Use this diagnostic to find which Unit 5 topics to revisit: one question per topic, then a short written task.
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 · 5.1)
Read this body paragraph (Marlbridge passage). Sentences are numbered.
(1) A school allotment teaches responsibility. (2) At Hollin Primary, each class tends a bed for a whole term, and pupils who forget to water it find the lettuces wilting by Friday. (3) The wilting makes the cost of neglect visible in a way that a lost worksheet never does. (4) A school that wants responsible pupils should therefore give them something living to look after.
Which sentence is the commentary?
- (A) Sentence 1
- (B) Sentence 2
- (C) Sentence 3
- (D) Sentence 2 and sentence 4 only
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). Sentence 3 explains what the evidence in sentence 2 shows. Sentence 1 is the claim, sentence 2 is evidence, and sentence 4 links the paragraph to the argument.
- (A) is the claim.
- (B) is evidence.
- (D) Sentence 4 links to the thesis, and sentence 2 is evidence; neither alone is the explanatory commentary on the evidence.
If you missed this: 5.1 study guide.
Question 2 (multiple choice · 5.2)
Read this paragraph (Marlbridge passage).
(1) A skate park would give teenagers a safe place to practise. (2) A ramp built by the council is inspected for safety, unlike a handrail on a high street. (3) The council meets on the first Tuesday of each month. (4) Skaters who practise in a park are less likely to injure pedestrians.
Which sentence most clearly breaks the unity of the paragraph?
- (A) Sentence 1
- (B) Sentence 2
- (C) Sentence 3
- (D) Sentence 4
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). The council’s meeting schedule does not serve the controlling idea (the safety of a skate park).
- (A) states the controlling idea.
- (B) supports it.
- (D) supports it.
If you missed this: 5.2 study guide.
Question 3 (multiple choice · 5.3)
Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?
- (A) The programme will reduce waiting times, to improve safety and save money.
- (B) The programme will reduce waiting times, improve safety and save money.
- (C) The programme will reduce waiting times, improving safety and the saving of money.
- (D) The programme will reduce waiting times, it will improve safety and money saved.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The three verbs (“reduce”, “improve”, “save”) have the same form.
- (A) mixes a base verb with an infinitive.
- (C) mixes a base verb, a participle and a noun phrase.
- (D) mixes a verb, a clause and a noun phrase.
If you missed this: 5.3 study guide.
Question 4 (multiple choice · 5.4)
Choose the best transition: “The new timetable shortens the school day; [ … ], students have less time for clubs.”
- (A) for example
- (B) as a result
- (C) in contrast
- (D) similarly
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Having a shorter day causes less time for clubs, a result.
- (A) would introduce an example of the shortening.
- (C) would signal contrast, but the second clause follows from the first.
- (D) would signal a parallel idea, not a consequence.
If you missed this: 5.4 study guide.
Question 5 (multiple choice · 5.5)
A writer wants to describe a person who keeps a tight hold on money in a way that shows admiration. Which word is best?
- (A) stingy
- (B) tight-fisted
- (C) thrifty
- (D) miserly
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). “Thrifty” has a favourable connotation of care and good management.
- (A), (B) and (D) all carry negative connotations of meanness.
If you missed this: 5.5 study guide.
Question 6 (multiple choice · 5.6)
Which revision of “The meeting was bad” is most precise?
- (A) The meeting was really bad.
- (B) The meeting was a total disaster.
- (C) The meeting ran for three hours and ended without a decision.
- (D) The meeting was not good at all.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (C). It replaces a vague judgement with facts that the reader can picture and check.
- (A), (B) and (D) are still vague judgements.
If you missed this: 5.6 study guide.
Question 7 (constructed response · 5.1, 5.2, 5.4)
Revise this paragraph (Marlbridge passage) so that it has unity and coherence. You may cut and reorder sentences and add transitions, but do not add new evidence.
Our town should plant more street trees. The council has a budget of £2 million. Trees give shade. Shade makes pavements cooler in summer. Some trees drop leaves in autumn. Cooler pavements make walking more pleasant. A tree costs about £300 to plant.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
Our town should plant more street trees. Trees give shade, and shade makes pavements cooler in summer, so walking becomes more pleasant. A tree costs about £300 to plant, which is a small fraction of the council’s £2 million budget.
Changes: cut “Some trees drop leaves in autumn” (does not serve the claim); reordered so that shade leads to cooler pavements and then to pleasant walking; joined the sentences with “and” and “so”; placed the cost point last and linked it to the budget with “which”.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cuts the off-topic sentence about leaves |
| 1 | Orders the ideas in a logical chain (shade, cooler pavements, pleasant walking) |
| 1 | Adds at least one accurate transition or link |
| 1 | Connects the cost sentence to the budget without new evidence |
Reading your result
| If you missed | Read next |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 5.1 Body paragraphs |
| Question 2 | 5.2 Unity and coherence |
| Question 3 | 5.3 Linking devices |
| Question 4 | 5.4 Transitions |
| Question 5 | 5.5 Connotation and denotation |
| Question 6 | 5.6 Precise word choice |
| Question 7 | 5.1, 5.2 and 5.4 |
When you have closed the gaps, try the Unit 5 mixed review.