Any student who wishes to get a very good score in any English exam needs to be well grounded in grammar. This is the one of the skills which encompasses and determines your score in other parts of the exam like writing, speaking and listening.
Structure of the Grammar part of the iTEP Exam
1.The grammar part consists of two parts Part 1 and Part 2 with 25 questions in total which are of the Multiple choice type.
In Part 1 you have to select a correct answer that completes the sentence.
In Part 2, you have to identify the mistake in the sentence.
2.You have a total of ten minutes to answer all the 25 questions with an option to skip or go back to an earlier question.
Examinable topics in the grammar exam.
According to the latest iTEP preparation guide of 2019, there are twelve examinable topics in the grammar part of the exam These include:
HOW CAN I PRACTICE GRAMMAR WITHOUT A TEACHER ?
HOW TO STUDY GRAMMAR AND GET A C2.
The best way to practice grammar without a teacher is by selecting a specific topic, watching a video or reading a book about it and finally doing activities about it until you master it. Let us go into details to see what that means.
The most effective way to study grammar is to use the sniper’s approach. This is an approach where you focus all your effort on one specific topic where you have a weakness until you master it then go to the next and so on and so forth. In other words, the topics should be studied in priority and not necessarily in the way they appear in the preparation book.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE.
Step 1
Find out the topic that you find difficult.
You need to either do a full grammar test – You can access complete grammar tests on my YouTube channel. HERE – LINKS FOR TESTS. These tests have been set following the examinable topics in the iTEP preparation book covering all topics.
You can also go online to iTEP and pay for a placement test which goes at $15.
Step 2
Find out where your weaknesses exactly are.
After getting your results, focus solely on the questions you failed and write the topics down in a notebook. There is normally a clear pattern(even though you may not see it at first) There are certain topics which you may find easy and others that may be quite challenging.
Step 3
Study that particular grammar topic.
From the list of topics that you listed down, choose one.There are two ways you can go about this topic. First, you can watch a well elaborated YouTube video( I recommend Engvid,mmm English, Oxford English and Woodward English) about that particular topic or use a good grammar book(You can google any good grammar book) to deeply study this topic.
There are two things you need to understand about every grammar topic
1.The function of the grammar concept which deals with the use of that grammar.
2.The form/structure which focuses on how we formulate sentences using this grammar structure.
Watch the video while taking good notes to help you remember what you are learning.
Step 4
Doing activities.
Once you are done studying, you have to do as many activities as you think are necessary until you feel you have mastered the topic thoroughly. Mastery level means you understand it well enough to teach it to another person.
The top ten best English websites I recommend for reviewing grammar include:
2.Engvid
7. English club
10.EF
These websites not only have notes and videos but also tests to check your understanding.
Another great way to practice your grammar would be to write a short story applying the grammar rules you have just learnt and have an English teacher look at it and give you genuine feedback.
Step 5
Apply the same steps to your next grammar topic.
If you have any other grammar topic that’s still challenging you, go through the same process and you will see good results.
Studying grammar rules can be daunting sometimes but it shouldn’t if you go about it the right way. I wish you good luck in your next grammar test and I hope you apply these simple steps to get the score that you need.
TRY TESTING YOUR GRAMMAR NOW
Don’t forget to have a pen and notebook to write down your answers