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webmonkey8 · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

One of my students will be entering an International High School this year and I would like to know what I can do to prepare this student for the Entrance Exam English interview.
What are some of the topics covered? Has anyone prepared mock interviews for this kind of topic? If so, what are some of the sample questions? Thanks in advance!

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:14 am Post subject:

When you say 'international', do you mean a school where English would be quite a bit more than a dusty single classroom subject? If so, then its tests would probably call for a somewhat higher level of English than those that my Japanese sub-intermediate JHS students have been fretting over (simple questions based on a picture - present progressive, there's/are, perhaps a personal present simple Q to the student; then tightly constrained, quite simple roleplays based on short background context cards that students read silently and then aloud before doint the roleplay proper). But if you want fuller details for the latter kind of test, just ask and I'll post them in all their splendour.

webmonkey8 · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

fluffyhamster - thank you for your reply! Yes, could you please post some more details. Smile

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:33 pm Post subject:

I'll post it ASAP tomorrow (Thurs) morning. Gotta dash now...

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:23 am Post subject:

Apparently this was used last year in Saitama-ken. I've suggested answers and made comments (in brackets) where necessary.

PART I (Qs based on picture)

Look at the picture.

I will aks you some questions about it.

1. How many people are there in the picture? ((There are) 4 (people)).

2. Are they doing the same thing? (No - one is reading a newspaper, another a book; one is watching TV, and the last drinking coffee. (They are all however sitting in the same room, and appear to be taking a break from office work)).

3. What are they doing? (See my answer to the related 2, above).

4. What are there on the table? ('What's on the table' would be more natural, if we were expecting to elicit more than just 'some cups' as an answer, for there are other objects (indistinct ones, however, due to the poor quality of the photocopy of the photo)).

5. What do you see on the wall? (A clock and a picture/painting).

6. What time is it in the picture? (Assuming the picture on the wall is not of a clock (LOL), the actual clock says 2:20/4:10 (?Unclear)).

7. Well (name of student), how many hours do you watch TV every day? (Tenuous relationship at best to what's gone before).

PART II (Roleplay)

webmonkey8 · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

fluffyhamster - thank you, thank you THANK YOU!!! Now, I have something to go by. I can use this as a starting point. Before I had no idea, but now I can get things going. Smile

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:13 am Post subject:

Ooh, hi webmonkey. I've got another sample here that's pretty similar as regards the roleplay, but differs somewhat in Part I (I'll leave you to decide which paper is the harder - and what about best or worst designed - overall).

PART I.

Please look at Picture A.

1. What are the boys doing in Picture A? ((They're) playing soccer).

Please look at Picture B.

2. What is the girl doing in Picture B? (All the pics in this paper are hand-drawn, versus the TOEICy photo in the previous test. Pic B shows a cute girl's head sticking out from under a kotatsu, cat beside her. She's reading a book).

3. (Name of student), in winter, which do you like better, playing outside or staying at home?

4. Then ('Japlish' "discourse" marker?) what do you do outside? / at home?

Please look at Picture C.

The boy's name is Ken. He is waiting for Naoko at the station. But Naoko is still at home. (The pic shows Naoko just waking wearily as her alarm rings; splitscreen, Ken is checking his watch).

5. (Name of student), you are now Naoko (wonder how male students react to this bombshell), what will you do next? (This is almost a roleplay, but could prove more difficult than a roleplay, because the course of action has to be promptly decided upon and described by the individual student, rather than spontaneously arise out of an ad-libbed yet jointly "negotiated" dialogue (created remember with the aid of a more advanced and likely not unhelpful English speaker)).

PART II.

webmonkey8 · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

AWESOME! Thank you very much!