It’s your first year of teaching and your school’s Japanese English teacher has just asked you to help create questions for the end of term test. After researching online, you find some examples but have to incorporate material from your specific textbook into the test.
For new teachers who are new at creating tests, here are some examples that I have seen from my schools using Japan’s English Junior High School textbooks: New Horizon, New Treasure, My Way, and the Sunshine series.
Below is a format with real, altered questions and real Japanese used on past tests.
The number of questions and points in the parenthesis per section is what I’ve personally seen being used as well. Usually, tests are about one hour and use 60-80 questions, 1-2 minutes per question on average.
Vocabulary: Translation (10 questions, 1 point each)
| Kanji Translation: Please translate the following into Japanese. [A] 次の語を日本語に直しなさい crash 2) temperature 3) experience 4) source |
| Kanji Translation: Please translate the following into English [B] 次の語を英語に直しなさい いろいろな 2)そのうえ、さらに 3) 状態 4) 生き残る |
Grammar Table: (10 questions, 1 point each)
| Kanji Translation: Fill in the following table. [D] 次の表を埋めなさい。 ～は ～の ～を ～のもの ～は ～の ～を ～のもの 私 I ① me ② 私たち we our ⑧ ours あなた you ③ you yours あなたたち you ③ you yours 彼 he his ④ ⑤ 彼ら、それら they their ⑨ ⑩ 彼女 she ⑥ her hers それ it its ⑦ |
Rearranging (5 questions, 2-3 points)
| Kanji Translation: Rearrange the words in brackets appropriately to make them match the meaning in Japanese and write the complete sentence. Note that even the word at the beginning of the sentence is in lowercase. [E] 日本語の意味に合うようカッコ内の語句を適切に並べかえ全文を書きなさい。文頭にくる語も小文字になっているので注意すること。 この女性はわたしの母です。 ［ woman / my / this / mother / is / .］ |
Fill in the Blank: ( 5 questions, 2 points)
| Kanji Translation: Write the third person singular present tense of the following verbs. [F] 次の動詞の３人称単数・現在の形を書きなさい。 1. know ________ 2. cry _________ |
Multiple Choice: (15-20 questions, 1-3 points)
| Kanji Translation: Choose the most appropriate word to fill in the blank and answer with a symbol. [G] 空所に入る最も適切な語を選び、記号で答えなさい。 1. You ( ア aren’t play イ not play ウ don’t play ) baseball. |
| Kanji Translation: Choose the most appropriate word to put in the parentheses so that it matches the meaning in Japanese. [H] 日本語の意味に会うように、（ ）に入れるのに最も適切なものを選びなさい。 明日はクラブ部活がありませ。 We don’t have any club ( ) tomorrow. A) operations B) meetings C) games D) activities |
| Kanji Translation: When inserting the word in brackets into the following English sentence, please indicate the appropriate position with a symbol. [I] 次の英文にカッコ内の語を入れるとき、適当な位置を記号で答えなさい。 1. They ア read イ books after ウ school.〈 sometimes 〉 |
| Kanji Translation: Choose one word from each of the following pairs that has a different pronunciation of the underlined part from the others, and answer with a symbol. (Phonics) [J] 次の各組の語で下線部の発音が他と異なるものを１つ選び、記号で答えよ。 1. ア see イ bread ウ bee エ piece 2. ア cat イ black ウ any エ happy |
| Kanji Translation: Choose the most appropriate answer to the following questions and write it in a symbol. [K] 次の質問の答えとして最も適切な答えを１つ選び、記号で答えよ。 1. Where do you live? ア I live in Shibuya station. イ I lives near Shibuya station. ウ I live near Shibuya station. エ I lived close to Shibuya station. |
Passage Reading ( 5 questions, 2-3 points each)
| Kanji Translation: Read NEW HORIZON Unit 6 Part 1 and answer the questions that follow. NEW HORIZON Unit 6 Part1を読んで、あとの問いに答えなさい。 Hello, everyone. Look at this picture. This is Takuya, my brother. He’s twenty years old. He lives in Cebu, the Philippines. He studies English at a language school there. He meets many Asian students at school. Takuya goes to school on weekdays, and sometimes enjoys scuba diving on weekends. Cebu has many beautiful beaches. He and his friends go diving together. He really likes Cebu. |
| Kanji Translation: Answer the following questions in English, but make sure to write the answer following the opening of your answer sheet and include a period. Answer the following questions in English, but make sure to write the answer following the opening of your answer sheet and include a period. [L] 次の質問に英語で答えよ。ただし、解答用紙の書き出しに続け、ピリオドも書くこと。 ア How old is Takuya? He . |
| Kanji Translation: Read the following English text and answer O if it matches the content of the text, or answer X if it does not. 次の英文を読み、本文の内容と合う場合はO、合わない場合はXで答えなさい。 ア Takuya studies English in Japan. |
Word Box: (5-10 Questions, 2 points each)
| Kanji Translation: Read the following sentence and choose the symbol below that expresses the meaning of the Japanese sentence. [M] 次の文を読み、日本文の意味を表すように、以下から記号を選びなさい。 ベッドの下の猫は黒いです。 The cat ( 1 ) the bed is black. あなたのえんぴつは机の上にあります。 Your pencil is （ ２ ） the desk.. アin イon |
| Kanji Translation: Choose the appropriate answer from ア to エ and write the symbol in the ( ) in the following sentence. [N] 次の文の（ ）内に適するものをア～エから選び、記号を書きなさい。 １.) Bob: What did Mr. Brown want us to do yesterday? I can’t remember. Patty: ( 1 ) ２.) Taku: Matt did you hear the news? There’s a flood tomorrow. Are you ready? ( ２ ) Matt: Yes, I am! I have food, water, and a flashlight. ア．Can I help you? イ．He wants us to make an art presentation. ウ．Tell me what you have done. エ．Would you like me to carry your jacket or something? |
Short Answer (3-5 questions, 3 points each)
| Kanji Translation: Answer the following questions in English. [O] 次の質問に英語で答えなさい。 １． What do you want to do today? ２． What’s easy for your friend to do? |
Essay (3-5 sentences, 6-10 points)
| Kanji Translation: Introduce in detail in English to a friend visiting from America things that can only be seen in Japan (events, animals, etc.) or unique Japanese culture. [P] アメリカから来日している友人に、日本でしか見られないもの（行事や動物など）、あるいは日本特有の文化を詳しく英語で紹介しなさい。 |
Follow this guide and well done! You will have made up the majority real English questions used in the Japanese public and private education sector.
For veterans and beginners alike, I hope you have learned a new assessment method from the above and good luck making your next test!
Header image "Solo exam" by Perrimoon is licensed under CC BY 2.0.