Aptis Grammar and Vocabulary Exam – Final Preparation

Aptis Grammar and Vocabulary Exam – Final

Preparation
1 – Refresh your memory
What do you already know about the grammar and vocabulary

exam? Choose one word from the

box to complete each gap in this summary text. Use each word only once.

as change consists each tests even for pause whole

The grammar and writing exam 1)__________ of 2 separate sections. The first is 25
multiple choice answers to test your grammar knowledge. It tests things like verb
tenses, articles, prepositions, linkers, modal verbs and2)__________ spoken grammar.
The second is 5 vocabulary exercises,3)__________ with 5 items for which you have to
select one choice from a drop-down list. It 4)__________ mainly synonyms and
collocations. There is one mark 5)__________ each answer, making a total of 50 marks
for the6)__________ test. You have 25 minutes to complete the test. During the test,
you cannot 7)__________ the clock, but you can go back or forward8)__________ you
like, and you can review and 9)__________ your answers at any point until you submit
your test or your time runs out.

2 – Navigating within the Aptis website

1) Circle the following: a) time remaining b) percentage of test completed c) button
to move to next question

2) How would you… a) go to question 7? b) leave a question for later? c)go straight
to the vocab. section?
3 – Do the Aptis Website Practice Exam
Go to the following web address and do the online Grammar and Vocabulary Practice
Exam:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisGrammarVocabPractice/

Once you’ve finished, you’ll get a % mark. Make a note of it here: _________%

4 – Find your Strengths and Weaknesses

In order to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses in grammar and vocabulary
knowledge, it’s useful to know the name of the grammar or vocabulary that is being
tested. That way, you can search for the same grammar / vocabulary area online and
improve on your weak areas. Here are all the questions from the test. Read through
them and decide whether you know the grammar or not. Put a tick or cross in the last
column. Also answer any of the questions in the ‘What is it testing?’ column.

Grammar

Do I know
Question with correct answer in bold What is it testing?
this? or 
1. He is single. He never ________. Tenses
married Past simple, present simple. It’s also testing
marries use of the negative adverb ‘never’.
marrying
2. I ________ use to swim much, but now I have my own pool, Used to
I swim every day. An area of grammar used to talk about past
don’t habits & states. This question is testing the
didn’t form.
did
3. In those days, my father ________ never eat dinner after 8 Would
o’clock. A modal verb that can also be used to talk
used to about past habits. Why is ‘used to’ impossible?
will
would
4. I had a shower, ________ I went to bed. Linkers
during ‘during’ is a preposition, ‘then’ is an adverb
then and ‘until’ is either a preposition or a
until conjunction.
5. How much ________ the train to Santiago cost? Question Forms
is This question is testing whether you
does understand which auxiliary to use in questions.
do
6. He ________ in Cairo. Tenses
living Present simple vs. present continuous. Only
lives ‘lives’ is formally correct. How would it be in
live present continuous?
7. ________ you like to go out this evening? Question Forms
Will This question is testing whether you know how
Would to form a question with ‘would like’
Can

8. He ________ finished cooking when we arrived. Tenses

has Past perfect simple vs. present perfect simple.
have Why is present perfect impossible?
had
9. The film starts ________ half past four. Prepositions of Time
at We always use ‘at’ with clock times.
on Do you know when we use ‘on’ and ‘in’?
in
10. I wish it ________ the time of year when I could go on Wish
holiday. Notice how we need to use past tense after
will be ‘wish’ (‘were’ is the subjunctive form). The
is same is true about ‘if only’.
were

11. I don’t think it’s right ________ children to play with toy Syntax
guns. A difficult area to revise. It tests your
for understanding of how to link clauses in
that sentences. Note the structure:
to be + right / wrong for (+ noun) to (+ verb).
12. I ________ to work when I saw Steve. Tenses
was going Past continuous vs. past simple. These are part
went of an area of grammar sometimes called
going ‘narrative tenses’.
13. That man’s so unreliable – you can’t trust him. ________ Adverb position in sentences
I wouldn’t frankly work with him. There are specific rules as to where we can and
I wouldn’t work frankly with him. can’t put adverbs in sentences. Do you know
Frankly, I wouldn’t work with him. the rules?

14. Excuse me, I’m lost. ________ you help me? Polite Requests
Could The example uses ‘could’. Do you know other
Shall ways of making polite requests?
Should
15. William ________ in South America now. Tenses
is living Present continuous vs. ‘will’ future and past
will live continuous.
was living
16. We could cook dinner. ________, we could buy some take Linkers
away food. ‘Therefore’ and ‘On the other hand’ are
Therefore discourse markers, a type of adverb. Although
On the other hand is always a conjunction. Do you know the
Although difference?
17. You ________ to do your homework by tomorrow. Expressing Obligation
should This is testing an area that includes both ‘true
must modal verbs’ and the ‘semi-modal’ ‘have to’.
have Why are the others wrong?
18. We ________ have caught the early train, as the football Needn’t have (+ past participle)
match was delayed. Notice how some modals can be used in the
mustn’t past to express criticism or make deductions.
didn’t Google ‘past modals of deduction’ for more
needn’t information.
19. She reads every day ________ she isn’t serious. Conjunctions
and This is testing the meaning of the 3
because conjunctions. How would you change the
but sentence to use ‘and’ or ‘because’?
20. A: I enjoy working on challenging projects at work. B: So So do I / Neither do I
________ I! This is a specific area of spoken grammar that
am is often tested in the exam. How would you
do negate the answer?
can
21. Go to the end of the street and turn ________ right. Giving Directions
(-) This is testing collocation / dependent
on prepositions within the functional area of
to ‘giving directions’.
 22. The children ________ playing football for two hours before Tenses
it started raining. Past perfect continuous, the right answer, is
have been being contrasted with present perfect
has been continuous. What is the other verb tense used
had been in the sentence?
23. There were ________ than fifty people in the audience last Comparatives / Quantifiers
night. Note that in Malaysia, ‘lesser’ is sometimes
fewer used in this context, but this is considered
few wrong in standard UK English.
lesser
24. I just heard they are ________ get married in June. Be going to (+ verb)
going to Often just called ‘going to’, it’s a very
going common future form in English.
go to
25. If you were a better cook, you ________ need to eat out all Conditionals (2nd vs. 1st)
the time. The correct answer is a second conditional.
won’t Why can’t it be ‘first conditional’?
wouldn’t
hadn’t

Vocabulary
For the vocabulary, write ‘strong’, ‘OK’ or ‘weak’ in the self evaluation column,
depending on how you did in the test:

Answers Choices What is it testing? Self-evaluation

Vocabulary 1 go begin Verb Synonyms
study = read plan listen Testing knowledge of verb
receive = get read run meaning. Notice that the first
start = begin choose speak answer is a very ‘weak’
talk = speak end get synonym, but it’s (probably) the
pick = choose best choice.
Vocabulary 2 attend assemble Verb Synonyms
cover – wrap approach arrive Testing knowledge of verb
improve / change – adjust admit announce meaning. Notice how
state / make public – announce arrange adjust sometimes 2 verbs are given on
get somewhere – arrive accept wrap the left to ensure only one
put something together – assemble match is possible from the
choices.
Vocabulary 3 awkward Collocations
More and more people go abroad for their ancient Testing knowledge of adjectives
holidays these days. ahead and adverbs. Most of the correct
Drivers need to remain alert when in adequate answers are ‘right’ because they
charge of a car. articulate collocate with a verb before the
The city has many ancient and interesting alert adjective or a noun after it.
buildings. accurate
She’s a highly articulate person who abroad
explains things clearly. adult
He’s a very aggressive person – always aggressive
getting into fights

Vocabulary 4 line joint Noun Synonyms

timetable = schedule command prize Testing knowledge of noun
reward = prize mess fright meaning.
queue = line schedule dock
phase = stage stage mistake
error = mistake
Vocabulary 5 bomb audition Collocation
aerobics + classes scissors rod Testing knowledge of adjective
 agriculture + minister classes strings – noun collocations, and also of
aisle + seat salesman seep general noun knowledge. If you
apron + strings minister seat know what an apron is, only one
atom + bomb word goes with it logically!

Note
The exact choice of vocabulary exercises varies between exams. Some can also test
adjective synonyms.

5 – My Learning Plan
Between now and the exam, you can improve your mark in the grammar and
vocabulary paper significantly by improving on your current weaknesses. Complete the
table below, choosing 10 areas of grammar or vocabulary you want to study most. Put
the most important ones at the top of the table. Add the study completion date in the
last column to help you to plan your time effectively (e.g. by 20th Dec.):

Number What I want to study Study Completion Date

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

6 – How to find what you need online

Now that you know what you want to study and when, here are some tips for finding
the right materials online. For each area of grammar, use Google to find what you
need. Example searches are given below:

1) Grammar Learning
Search for the name of the grammar (notice the use of inverted commas), and the
words ‘grammar rules’.

This will bring up websites that explain the basic rules:

2) Grammar Practice
Search for the name of the grammar (notice the use of ‘vs’) and the word ‘exercises’ or
‘activities’.

This will bring up websites that have practice exercises, such as gap fills, matching
exercises, etc. Check the answers are available before you begin:

3) Vocabulary Building
Search for the name of the vocabulary area you want to strengthen and the word ‘list’.

This will bring up useful lists that you can download or copy and print off. You can use
these lists for learning, testing yourself or testing colleagues. You can stick them on the
walls in your house (e.g. in the kitchen / bathroom / above your bed!) to help you learn,
too!

4) Vocabulary Practice
Search for the name of the vocabulary area you want to strengthen and the word
‘exercises’.

This will bring up websites that have practice exercises, such as gap fills, matching
exercises, etc. Check the answers are available before you begin:

Don’t forget about your Aptis practice materials booklet. This also contains lots of
practice material for the grammar and vocabulary exam!

Trainer Supplements
Answer Key
Grammar

1. married
2. didn’t
3. would
4. then
5. does
6. lives
7. Would
8. had
9. at
10. were
11. for
12. was going
13. Frankly, I wouldn’t work with him.
14. Could
15. is living
16. On the other hand
17. have
18. needn’t
19. but
20. do
21. (-)
22. The children had been
23. fewer
24. going to
25. wouldn’t

Vocabulary 1

study = read (poor question)

receive = get
start = begin
talk = speak
pick = choose

Vocabulary 2

cover – wrap
improve or change – adjust
state / make public – announce
get somewhere – arrive
put something together – assemble

Vocabulary 3

More and more people go abroad for their holidays these days.
Drivers need to remain alert when in charge of a car.
The city has many ancient and interesting buildings.
She’s a highly articulate person who explains things clearly.
He’s a very aggressive person – always getting into fights

Vocabulary 4

timetable = schedule
reward = prize
queue = line
phase = stage
error = mistake

Vocabulary 5

aerobics + classes
agriculture + minister
aisle + seat
 apron + strings
atom + bomb

Aptis Practice Test – Online Test

This is the online practice test (a past paper), copied from the Aptis website in Oct
2013. It can be used with teachers who are having difficulty accessing the online exam:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/aptis-practice-tests/AptisGrammarVocabPractice/

Grammar

1. He is single. He never ________.

married
marries
marrying
2. I ________ use to swim much, but now I have my own pool, I swim every day.
don’t
didn’t
did
3. In those days, my father ________ never eat dinner after 8 o’clock.
used to
will
would
4. I had a shower, ________ I went to bed.
during
then
until
5. How much ________ the train to Santiago cost?
is
does
do
6. He ________ in Cairo.
living
lives
live
7. ________ you like to go out this evening?
Will
Would
Can
8. He ________ finished cooking when we arrived.
has
have
had
9. The film starts ________ half past four.
at
on
in
10. I wish it ________ the time of year when I could go on holiday.
will be
is
were
11. I don’t think it’s right ________ children to play with toy guns.
for
that
to
12. I ________ to work when I saw Steve.
was going
went
going
13. That man’s so unreliable – you can’t trust him. _________
I wouldn’t frankly work with him.
I wouldn’t work frankly with him.
Frankly, I wouldn’t work with him.
14. Excuse me, I’m lost. ________ you help me?
Could
Shall
Should
15. William ________ in South America now.
is living
will live
was living
16. We could cook dinner. ________, we could buy some take away food.
Therefore
On the other hand
Although
17. You ________ to do your homework by tomorrow.
should
must
have
18. We ________ have caught the early train, as the football match was delayed.
mustn’t
didn’t
needn’t
19. She reads every day ________ she isn’t serious.
and
because
but
20. A: I enjoy working on challenging projects at work. B: So ________ I!
am
do
can

21. Go to the end of the street and turn ________ right.

(-)
on
to
22. The children ________ playing football for two hours before it started raining.
have been
has been
had been
23. There were ________ than fifty people in the audience last night.
fewer
few
lesser

24. I just heard they are ________ get married in June.

going to
going
go to
25. If you were a better cook, you ________ need to eat out all the time.
won’t
wouldn’t
hadn’t

go
begin
plan
listen
read
run
choose
speak
end
get

Vocabulary 1
Select a word from the list that has the most similar meaning to the word on the left.
Example: big = large
study = ________
receive = ________
start = ________
talk = ________
pick = ________

attend
assemble
approach
arrive
admit
announce
arrange
adjust
accept
wrap

Vocabulary 2
Complete each definition using a word from the drop down list.
To cover with paper or material is to ________
To improve or change is to ________
To state or make public is to ________
To get somewhere is to ________
To put something together is to ________
awkward
ancient
ahead
adequate
articulate
alert
accurate
abroad
adult
aggressive

Vocabulary 3
Complete each sentence using a word from the drop down list.
More and more people go ________ for their holidays these days.
Drivers need to remain ________ when in charge of a car.
The city has many ________ and interesting buildings.
She’s a highly ________ person who explains things clearly.
He’s a very ________ person – always getting into fights.

line
joint
command
prize
mess
fright
schedule
dock
stage
mistake

Vocabulary 4
Select a word from the list that has the most similar meaning to the word on the left.
Example: big = large
timetable = ________
reward = ________
queue = ________
phase = ________
error = ________

bom
b
audit
ion
Vocabulary 5
sciss Select a word from the list that is most often used with the word on
ors the left. Example: big + house
rod aerobics + ________
class agriculture + ________
es
strin aisle + ________
gs apron + ________
sales atom + ________
man
seep
mini
ster
seat