Checkpoint Exam · Checkpoint Exam Three — Past Tense & Detail
الِاخْتِبَارُ الثَّالِثُ
Checkpoint Exam Three — Past Tense & Detail
A four-skill checkpoint modelled loosely on the structure of the Edexcel GCSE Arabic exam — Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing, each marked separately — scaled to exactly what this course has covered so far. This is a course-internal checkpoint, not an official past paper.
TEACHER NOTES — RUNNING THIS EXAM
Covers: Chapters Fifteen through Twenty — kāna/qāla, laysa, past tense (both parts), object pronoun suffixes, and kull/ba‘ḍ, on top of Exams One and Two.
Suggested timing: ~15 min Listening, ~10 min Speaking (per student, after prep time), ~15 min Reading, ~20 min Writing.
Marking: Score each paper out of 25 for a total of 100. Tense-switching accuracy (choosing past vs. present correctly, not just conjugating one tense well) is the key diagnostic at this checkpoint.
PAPER 1 · 25%
الاستماعListening
Listen to the conversation, then answer the questions below in English.
Teacher instructions. Read twice at natural pace. This checkpoint mixes past and present tense — listen for students who default to one tense regardless of meaning.
2. Where was Aḥmad, and what two things did he do there? (3)
3. What does Salmā say about the exam? (2)
4. Did Aḥmad understand the whole lesson? What will he do about it, and when? (3)
Reveal answers
1. Studied alone all evening. 2. At his grandfather's — heard him reciting Qur'ān, then helped him in the garden. 3. It isn't easy. 4. No, not all of it — he'll go to the library tomorrow to study.
MARK SCHEME
Comprehension (10 marks): As marked above
PAPER 2 · 25%
التحدثSpeaking
Format: 12 minutes' preparation, then Role-play + General Conversation.
1Role-play (5 marks) — "Explaining what you did yesterday"
A friend asks about your day yesterday. In Arabic, you must:
Say where you were (استخدام كُنْتُ)
Say one thing you did, in the past tense
Say you didn't understand something (استخدام لَمْ)
Say what you will do about it
2General conversation (10 marks) — "Studying and helping at home"
مَاذَا فَعَلْتَ أَمْسِ؟
هَلْ سَاعَدْتَ أَحَدًا فِي أُسْرَتِكَ؟
هَلْ فَهِمْتَ كُلَّ دَرْسٍ حَتَّى الْآنَ؟
مَا رَأْيُكَ فِي الِامْتِحَانَاتِ؟
MARK SCHEME
Communication (5 marks): Correct tense chosen for each event described
Range (5 marks): Both كان/ليس and a plain past-tense verb used
Accuracy (5 marks): Correct past-tense conjugation and negation (لم/لا/ليس)
Write in Arabic about something you did last week. Include: at least two past-tense verbs, one use of كان or ليس, and one object pronoun suffix (e.g. سَاعَدْتُهُ).
Vowel marks (tashkīl) are optional — you don’t need them for a correct answer.
MARK SCHEME
Content (4 marks): All three required structures present
Range (4 marks): More than one verb root used
Accuracy (4 marks): Correct past-tense person endings
2Translation into Arabic (8 marks)
Translate: "I was at the library. I read the lesson, but I didn't understand all of it."
Vowel marks (tashkīl) are optional — you don’t need them for a correct answer.