Top Tips For Students That Struggle with Comprehension Questions in Exams
Comprehension is understanding what you have read and is the key to becoming a successful reader. It is a key part of the secondary and GCSE curriculum and it is important that students perfect their technique in order to gain the maximum marks in an English comprehension exam. At On Target Tuition we are used to helping students who struggle with comprehension questions.
Here are our top tips to remember on the day of the test
- P.E.E – make your Point, give Evidence for your point and then Explain how this evidence supports your point.
- Read the passage carefully and thoroughly.
- Then read the questions and highlight any keywords that might help you find where the evidence might come from in the passage.
- Read the passage again and highlight the keywords, phrases, headings etc that relate to the questions.
- Look at what marks are allocated to each question. Do not spend 10 minutes answering a question worth 2 marks and 2 minutes answering a question worth 10 marks!
- Make a note of how long you can afford to spend on each question and try to stick to it.
- Remember if you are quoting from the passage to use quotation marks.
- Reread the question after you have written an answer and double-check you have covered all the points asked for.
- DO NOT just copy large chunks out of the text.
- Remember P.Q.R.S – Passage, Questions, Re-read and Search for evidence.
If you are struggling with comprehension On Target Tuition can help. Our qualified, experienced teachers can guide you through comprehension techniques and help you to prepare for examinations and coursework.