CSSE-Style English Mock 6 (Essex)
The CSSE-Style English Mock 6 (Essex) is a full CSSE English practice sitting covering a source text, then reading comprehension, vocabulary in context, spelling/punctuation/grammar (SPaG) and a continuous writing task within one hour. By a sixth sitting the aim shifts from learning the format to rehearsing exam day itself: sitting the mock in one unbroken hour, in conditions similar to the real test.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Sit this mock exactly as the real test will run: one unbroken hour, no notes, no dictionary, and ideally at a desk without distractions, since exam day conditions themselves take some getting used to.
- Do not check answers section by section as you go; finish the full hour first, since the live paper will not allow stopping to check comprehension answers once the writing task has started.
- Afterwards, mark the mock against its answers honestly, then compare the errors made here to the error log kept across EP.T30 and EP.T44, and note whether the same mistake type is still recurring.
- For any comprehension question answered incorrectly, work out whether the cause was a misreading of the extract, a misreading of the question, or a rushed explanation, since each of these needs a different fix.
- For the continuous writing task, time the planning stage separately from the writing stage, so you know from this final mock exactly how many minutes of the hour you personally need for each part of the paper.
- Reread the mark scheme for the writing task and check your own piece line by line against its four criteria, content, structure, sentence variety and vocabulary, and technical accuracy, since self-marking against real criteria is the closest practice to how an examiner will read it.
- Treat a lower score on this final mock than an earlier one as useful information, not a bad sign: it usually points to a specific, fixable habit rather than a lack of ability, and there is still time before the real test to correct it.
Worked example
Source sentence: 'The conductor raised her baton, and for one held breath the whole hall, players and audience alike, seemed to lean forward together.' Explain how the writer creates a sense of anticipation in this sentence, using evidence from the text.
- Identify the point: the writer creates anticipation by showing everyone in the hall, not just the performers, physically and emotionally poised for the music to begin.
- Select the evidence: 'raised her baton' is the specific action that signals the moment is about to start.
- Select further evidence: 'one held breath' suggests time is stretched out and everyone is holding still, which builds tension before the release of the first note.
- Explain the evidence: describing 'the whole hall, players and audience alike' widens the moment beyond a single person, suggesting the tension is shared by everyone present, which makes it feel larger and more significant.
- Final answer: the writer creates anticipation by combining a precise triggering action, the raised baton, with the image of a single held breath shared by the entire hall, showing that both performers and audience are united in the same suspended moment just before the music begins.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1'The young violinist looked reticent backstage, saying little as the other players warmed up around her.' What does 'reticent' suggest about the violinist?Show answer
Answer: That she was quiet, reserved or unwilling to talk much, perhaps out of nerves.
Q2'The stagehand's diligent checks meant nothing was left to chance on the night of the concert.' Which word below is opposite in meaning to 'diligent': careless, thorough, patient, quiet?Show answer
Answer: careless (diligent means careful and hard-working, so its opposite is careless or negligent)
Q3Correct the error in this sentence: 'By the time the concert had ended, the audiences applause had lasted for several minutes.'Show answer
Answer: By the time the concert had ended, the audience's applause had lasted for several minutes. ('audience's', singular possessive, since the applause belongs to one audience)
Q4'The hall fell buoyant with relief once the final note had faded and the applause began.' What does 'buoyant' suggest about the mood in the hall?Show answer
Answer: That the mood became light, cheerful or uplifted, in contrast to the tense concentration before.
Q5What is the past participle of 'begin' (as in 'the concert had ___')?Show answer
Answer: begun
Q6'She found the final movement daunting to play from memory, though she had rehearsed it a hundred times.' What does 'daunting' suggest about how she felt?Show answer
Answer: That she felt intimidated or nervous about the difficulty of the task, despite her preparation.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Source sentence: 'Afterwards, she could not remember playing the final page at all, only the sudden, startling silence when it was over and the sound of her own heartbeat returning.' Explain what this sentence suggests about the girl's experience of performing, using evidence from the text. (5 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 5 available
Continuous writing task: 'Write about a moment when you had to perform, compete or speak in front of others, and how it felt once it was over.' Write a continuous piece of about 300 to 400 words. (15 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 15 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the csse-style english mock 6 (essex) worksheet pack - 11 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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