DIRECTORATE FOR QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN EDUCATION

Department of Curriculum Management

Educational Assessment Unit

Annual Examinations for Primary Schools 2017

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Year 4 ENGLISH Time: 1h 15 min
(Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing)
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Name: ____________________________ Class: ___________

Total: 60 marks

English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017 Page 1 of 12
A. Reading Comprehension 20 marks

A. 1. Read the following text carefully.

Facts about rabbits

 Rabbits live in groups called herds. Many

rabbits live underground in burrows.

 Some rabbits live above the ground in nests.

 Small rabbits can weigh around 400 grams. Big rabbits

can weigh around 10 kilograms.

 Rabbits eat plants. They eat around dusk.

 A rabbit has 28 teeth. Rabbits’ teeth never stop

growing.

 Rabbits have long ears, which can be as

long as 10 centimetres. But they have short tails.

1. Complete the grid.

Fill in each blank with a suitable word from the text. (2 marks)

Animal Underground Food Number of teeth

habitation

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

2. Tick () to show whether these sentences are True or False. (2 marks)

True False
Example: Herds are groups of rabbits living together. 
a) Rabbits’ nests are found above the ground.
b) The heavier rabbits can weigh around 10 kg.
c) Rabbits eat early in the morning.
d) The tail of a rabbit is longer than its ears.

Page 2 of 12 English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017
A. 2. Read the following passage carefully.

Matey

Last summer, Billy and his family moved into

Number 23, Victoria Gardens. It was a large
house. It had a huge garden with a goldfish
pond and a shed.

Billy spent the first week cleaning the shed. His sister, Rula, played
with Matey in the garden. Matey was Rula’s lop-eared grey rabbit
with a white bobtail. Matey and Rula liked hopping on the grass on
all fours.

At the end of the week, Rula and Matey were playing out in the
garden as usual. Then Rula ran inside for a drink. When she
came out, Matey was gone.

Billy and his father looked for Matey in the garden first. Then they searched the
house from top to bottom. He was nowhere. Nothing could stop Rula crying.

Billy and his father went out into the garden again. They wanted to have one
last look. Then they found the hole under the fence. It was at the bottom of the
garden behind the shed. It looked freshly dug.

They looked over the fence towards the garden of

Number 24. They had to ask if Matey was there.
They saw Mrs. Watson hanging her washing.

“Have you seen Matey?” asked Billy.

“I’ve not seen the rabbit, but I’ll tell you if I do,” she said.

English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017 Page 3 of 12
So they looked over the fence into the garden of Number 22.
There was no sign of Matey. The garden was overgrown and it
looked like a jungle. All Billy could see was a beehive, with lots
of bees buzzing about, and a black cat. The cat was sitting on
top of a sundial. It was watching him with orange eyes.

(Adapted from Black Queen by Michael Morpurgo)

1. Fill in with numbers. (3 marks)

a) There was a goldfish pond in the garden of Number _______.

b) Mrs. Watson lived at Number _______.

c) There was a beehive in the garden of Number _______.

2. Underline the correct word or phrase. (4 marks)

a) Billy’s family moved into a (small, big, tiny, modern) house.

b) Rula and Matey had fun (searching, digging, hopping, running) in the
garden.

c) The hole was (in front of, under, beside, at the back of) the garden.

d) The garden of Number 22 looked (wild, tidy, tame, in order).

Page 4 of 12 English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017
3. Match. (3 marks)

Example: “huge” means fully

a) “lop-eared” means newly

b) “from top to bottom” means having drooping ears

c) “freshly” means enormous

4. Answer the following questions.

a) Why couldn’t Rula stop crying?

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(2 marks)

b) Who would Mrs. Watson tell, if she saw the rabbit?

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(1 mark)

c) What do you think Billy and his family would do if they found Matey? Why?

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(3 marks)

English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017 Page 5 of 12
B. Language 10 marks

B. 1. Read and complete the sentences by writing what happened.

The words in brackets will help you.
The first* one is an example. (5 marks)

The cat jumped* (jump) down off the sundial. Billy _______________ (watch)

it snaking its way through the grass towards Matey.

Billy _______________ (climb) over the fence.

He _______________ (get) down on the other side

and _______________ (go) through the long grass.

The cat _______________ (curve) its back and

_______________ (turn) its tail into a bottle brush.

It _______________ (hiss) at Billy furiously.

Billy _______________ (crouch) down to pick up Matey,

but a bee _______________ (land) on the back of his hand

and _______________ (sting) him.

Page 6 of 12 English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017
B. 2. Read and complete the sentences by writing how it happened.
The words in brackets will help you.
The first* one is an example. (5 marks)

The teams walked quietly* (quiet) on the football ground.

Harry’s friends watched the match. They cheered _______________ (loud).

Harry kicked the ball _______________ (skilful) and scored a goal.

The other team played _______________ (bad). All the

players were very tired. They ran _______________ (slow).

Harry’s team won the football match.

They played very _______________ (good).

English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017 Page 7 of 12
C. Writing 30 marks

C. 1. Imagine that you have lost this case at school.

Complete the notice.
Fill in the details and write sentences to describe the case.
(6 marks)

LOST
Object:

______________________________

Last seen: (date and place)

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in the _________________________

If found please contact: (name)

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Description:

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Page 8 of 12 English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017
C. 2. Your friend is going on a holiday abroad.
Ask questions to complete the dialogue.
The first* speech bubble is an example. (6 marks)

* Where are you going?

I’m going to the largest island in the Mediterranean.

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I’m going with my aunt and cousins.

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No, we’re travelling by ferry.

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We’re going on a two-week holiday.

English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017 Page 9 of 12
C. 3. Composition (18 marks)
Write ten sentences or a paragraph, between 70 and 100 words on ONE of the
following:

1. Picture Composition: The Naughty Kitten

Look at the pictures carefully. Write the story.
The following words may help you: bowl, was swimming, balance, fell,
rushed, dripped, dry

1 2 3

4 5 6

2. Write about Lions and Lionesses.

Use the given information.
Weight Habitat How they live Food Hunters
lion: grasslands, in groups Meat of: lionesses
around 180kg savanna – a called prides deer,
grassy plain of up to 40 zebras,
with few trees, lions giraffes,
lioness:
woodlands hippos
around 130kg

3. Write about My School Day.

What do you usually do before the school day starts? Which lesson
activities do you like best? Why? What happens at lunch time?

4. Write a letter to your friend about your favourite TV programme and ask
her or him to watch the TV programme with you.
Page 10 of 12 English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017
Title Number: ________

Plan your writing in the space below.

English – Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing – Primary Schools – Year 4 – 2017 Page 11 of 12
Title Number: __________

Use your plan to write about the title.

Write between 70 and 100 words. Write neatly and correctly.

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