Contents

Introduction 4 Section 3: Poetry 97

Narrative poetry 97
Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation Figurative language and imagery 102
and vocabulary 6
Section 4: Playscripts 107
Section 1: Grammar 6 Developing characters 107
Nouns and pronouns 6
Check your understanding 112
Adjectives and alliteration 11
Verbs and adverbs 16 Unit 3 Writing 113
Prepositions and connectives
(conjunctions) 21 Section 1: Fiction 113
Sentence structures 26 Planning a story 113
Active voice and passive voice 31 Openings and endings 120
Developing characters 125
Section 2: Punctuation 36
Setting descriptions 131
Direct and reported speech 36
Paragraphs and sentence variety 136
Commas, dashes and brackets 41
Extended writing 141
Apostrophes – for possession
and contraction 46 Section 2: Non-fiction 144
Colons, semi-colons and ellipses 51 Information texts 144
Check your understanding 56 Persuasive writing 150
Balanced argument 155
Unit 2 Reading 57 Section 3: Poetry 160
Using language for effect 160
Section 1: Fiction 57
Stories from other cultures: Section 4: Playscripts 165
Traditional tales 57 Developing characters through
Science fiction stories 62 dialogue 165
Stories with flashbacks 67 Check your understanding 170
Stories by a significant author 72
Hints for revision; Glossary 171
Section 2: Non-fiction 77
Revision: Practice test instructions 172
Biographies 77
Practice test 1 (Non-fiction) 173
Information 82
Persuasive articles 87 Practice test 2 (Fiction) 179

Arguments 92 Practice test 1 (Non-fiction) answers 185

Practice test 2 (Fiction) answers 189

Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 3 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Introduction

About the Series

The new Revise for Cambridge Primary Checkpoint series is designed to provide teachers and learners with
a brand new range of resources that will allow them to revise the skills that have been developed during the
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint courses in English, Mathematics and Science.
The Cambridge Primary curriculum provides schools with an appropriate and internationally relevant
framework to develop learners’ skills, knowledge and understanding in English, Mathematics and Science.
The curriculum frameworks set out detailed learning objectives for each year of primary education, from
Stage 1 to Stage 6, and provide clear progression and expectations of what learners will achieve by the end
of each stage.
The Cambridge Primary Checkpoint is a set of internationally benchmarked tests that enable the
assessment of achievement in each subject area of the Cambridge Primary curriculum frameworks. These
diagnostic texts are designed to help teachers track learners’ performance, identify specific strengths and
weaknesses, and provide progress reports for learners, parents or guardians. The tests focus on assessing
knowledge and understanding of the learning objectives from Stages 4, 5 and 6, and include a wide range
of question types.
The new Revise for Cambridge Primary Checkpoint for English provides focused revision activities for all
strands of the framework examined in the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests. It includes a Teacher’s
Handbook and an accompanying Study Guide for learners.
The Teacher’s Handbook contains guidelines for structured revision lessons that focus on the key areas of
Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary; Reading; and Writing. It includes a wide range of original texts,
ideas and activities to make the revision relevant, thorough and appealing.
The Study Guide mirrors the focus areas covered in the Teacher’s Handbook, and allows learners to extend
their revision independently, using interesting and engaging texts and activities.
Opportunities for assessment are provided through Check your understanding quizzes in the Study Guide
and a Checkpoint-style practice test paper in the Teacher’s Handbook, allowing both teachers and learners
to identify gaps in knowledge and highlight areas that require additional practice.

How to use the Teacher’s Handbook

This Teacher’s Handbook is divided into three units: Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary; Reading; and
Writing, supporting the Cambridge Primary English Curriculum Frameworks. Most of the revision lessons can
be delivered in any order, and revisited according to need. However, the ‘narrative writing’ sessions follow
a structure (planning; openings/endings; characters; settings; paragraphs) that builds to a final extended
piece of writing – a complete story.
Each unit includes teachers’ notes containing all the relevant information required to deliver the revision
lessons. These notes can be delivered in full, or dipped into, according to learners’ requirements.
Included in each section are:
• Let’s revise!, with teaching notes linked to the Study Guide
• Top Tips, such as how to approach different question types
• Study Guide answers to support revision
• Let’s revise!, with teaching notes linked to the Worksheet activities
• Key vocabulary (Units 1–2)
• Worksheet answers to support revision
• Let’s Go and Let’s Go Further suggestions for optional follow-up activities (Units 2–3)
• Photocopiable worksheets to support revision.
4
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 4 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Introduction

However, as the objectives covered in the Teacher’s Handbook link directly to the units in the Study Guide,
there is a degree of flexibility in how the whole resource can be used. For example:
• The Study Guide could provide the main resource for a revision lesson, raising important teaching points,
reminders and discussions; or, it could provide activities for independent revision in school or at home.
• The photocopiable worksheets could be used before the revision lesson, to assess understanding; they
could be used within the revision lesson, as a teaching resource; they could be given as homework; or
they could even be used, without mediation, as an assessment after the Study Guide pages have been
completed, to check understanding.

Making links across the units

There is also an opportunity to group revision content, making links between the Reading, Writing and
Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary units. The table below shows an example of how this could be done.

Unit 2: Reading Unit 1: G, P & V Unit 3: Writing

Section 3: Poetry Section 1: Grammar Section 3: Poetry

• Figurative language and imagery • Adjectives and alliteration • Using language for effect
• Let’s go further: Writing task • Verbs and adverbs

Further revision information

At the end of the Teacher’s Handbook, you will also find information about the Hints for Revision and
Glossary sections in the Study Guide. This includes guidance on the following:
• How to become a good reader
• How to become a good writer
• Reading strategies such as skimming and scanning
• The wording and expectations of different types of questions
• The Reading Star Challenge
• Top tips for Writing.
There are also two Practice test papers, with Checkpoint-style questions and answers, including two marking
rubrics for writing.

Syllabus coverage
Used in conjunction with the Study Guide, the revision activities in this Teacher’s Handbook cover most of
the key objectives that will be assessed in the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests.
It is assumed that all learning objectives will have been covered in depth during prior teaching of the
curriculum. For this reason, some minor learning objectives are not covered in great detail and skills-based
objectives are often found in practice opportunities throughout the revision lessons, for example, in the
speech bubbles and Challenge yourself! sections. Also, in the Top tips section in this Teacher’s Handbook,
teachers are encouraged to remind learners to practise skills such as reading more widely, reviewing and
editing their written work, and presenting their written work appropriately.
Speaking and Listening objectives are not covered explicitly as they are not assessed in the Cambridge
Primary Checkpoint tests. However, there is a renewed focus on the teaching of vocabulary in both the
Study Guide and the Teacher’s Handbook.

5
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 5 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Grammar, punctuation
Unit 1 and vocabulary

Section 1: Grammar
Nouns and pronouns
Study Guide pages 5–7

Key skills: Recognising, understanding and using different word classes.

Let’s revise! Study Guide (pages 5–7)

Nouns and pronouns
Revise this information with learners:
• Every word in a sentence performs a different job, and each has a specific name or ‘word class’,
depending on the job it is doing.
• A common noun is a name of a person, place or thing, for example: doctor, city, table.
• A proper noun is the name of someone, somewhere or something specific and must be written with
a capital letter, for example: John, Africa, January.
• Sometimes there may be two words acting as a noun, for example: a library book. This is called
a noun phrase.
• If more is added to the noun phrase, it becomes an expanded noun phrase, for example: the library book
on the top shelf.
• Activity: If learners have limited vocabulary, play these games:
– ‘Name those nouns’: Display an image and ask learners to spot the nouns.
– ‘I spy’ around the classroom: Say ‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with s’ and remind
learners that these are all nouns.
– ‘What is it?’: Create a ‘feely bag’ containing a number of objects / fruits / shapes – they describe
each object first and then say the noun.
• A collective noun is the name for a group of things or people, for example: a swarm of bees.
• Activity: Start a ‘collection’ of collective nouns.
• Most nouns are concrete nouns, which means that you can see, touch, taste, smell or hear the things
they name, for example: clouds, desk, cheese, smoke, music.
• There are some nouns that are described as abstract. They name something that you cannot see or
touch, although you might feel it, for example: sadness, hunger, excitement, tiredness.
• Activity: Name some abstract nouns.
• A pronoun is a word that stands in place of a noun or proper noun to avoid repetition: Shappi saw the
stick and she picked it up.
• Some pronouns show possession (belonging to), for example: ‘their’– their bikes
• Activity: Make a list of pronouns and underline the possessive pronouns.
• Some pronouns are singular (he, she, its, his, her, that) and some are plural (them, their, those).
• Relative pronouns relate extra information to a noun or pronoun, such as who, when, what, that and
which. For example: The sky, which had been blue, was now covered in black clouds.
• It is important to have a balance of nouns, proper nouns and pronouns in a text. The subject or object
should be introduced using the noun or proper noun, but pronouns can then be used to avoid repetition.
Top tips!
Revise this tip with learners. If you can put words such as a, an, the and some in front of a word, it is a noun.

6
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 6 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Study Guide answers

Warm up
Learners’ own responses.
Try this
1 sea (noun) – salt water that covers most of the Earth
2 seat (noun) – a thing made for sitting on
3 secret (noun) – something that must not be told to anyone else
4 seed (noun) – a part of a plant that can grow into a new plant
Read and review
Mr Mac was very cross because he had told his children to be ready by 8 o’clock but they were late, so he
had to call them again.
Try this
Learners’ own responses, showing balance. For example:
The old tree-house stood in the middle of a thick forest. Sid had discovered it while he was staying with his
grandma, and he had decided that it would be a great place for a den. His grandma had given him some
old blankets, a torch and some cushions, so he was going to take them to his tree house after lunch.
Further practice
1 The driver, who was sitting in the car, was getting very impatient.
2 This is the place where we left our things.
3 I don’t like clothes that are scratchy.
4 That is the neighbour whose house is for sale.
Vocabulary
The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
committee    community    competition
Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning • underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee • use each word in a sentence.
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling

Let’s revise! Worksheet 1: Nouns and pronouns

Work through the questions and the vocabulary with learners.
1 Nouns and proper nouns
• Invite learners to read through the complete passage first.
• Explain that they must underline nouns or proper nouns in different colours, but they should not
underline pronouns in this activity.
2 Collective nouns
• Ask learners to read through both lists and explain that they should draw lines to match appropriate
nouns and collective nouns.
3 Pronouns
• Invite learners to read through the complete text first. Then, they should reread it and underline all
the pronouns.
• As an extension, they could be asked to circle the possessive pronouns.
4 Relative pronouns
• Read through this list of relative pronouns with learners and discuss any that are unfamiliar: who,
whom, whose, which, what, that, whoever, when, where.
7
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 7 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

• Remind learners that it is important to have a balance – if all nouns and pronouns are removed, then
the meaning will be unclear.
• Remind them that the relative pronoun and the noun must agree.
• Explain that they can choose any appropriate relative pronoun to go with the noun, but that some
relative pronouns would not be suitable, for example: We visited the seaside town who … (The relative
pronoun ‘who’ can only be used for a person or people.)
5 Key vocabulary
• The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
environment    equipment    explanation
• Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning • underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee the word
• look, cover, write and check to embed • use each word in a sentence.
the spelling
Worksheet 1 answers (Nouns and pronouns)
1 Nouns and proper nouns
The nouns are underlined (learners underline in blue) and the proper nouns are underlined and in bold
(learners underline in red).
It was an important day for Sunil. He had invited all the neighbours to his garden. He was excited to
show all the beautiful flowers, the elegant trees and the pond with all its colourful fish. First to arrive was
Mr King, who took lots of photographs. Next came Daisy and Mabel, the ladies from Branston House,
closely followed by Jim, who owned the shop.
2 Collective nouns
Collective noun Noun
a flock of footballers
a class of grapes
a team of birds
a herd of schoolchildren
a bunch of buffalo
3 Pronouns
The possessive pronouns are also circled.
Juno grabbed his coat and walked out of his front door. He was very excited about going to the match.
It was the first of the season and he had butterflies in his tummy. Joe, Eli and Abe were also going and
they had arranged to meet up at 7 o’clock. He couldn’t wait to see them. The ground was near his
house and he could see its floodlights above the rooftops. They were already on. They had a great team
this season; he just hoped they could win.
4 Relative pronouns
Learners’ own responses, for example:
a We visited the sea-side town where all the houses are painted white.
b I remember the birthday party when I was ten.
c Have you seen the cake that looks like a unicorn?
d What was the name of the teacher who left last year?
e My phone has an alarm that sounds like a wolf howling.
f Is that the person who owns the sports car?
g That is the Olympic stadium where I won a gold medal.
h I always get up early when I have to go to school.

8
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 8 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary Worksheet 1

Worksheet 1
Nouns and pronouns
1 Nouns and proper nouns
Underline the nouns in blue and the proper nouns in red.

It was an important day for Sunil. He had

invited all the neighbours to his garden. He
was excited to show all the beautiful flowers,
the elegant trees and the pond with all its
colourful fish. First to arrive was Mr King, who
took lots of photographs. Next came Daisy and
Mabel, the ladies from Branston House, closely
followed by Jim, who owned the shop.

2 Collective nouns
Match each collective noun to its correct noun.

Collective noun Noun

a flock of footballers

a class of grapes

a team of birds

a herd of schoolchildren

a bunch of buffalo

3 Pronouns
Underline the pronouns in this text:

Juno grabbed his coat and walked out of his front door. He was very excited about going
to the match. It was the first of the season and he had butterflies in his tummy. Joe, Eli
and Abe were also going and they had arranged to meet up at 7 o’clock. He couldn’t wait
to see them. The ground was near his house and he could see its floodlights above the
rooftops. They were already on. They had a great team this season; he just hoped they
could win.

Copyright: Sample material

Cambridge Primary Revise for Primary Checkpoint English Teacher’s Handbook © Stephanie Austwick 2022

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 9 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary Worksheet 1 (continued)

Worksheet 1 (continued)
4 Relative pronouns
Complete the sentences below, choosing appropriate relative pronouns from this list.
For example: I spoke to the man who worked for the bank.
who whom whose which what that whoever when where

Remember to use the

correct punctuation
in each sentence.

a We visited the seaside town __________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

b I remember the birthday party _______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

c Have you seen the cake _______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

d What was the name of the teacher ___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

e My phone has an alarm _______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

f Is that the person _____________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

g That is the Olympic stadium __________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

h I always get up early __________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Key vocabulary
Add these nouns to your vocabulary. Use a dictionary to find out what they mean. Then use
each word in a sentence, making sure to spell it accurately.
environment equipment explanation
     

Copyright: Sample material

Cambridge Primary Revise for Primary Checkpoint English Teacher’s Handbook © Stephanie Austwick 2022

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 10 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Adjectives and alliteration

Study Guide pages 8–10

Key skills: Recognising, understanding and using different word classes.

Let’s revise! Study Guide (pages 8–10)

Adjectives and alliteration
Revise this information with learners:
• Every word in a sentence is performing a different job, and each has a specific name or ‘word class’, for
example: nouns, verbs and adjectives.
• Adjectives give more information about the noun. They are often referred to as ‘describing words’ – they
describe someone, somewhere or something.
• Adjectives are used to make writing more interesting and to help the reader visualise the scene, the
object or the person.
• In English, the adjective generally comes before the noun, for example: The naughty goat liked to eat all
the juicy plants in the vegetable garden.
• Activity: Play the game, ‘Mystery object’. Place an item in a feely bag. Choose someone to describe
the feel of the object to the class. The class then tries to guess the object.
• Sometimes the adjective can be separated from the noun by a verb, for example: The sea was calm.
• Often a single adjective is used to describe the noun, for example: long road; sly fox. Sometimes more
than one adjective is used, for example: A black and white horse. This is called a phrase, which is a group
of words (adjectives in this case) that acts as an extended description of the noun.
• The power of three is a popular technique that uses three adjectives in a list, for example: The road was
long, narrow and winding. (Ask learners to notice the comma that takes the place of the first ‘and’).
• Activity: Display artefacts or images of them, and encourage learners to describe them using
adjectives, including the power of three.
• It is not good practice to use more than three consecutive adjectives. Therefore, it is important to select
adjectives carefully for maximum impact.
• Don’t use adjectives in a list that mean the same thing. This is called tautology and it is not good
practice, for example: the big, huge, enormous bear.
• Sometimes another noun is used as an adjective, for example: a birthday present.
• It is also possible to use a verb as an adjective, for example: the twisting branch.
• Alliteration occurs when an adjective has the same initial sound as the noun, for example: beautiful
butterfly; curious cat.
• Activity: Write nouns on the board and invite learners to suggest adjectives to create alliteration.
Top tips!
Revise this tip with learners. Avoid repeating the same adjective in a piece of writing, unless doing so for
effect, for example: the long, long road.
Study Guide answers
Warm up
Learners’ own responses.
Try this
Learners’ own responses where appropriate. Check that learners have noted the use of ‘a’ and ‘an’.
For example:
1 There was a/an stunning view across the lake.

11
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 11 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

2 Peter baked a/an delicious apple pie.

3 The new building had a/an eye-catching design.
4 We all enjoyed a/an exciting trip on the speedboat.
5 Salma made a very beautiful bride.
6 I like to cook a/an tasty fish stew on a Friday
Read and review
Learners’ own preferences between sentences 1 and 2, with an appropriate explanation. For example: I like
sentence 1 because it is clear and simple. I prefer sentence 2 because it describes the scene so that I can
picture it. Do not accept sentence 3!
Try this
Learners’ own responses, showing some use of adjectives but not too many. For example:
It was late. Jamal walked along the empty street, glancing at the brightly-lit shop windows on either side.
Dark clouds were gathering in the sky, so he pulled up the collar of his waterproof jacket to protect himself
from the rain. The full moon shimmered on the wet pavement as he turned into a deserted square and
made his way towards the clock tower. Suddenly, a piercing sound filled the air.
Further practice
The cave was cold and dark. I crept cautiously along the narrow passage, stumbling over the uneven
ground. There was an eerie, high-pitched whine in the distance and my battered old torch began to flicker.
Vocabulary
The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
aggressive    disastrous    excellent
Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling
• underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• use each word in a sentence.

Revise! Worksheet 2: Adjectives and alliteration

Work through the questions and the vocabulary with learners.
1 Adjectives
• Invite learners to read through the incomplete text first.
• Explain that they must choose appropriate adjectives, depending on their point of view. They should
avoid repetition.
2 Edit and improve
• Remind learners that editing is an important skill when writing. They should choose vocabulary
carefully and not always go for the most obvious or predictable, for example: The tall giraffe searched
for the green leaves.
3 Alliteration
• Explain that learners can choose nouns that interest them. Encourage them to use a thesaurus to find
other adjectives to create alliteration.
4 Challenge yourself
• Encourage learners to organise their nouns in the order they think sounds best and select the most
appropriate or interesting adjectives to complete their poem.

12
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 12 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

5 Write a description
• Remind learners to use appropriate adjectives in their descriptions and to try and use some alliteration
if possible.
6 Key vocabulary
• The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
familiar foreign frequent
     
• Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling
• underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• use each word in a sentence.
Worksheet 2 answers (Adjectives and alliteration)
1 Adjectives
Learners’ own responses, making appropriate and consistent choices. For example:
I hate spiders. I think they are creepy, crawly creatures. They can be hairy, speedy and long-legged. I
hate watching them make their sticky, slimy webs and I think is it disgusting how they catch their prey.
2 Edit and improve
Learners’ own responses, with evidence of careful selection. For example:
a The elegant giraffe searched for the juiciest leaves.
b The angry bee darted between the plastic flowers.
c The talented, young pianist played a haunting tune.
d The frightened boy sat on the broken bench.
3 Alliteration
Learners’ own responses, showing appropriate choices.
4 Challenge yourself
Learners’ own responses, using nouns and adjectives from question 3.
5 Write a description
Learners’ own responses, demonstrating the use of appropriate adjectives; may include some alliteration.
For example:
My mum is very pretty with curly, dark hair and bright blue eyes. She is very tall and slim and she wears
long, floaty dresses. When she speaks, she has a soft, gentle voice and her perfume smells of fresh
flowery meadows.

13
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 13 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary Worksheet 2

Worksheet 2
Adjectives and alliteration
1 Adjectives
Do you like spiders? Why? What is it you like or dislike about them?
Choose appropriate adjectives to complete this text:

I (love / hate) spiders. I think they are ___________________________,

______________________ creatures. They can be ___________________________,

___________________________ and ___________________________. I (love / hate)

watching them make their ___________________________, ___________________________

webs and I think is it ___________________________ how they catch their prey.

2 Edit and improve

Rewrite these sentences, making them more interesting and descriptive by adding adjectives.
Hint: Select your words carefully. For example, the giraffe could be elegant, towering, thirsty,
lonely or gentle.

a The giraffe searched for the leaves.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

b The bee darted between the flowers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

c The pianist played a tune.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

d The boy sat on the bench.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 Alliteration
Choose four nouns and select some interesting adjectives to describe them and to create
alliteration, for example: sun – summer, scorching, sizzling. You could use a thesaurus to help
you discover new words.

a ______________________ _________________________________________________________________________

b ______________________ _________________________________________________________________________

Copyright: Sample material

Cambridge Primary Revise for Primary Checkpoint English Teacher’s Handbook © Stephanie Austwick 2022

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 14 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary Worksheet 2 (continued)

Worksheet 2 (continued)
c ______________________ _________________________________________________________________________
d ______________________ _________________________________________________________________________

4 Challenge yourself
Create your own poem using alliteration. Choose nouns and adjectives from question 3.
For example:
I love to sit in the sun, sizzling and scorching
I love to listen to the wind, wild and whistling.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Write a description
Write a description in 40–50 words to describe someone, somewhere or something that you
like – for example, your best friend, your pet or your favourite place.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 Key vocabulary
Add these adjectives to your vocabulary. Use a dictionary to find out what they mean. Then
use each word in a sentence, making sure to spell it accurately.
familiar foreign frequent
     

Copyright: Sample material

Cambridge Primary Revise for Primary Checkpoint English Teacher’s Handbook © Stephanie Austwick 2022

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 15 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Verbs and adverbs

Study Guide pages 11–13

Key skills: Recognising, understanding and using different word classes.

Let’s revise! Study Guide (pages 11–13)

Verbs and adverbs
Revise this information with learners:
• Every word in a sentence performs a different job, and each one has a specific name or ‘word class’,
depending on the job it does.
• A verb names an action. Verbs are often referred to as ‘doing, having or being’ words, for example:
the girl ran; I have a new coat; the boy is kind.
• Verbs tenses tell us when something occurs – in the past, the present or the future, for example:
Yesterday, I ran to school; Today, I am running to school; Tomorrow, I will run to school.
• Activity: As verb tenses can be particularly confusing, include as much oral work as possible.
For example, ask learners to compose their own yesterday, today and tomorrow sentences.
• There are a number of verb tenses, such as the present continuous tense: am going; the past
continuous tense: was going; and the perfect tense: has gone.
• Some verbs are known as regular verbs, which means that they follow a pattern when their tense
changes. For example, the root word stays the same and the endings ‘s’, ‘ing’ and ‘ed’ are added –
to walk: walks; walking; walked.
• Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern, for example: to go – went.
• Activity: Begin a class list of irregular verbs and encourage learners to add to it over time.
• An adverb adds to the verb and gives us more information about the action, for example: The gymnast
walked carefully across the beam.
• Activity: Play the ‘Manner of the word’ game. Give learners an adverb to act out, and the class must
guess the adverb. This can generate a number of synonyms.
• An adverbial phrase is made up of two or more words to describe the action, but the individual words
may not be adverbs, for example: He walked in a straight line.
• Adverbial phrases answer questions such as:
Where? When? How? How often? How long?

Top tips!
• Subject and verb agreement can be tricky for many learners, particularly those with English as a second
language. Revise this tip with learners:
• We often write in the way that we speak, which is not always standard English.
• Speaking and listening activities, games and role play can help to extend vocabulary and rehearse
grammatically correct sentences. If a learner makes a grammatical error when speaking, do not draw
attention to it; just repeat the sentence or phrase correctly.
Study Guide answers
Warm up
Learners’ own responses.

16
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 16 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Try this
Learners’ own responses, as appropriate. For example:
1 The sailor looked angrily at his damaged boat.
2 Carefully, Eddie placed the chick back in the nest.
3 I had to sprint quickly to catch the bus.
Try this
1 The boys are very hungry.
2 The wind was very strong.
3 I was nine in May, but Jack and Jill were nine in June.
Read and review
Learners’ own responses, with appropriate explanations. For example: I prefer sentence 2 because the
adverb at the beginning of the sentence makes it sound more dramatic.
Try this
Learners match the adverbial phrases to the correct pictures.
• At first, the newly-hatched turtle lay quite still, exhausted by its efforts.
• After a few minutes, it looked around and began to prepare for its first journey.
• Using all its strength, it hauled itself out of the nest and began to head for the sea.
• Finally, the ocean carried it away for the next part of its adventure.
Further practice
1 He was walking in a strange way.
2 I had been trying to speak to him for over a week.
3 Without opening his eyes, he knew someone was there.
Vocabulary
The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
exaggerate    recommend    suggest
Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling
• underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• use each word in a sentence.

Let’s revise! Worksheet 3: Verbs and adverbs

Work through the questions and the vocabulary with learners.
1 Verbs
• Remind learner that good writers choose their verbs carefully, for effect.
• Explain to learners that they can infer information by choosing appropriate verbs.
• They should also be mindful of this when they are reading. They should ask: What is the verb telling us
about the subject.
2 Adverbs and adverbial phrases
• Remind learners that the choice of verbs and adverbs can create completely different images.
They might wish to create some alliteration for effect.
3 Noun–verb agreement
• If necessary, revise the terms singular, plural, first person, second person and third person.
17
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 17 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

•
Explain that this is one of the most common mistakes made by people when talking and also when
writing. We must take into account the subject, the tense and whether the subject is singular or plural. It
is a good idea for leaners to learn the verb to be off by heart as a chant. I am, you are, he is, and so on.
4 Challenge yourself
• Remind learners to look out for regular and irregular verbs.
5 Adverbs
• Explain to learners that they should choose appropriate and interesting adverbs that will work well
with the text. They can also use a dictionary or a thesaurus.
6 Key vocabulary
• The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
curiously immediately sincerely
• Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling
• underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• use each word in a sentence.
Worksheet 3 answers (Verbs and adverbs)
1 Verbs
Learners’ own responses, making the appropriate choices for effect. For example:
a Annoyed: stomped, stamped, clomped
b Excited: bounded, jumped, leaped
c Nervous: crept, tiptoed, slunk
2 Adverbs and adverbial phrases
Learners’ own responses, for example:
a The snake slithered silently through the long grass.
b Swiftly, the man opened the window.
c I had been waiting since 9 o’clock.
d Pour the cake mix carefully into the tin.
3 Noun–verb agreement
Subject Present tense Past simple tense
First person I am was
we are were
Second person you are were
Third person he / she/ it is was
they are were
4 Challenge yourself
The sloth climbed slowly up the tree. When it reached the top, it looked around cautiously. After a
while, it closed its eyes and listened to the noise of the rainforest. Then it hung upside-down and
fell asleep.
5 Adverbs
Learners’ own responses, for example:
Mimi stepped cautiously onto the stage. Nervously, she nodded to her teacher and the music began to
play. Gracefully, Mimi danced across the stage, leaping effortlessly into the air. As the music stopped,
Mimi proudly took a bow and the audience applauded enthusiastically.

18
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 18 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary Worksheet 3

Worksheet 3
Verbs and adverbs
1 Verbs
Rewrite this sentence, using an appropriate verb each time to replace the one in bold, to show
how the girl felt in each instance.
The girl walked down the stairs.

a Annoyed: ______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

b Excited: ________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

c Nervous: _______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 Adverbs and adverbial phrases

Complete these sentences using appropriate verbs, adverbs or adverbial phrases:

a The snake ____________________________ ____________________________ the long grass.

b ____________________________________________, the man opened the window.

c I had been waiting _____________________________________________________________________.

d ____________________________ the cake mix ____________________________ into the tin.

3 Noun–verb agreement
Complete this table for the verb ‘to be’:
Subject Present tense Past simple tense
I am
First person
we were

Second person you

he / she / it
Third person
they are

Copyright: Sample material

Cambridge Primary Revise for Primary Checkpoint English Teacher’s Handbook © Stephanie Austwick 2022

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 19 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary Worksheet 3 (continued)

Worksheet 3 (continued)
4 Challenge yourself
Rewrite this passage in the past tense. Then underline the adverbs and adverbial phrases.

The sloth climbs slowly up the tree. When it reaches the

top, it looks around cautiously. After a while, it closes its
eyes and listens to the noise of the rainforest. Then it
hangs upside-down and falls asleep.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Adverbs
Complete this text with appropriate adverbs. Then compare texts with a partner.

Mimi stepped ____________________________ onto the stage. ____________________________, she

nodded to her teacher and the music began to play. ____________________________ Mimi danced

across the stage, leaping ____________________________ into the air. As the music stopped, Mimi

____________________________ took a bow and the audience applauded ____________________________.

6 Key vocabulary
Add these adverbs to your vocabulary. Use a dictionary to find out what they mean. Then use
each word in a sentence, making sure to spell it accurately.
curiously immediately sincerely
     

Copyright: Sample material

Cambridge Primary Revise for Primary Checkpoint English Teacher’s Handbook © Stephanie Austwick 2022

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 20 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Prepositions and connectives (conjunctions)

Study Guide pages 14–17

Key skills: Recognising, understanding and using different word classes.

Let’s revise! Study Guide (pages 14–17)

Prepositions and connectives (conjunctions)
Revise this information with learners:
• Every word in a sentence performs a different job, and each one has a specific name or ‘word class’,
depending on the job it does.
• Prepositions describe the relationship or position of things in a sentence, for example: The book is on the
table / under the chair / behind the vase.
• Prepositions include words such as: in, on, into, near, over, above.
• Prepositions can also link nouns to other nouns or pronouns in a sentence, showing how they are related
for example: from, to, with, at, for.
My coat is different from Jan’s but similar to yours.
I like strawberries with cream.
This present is for you.
• A preposition is always followed by a noun, noun phrase or pronoun – never a verb. For example: The lion
prowled through the eerie jungle.
• Activity: Make a class list of prepositions for learners to refer to throughout the year.
• A prepositional phrase is two or more words that demonstrate position or relationship in a sentence.
It consists of the preposition and the information that follows it, for example: on time; in good time;
on top of; under the bed; from his grandparents; with a little help.
• Activity: Play the ‘Preposition I-spy’ game. Learners can play the game in pairs.
– One learner should choose a visible object in the room and then give a preposition clue, for example:
It is near something red.
– Each clue must contain a different preposition, or prepositional phrase, but shouldn’t give too much
away at the beginning. For example, ‘on top of something wooden’ would be better than ‘on top of
Sammi’s desk’.
– After each clue, the partner is allowed one guess.
– Play the game a few times so that both learners have a go at describing where the object is.
• Connectives are also called conjunctions. They link words or groups of words in a sentence or phrase (like
a junction connects roads).
• Coordinating conjunctions link words or groups of words of the same importance in a sentence. There
are seven main coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (fanboys).
• Coordinating conjunctions also link two equal clauses in a sentence, for example: The wind blew and the
rain beat down.
• Subordinating conjunctions link clauses that are not equal – a main clause and a subordinate clause,
for example: The road was wet because it had rained.
Top tips!
Revise this tip with learners. When making comparisons, the correct prepositions to use are:
similar to different from same as

21
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 21 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Study Guide answers

Warm up
Learners’ own responses.
Try this
My aunt is a terrible driver. She drives over roundabouts when she should go around them. She drives
through red traffic lights and stops before green ones. She crawls slowly up hills and then speeds down
the other side. She scrapes her car against gate-posts; crashes into walls and never looks behind when she
is reversing. If I see her driving towards me, I jump out of the way and hide between parked cars. I really
think she shouldn’t be on the road.
Read and review
Learners’ own responses, for example:
1 I was too hot, so I stayed in the shade.
2 Although she was painting, she wore her best clothes.
Try this
Learners’ own responses, but they should be appropriate for the sentences. For example:
1 The pan boiled over because the gas was too hot. SC
2 Although I had visited before, I still got lost on the way. SC
3 The goat was friendly but the llama was grumpy. CC
4 As I felt very tired, I didn’t go to the party. SC
5 I have a sweet tooth so I bake lots of cakes. CC
6 When I get into bed, I like to read. SC
Further practice
Learners’ own responses, for example:
• The finishing line was out of sight.
• The park was not far from my house.
• We arrived at the party at the same time.
Vocabulary
The words are taken from an age-appropriate spelling list:
underwater    underline    undercook
Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling
• underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• use each word in a sentence.

Let’s revise! Worksheet 4: Prepositions and connectives (conjunctions)

Work through the questions and the vocabulary with learners.
1 Coordinating conjunctions
• Invite learners to read the sentence openers and choose appropriate conjunctions to complete the
sentence.
• There should be no repetition.
22
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 22 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM
 Unit 1 Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

2 Subordinating conjunctions
• Encourage learners to read the sentence halves first and spot the subordinating conjunctions.
3 Prepositional phrases
• Ask learners to compose the most interesting sentences they can, using the prepositional phrases
imaginatively.
• They could try orally constructing the sentences in different ways to evaluate which sounds best.
4 Challenge yourself
• Remind learners to include some interesting verbs in their story, for example, squeezed, leaped, crept or
tiptoed.
5 Key vocabulary
• The words are made using prepositions as prefixes:
overeat overconfident overcharge

• Revise the term ‘prefix’.

• Encourage learners to:
• use a dictionary to find the meaning
• spell the words aloud – like a spelling bee
• look, cover, write and check to embed the spelling
• underline or highlight any ‘tricky’ parts of the word
• use each word in a sentence.
Worksheet 4 answers (Prepositions and connectives)
1 Coordinating conjunctions
Learners’ own responses, for example:
a I didn’t have a coat so I borrowed my friend’s fleece.
b The volcano erupted but no lives were lost.
c It was the holidays and I didn’t have to go to school.
d The teacher was strict yet she was fair.
2 Subordinating conjunctions
• Although she was old, she could still do a cartwheel.
• I like cream on my cornflakes because milk is too tasteless.
• After I have eaten, I go for a long walk.
• I can juggle while walking a tightrope.
3 Prepositional phrases
Learners’ own responses, for example:
• He piled the stones on top of the soil.
• I was late so I ran out of the door.
• When I grow up, I will travel around the world.
4 Challenge yourself
Learners’ own responses, using all the given prepositions. For example:
We had a great game of hide and seek. I climbed over the fence and hid behind the tree. Jim crawled
under the bush and squeezed between the pillars. Sam ran across the bridge and hid in a rowing boat.
Jo ran around the lake and lay on a flat rock. Mark crept inside the shed and hid next to the lawnmower.

23
Copyright: Sample material

9781398369849 Checkpoint English

Progress Geo KS3_8072.indb 4 Teacher's Handbook 2nd edition.indb 23 8/8/22 7:57
8/24/18 5:23 PM
PM