject.
- (D) Uniform, cost and behaviour are all relevant.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). It states a position and signals three reasons in order.
- (A) is an announcement.
- (C) makes no arguable claim.
- (D) is a bare list of topics with no claim.
If you missed this: 4.3 study guide.
Question 4 (multiple choice · 4.4)
A writer compares two phones. Which pair of statements compares like categories?
- (A) “Phone X costs £300; Phone Y has a nice colour.”
- (B) “Phone X has a battery life of 20 hours; Phone Y has a battery life of 14 hours.”
- (C) “Phone X is cheap; Phone Y is popular.”
- (D) “Phone X is small; Phone Y has good reviews.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Both phones are measured on battery life.
- (A) compares cost with appearance.
- (C) compares price with popularity.
- (D) compares size with reviews.
If you missed this: 4.4 study guide.
Question 5 (multiple choice · 4.5)
A writer wants to show that a classroom is too hot. Which sentence develops the idea most effectively through description?
- (A) The classroom was very hot and uncomfortable.
- (B) By midday the windows were sticky with condensation, the fan only pushed warm air from one side of the room to the other, and pupils fanned themselves with exercise books.
- (C) A classroom is a room where pupils learn.
- (D) Heat is a form of energy.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). It uses specific, sensory details that let the reader feel the heat.
- (A) uses vague adjectives.
- (C) is a definition that does not address the heat.
- (D) is a general scientific statement with no link to the classroom.
If you missed this: 4.5 study guide.
Question 6 (constructed response · 4.1, 4.2, 4.3)
The prompt is: Argue whether schools should teach students how to manage money. Write (a) a thesis that takes a position and previews the line of reasoning, and (b) a one-sentence closing idea that adds significance without repeating the thesis.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
(a) Schools should teach students how to manage money, because the skill is used every day, mistakes in it are costly to correct and no other institution reaches every young person.
(b) A school that sends students into adult life without this knowledge leaves one of its most practical lessons to chance.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | The thesis takes a clear, defensible position |
| 1 | The thesis previews two or more reasons in a sequence |
| 1 | The closing idea adds significance or a consequence |
| 1 | The closing idea is not a repetition of the thesis |
If you missed this: 4.2 study guide and 4.3 study guide.
Question 7 (constructed response · 4.4, 4.5)
Write three or four sentences that compare cycling and bus travel to school, using like categories, and state at the end what the comparison shows. You may invent plausible figures.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge; invented figures).
On cost, cycling is cheaper: a bicycle’s yearly upkeep is about £40, against £540 for a bus pass. On time, the two are close, with a cyclist taking 18 minutes and the bus 20 including waiting. On reliability, the bicycle wins again, since it does not depend on a timetable. These categories show that, for a student who lives within three miles, cycling is the better choice unless the weather is severe.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Names at least two categories of comparison |
| 1 | Compares both options on each category (like categories) |
| 1 | Is organised clearly (point by point or block) |
| 1 | Ends with a claim that follows from the comparison |
If you missed this: 4.4 study guide and 4.5 study guide.
Reading your result
| If you missed | Read next |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 4.1 Introductions |
| Question 2 | 4.2 Conclusions |
| Question 3 | 4.3 Thesis previews |
| Question 4 | 4.4 Comparison-contrast |
| Question 5 | 4.5 Definition and description |
| Question 6 | 4.2 and 4.3 |
| Question 7 | 4.4 and 4.5 |
When you have closed the gaps, try the Unit 4 mixed review.