Six sections covering comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary and writing skills. Tap an option to check it instantly — wrong answers reveal the correct choice so your child learns as they go.
Practice format — CSSE’s real English paper includes open-answer and extended writing tasks.
¶1 The morning Lila found the door, the fog sat so low over Thornfield village that she could barely see her own boots. She had taken the shortcut through Alderman’s Wood because she was late for school, crunching through copper-brown leaves that stuck to her ankles like damp paper. Somewhere above, a crow called out — a single, sharp note that echoed between the oaks.
¶2 That was when she noticed it: a narrow wooden door set into the moss-covered trunk of the oldest tree in the wood. It stood no higher than her shoulder, its surface dark with age and studded with iron nails that had turned the colour of rust. A brass handle, green with verdigris, curved outward like a beckoning finger. Lila stopped walking. She had passed this tree hundreds of times and was certain nothing like this had been here before.
¶3 Her heart hammered. Every sensible thought told her to keep walking — Mrs Adeyemi would already be marking the register — but her feet seemed to have made their own decision. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around the handle. The metal was unexpectedly warm, almost alive, and it hummed faintly against her palm like a telephone wire in the wind.
¶4 The door swung inward without a sound. Beyond it lay not the hollow darkness she had expected but a flood of golden light. Warm air rushed past her face, carrying the scent of honey and cut grass and something else she could not name — something ancient and exciting. A staircase of pale stone spiralled downward, each step edged with tiny blue flowers that glowed as if lit from within.
¶5 Lila glanced behind her. The fog still curled between the trees; the crow still called. She thought of her school bag on her shoulder, of the maths test third period, of her mother’s voice reminding her to come straight home. Then she looked back at the staircase and took one careful step forward. The door closed gently behind her, and the sounds of the wood faded to nothing.
Why was Lila taking the shortcut through Alderman’s Wood?
Where exactly was the door located?
What colour had the iron nails on the door turned?
What was Lila’s teacher called?
Why do you think the author describes Lila’s feet as having “made their own decision” (¶3)?
Why do you think Lila glanced behind her before stepping through the door (¶5)?
Why do you think the door “swung inward without a sound” (¶4)?
Why do you think Lila thought about the maths test and her mother’s voice before entering (¶5)?
What does the word verdigris most likely mean as used in ¶2?
What does the word beckoning mean in ¶2 (“curved outward like a beckoning finger”)?
In ¶1, what does the phrase “stuck to her ankles like damp paper” tell us about the leaves?
The handle “hummed faintly against her palm like a telephone wire in the wind” (¶3). What technique is the author using here?
What is the effect of the short sentence “Lila stopped walking” at the end of ¶2?
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
Which sentence best summarises the main idea of the whole passage?
Which word is spelled correctly?
Which word is spelled correctly?
Choose the correct spelling to complete the sentence: “The scientist made an important ______ .”
Choose the correct spelling to complete the sentence: “She showed great ______ during the competition.”
Which word is spelled incorrectly?
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?
Which sentence uses commas correctly?
Which sentence uses speech marks and capitals correctly?
In the sentence “The clever fox darted swiftly across the field”, what word class is swiftly?
Which sentence uses the correct verb tense?
Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose the correct pronoun: “Each of the girls brought ______ own lunch.”
Choose the correct article: “She wants to become ______ honest person.”
Which word is closest in meaning to courageous?
Which word is closest in meaning to diminish?
Which word is most opposite in meaning to generous?
The word reluctant is closest in meaning to:
Which word is the odd one out?
Hot is to cold as ancient is to:
Choose the word that best completes the sentence: “The explorers had to ______ the steep mountain before reaching the village.”
Choose the most precise word to complete: “The cat ______ across the garden wall without making a sound.”
A story is titled “The Last Train”. Which opening line is the most engaging?
Put these sentences in the best order to form a paragraph:
1) Finally, she placed it carefully on the highest shelf.
2) Maya found a dusty glass jar in the attic.
3) She cleaned it with a damp cloth until it sparkled.
4) Inside, she discovered a tiny rolled-up map.
Which sentence best shows that a character is frightened, rather than simply telling the reader?
Combine these two sentences into one well-written sentence: “The river was deep. The river was dangerous.”
Which connective best links these ideas? “The team had trained for months. ______ , they lost the final match.”
A story ends with a character returning home after a long adventure. Which is the best concluding sentence?
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