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O Level English Language MCQs with answers

Practise O Level English Language (1123) with 238 exam-style MCQs, each with the answer and a short explanation. Every test is marked the moment you finish and shows your score chapter by chapter, so you know what to revise next. It is free and needs no sign-up.

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O Level English Language MCQs with answers

Practise O Level English Language (1123) with 238 exam-style MCQs, each with the answer and a short explanation. Every test is marked the moment you finish and shows your score chapter by chapter, so you know what to revise next. It is free and needs no sign-up.

238 questions · 5 chapters

What each chapter covers 5 chapters

The questions follow the syllabus chapter by chapter. You can test the whole subject or one chapter at a time.

  1. Reading: understanding a text 59 questionsExplicit meaning, Implicit meaning and attitudes, Vocabulary in context, How writers achieve effects
  2. Reading: summary and selecting information 40 questionsSelecting relevant points, Writing a summary, Short response to a text
  3. Writing: directed writing 54 questionsPurpose, audience and register, Using ideas from texts, Forms and conventions, Structure and organisation
  4. Writing: composition 27 questionsDescriptive writing, Narrative writing
  5. Writing: accuracy and style 58 questionsGrammar, Punctuation, Spelling and commonly confused words, Vocabulary and sentence variety
Sample O Level English Language MCQs with answers 12 questions

12 questions from the test, one or two from each chapter. Try each one, then open the answer.

1. Choose the best topic sentence to begin this paragraph.

______. The canteen now sells fresh fruit, and water coolers have been installed on every floor. Fizzy drinks have been removed from the vending machines, and a nutritionist visits once a term to talk to students.

  1. A
    The school has taken several steps to help students eat and drink more healthily.
  2. B
    Fizzy drinks have been removed from the vending machines at the school this year.
  3. C
    Many students at the school enjoy sports such as cricket and hockey.
  4. D
    The canteen was built in 1995 and stands next to the school library.
Show answer

Answer: A. A topic sentence states the main idea that the rest of the paragraph supports; every detail here is a healthy-eating step. The fizzy-drinks sentence is only one detail, and the other two are off the topic.

2. A student is describing a crowded railway platform on the day before Eid. Which simile best shows how tightly packed the platform was?

  1. A
    The travellers were as quiet as mice at night.
  2. B
    People were as happy as children on a holiday.
  3. C
    People were pressed together like matches in a box.
  4. D
    The platform stretched ahead like a long grey river.
Show answer

Answer: C. Matches packed in a box suggests people squeezed together with no space. The other similes describe happiness, length and quietness, not crowding.

3. A student is giving a speech about food waste. Which rhetorical question would be most effective?

  1. A
    Do you know what time lunch is being served in the canteen today, by the way?
  2. B
    How can we throw away rice when families nearby go to bed hungry?
  3. C
    Rice is wasted, but is it, and does anyone even know or care?
  4. D
    Why is the rice served in our canteen usually white and not brown?
Show answer

Answer: B. A rhetorical question is asked for effect, not for an answer; the key makes listeners feel the contrast between waste and hunger. The others are real requests for information, or confusing and off the point.

4. Read this email.

Hi Sana! Guess what? We won the debate – I still can't believe it!!! The judges said our closing speech was the best they'd heard all year. Mum's making biryani to celebrate, so come over at seven if you're free. See you later!

Which features show most clearly that this email is informal?

  1. A
    a precise time given for the friend's visit
  2. B
    the past tense used to report the debate result
  3. C
    contractions, exclamation marks and ‘Hi Sana!’
  4. D
    the name of a food that is mentioned in the email
Show answer

Answer: C. Contractions (can't, they'd, Mum's, you're), several exclamation marks and ‘Hi Sana!’ mark an informal email. Past tenses, times and names of things appear in formal writing too.

5. Read this opening of a description.

The rain came down a lot. The street had a lot of water on it. Cars went past and made noises. People went into shops to get away from the rain. I stood at the bus stop and got very wet. The bus was late.

Which revision of the first two sentences is most effective?

  1. A
    The precipitation descended heavily and the thoroughfare was inundated with a quantity of liquid.
  2. B
    The rain came down a lot, and the street had lots and lots and lots of water on it.
  3. C
    It was raining. The street was wet. There was water on the street because of the rain.
  4. D
    Rain hammered on the tin roofs, and within minutes the street had become a brown, swirling river.
Show answer

Answer: D. ‘Hammered’ and the image of a ‘brown, swirling river’ are precise and vivid. The other versions stay vague, or use long words that sound unnatural and make the picture less clear.

6. Choose the correctly spelt word to complete the sentence.

I will ______ bring my notes to the lesson tomorrow.

  1. A
    definitly
  2. B
    defenitely
  3. C
    definitely
  4. D
    definately
Show answer

Answer: C. ‘Definitely’ is built on ‘finite’, which helps you remember the -ite- in the middle and the -ely at the end.

7. Which sentence would be most suitable for the final section of a report on the school's recycling scheme?

  1. A
    I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
  2. B
    Thank you all for listening so patiently to me this morning in the hall.
  3. C
    It is recommended that recycling bins be placed in every classroom.
  4. D
    Have you ever stopped to wonder where your rubbish really goes?
Show answer

Answer: C. Reports usually end with clear, formal recommendations. The others close a speech or a letter, or open a magazine article.

8. Read this story opening.

I had never seen the sea before. For the whole journey from Multan I had tried to imagine it, picturing something wider than the river at home. As the bus turned the final corner, I pressed my face against the window.

Which sentence continues the story in the same person and tense?

  1. A
    My breath fogged the glass as the sea came into view.
  2. B
    Her breath fogs the glass as the sea comes into view.
  3. C
    My breath fogs the glass as the sea comes into view.
  4. D
    His breath fogged the glass as the sea came into view.
Show answer

Answer: A. The story uses the first person (I, my) and the past tense (turned, pressed), so the next sentence should too. The others switch to the third person, the present tense, or both.

9. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

  1. A
    The coach shouted ‘keep your eyes on the ball!’
  2. B
    The coach shouted, Keep your eyes on the ball!
  3. C
    The coach shouted, ‘Keep your eyes on the ball!’
  4. D
    The coach shouted, ‘Keep your eyes on the ball’!
Show answer

Answer: C. Direct speech goes inside inverted commas and starts with a capital letter, and its exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted comma.

10. Read this email to a teacher.

Dear Mr Ahmed,
I am sorry that my history project will be late. I was ill with dengue fever for most of last week and have attached a note from my doctor. I have finished the research and need about three more days to write it up.

Which is the most suitable way to end the email?

  1. A
    Could I hand it in on Friday? Thank you for your understanding. Yours sincerely, Omar Farooq
  2. B
    Please could I hand it in on Friday? Thanks a million. Lots of love, Omar
  3. C
    So I'll just hand it in whenever I'm done with it, if that's OK with you. Bye for now! Omar
  4. D
    I expect you to accept it on Friday without any penalty at all. Yours faithfully, Omar Farooq
Show answer

Answer: A. The key politely makes a clear request and uses ‘Yours sincerely’ after ‘Dear Mr Ahmed’. The others are too casual, too demanding (with the wrong sign-off for a named reader), or end with a sign-off only suitable for family and close friends.

11. Which story plan has the clearest shape, with a problem, a turning point and a resolution?

  1. A
    Hamza wakes up; he goes to school; he eats his lunch; he walks home; he does his homework and sleeps.
  2. B
    Hamza is picked for the team; he hurts his ankle; he plays anyway and takes the winning catch.
  3. C
    Hamza is picked for the team; his aunt visits from Quetta; a dog chases a cat; it rains on Sunday.
  4. D
    Hamza describes his school, then his teachers, then the playground, then his friends and their families.
Show answer

Answer: B. The key has a problem (the injury), a moment of decision (playing anyway) and an outcome. The others have no problem, describe instead of telling a story, or list unconnected events.

12. Choose the words that best complete the sentence.

The fire brigade ______ the fire within an hour.

  1. A
    switched off
  2. B
    finished
  3. C
    put out
  4. D
    closed
Show answer

Answer: C. We ‘put out’ (or extinguish) a fire. ‘Switched off’ is used for machines and lights, ‘closed’ for doors and shops, and ‘finished’ for tasks.

Try 226 more questions

Ways to practise 5 ways

When you get a question wrong, a short note called "The idea behind this" explains the topic it belongs to, with the rules to remember and a worked example.

All O Level English Language rules on one page

O Level English Language: frequently asked questions

Is this O Level English Language test free?

Yes. Every test, answer and explanation is free, and you do not need an account. Sign in only if you want your results kept across devices.

How many O Level English Language questions are there?

238 MCQs with answers, covering 5 chapters of the syllabus. Each test draws new questions, so you can practise many times.

Are these O Level English Language past paper questions?

No. The 238 MCQs are our own, written to the syllabus in the style of the exam.

How is the test marked?

Instantly. You see your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the topics to work on next. Questions you got wrong are saved so you can retry them.

Can I practise one chapter or only my weak topics?

Yes. Pick a chapter, build your own test from chosen topics, or practise your weakest topics and your past mistakes.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. It runs in the browser on any phone or computer, and you can add it to your home screen like an app.

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