Baccalaureate English National Exam Humanities June 2021: practise the full Moroccan national English exam for the Humanities stream, session June 2021, with interactive questions, instant checking, an answer key and a free PDF with answers. For official information about national exams, visit the Moroccan Ministry of National Education.
Table of Contents
- Practice the exam online
- Answer key (Reading, Language and Writing)
- Exam tips and key vocabulary
- More Baccalaureate English national exams
Baccalaureate English National Exam Humanities June 2021: Interactive Practice
English National Exam — Humanities June 2021
Interactive practice: Reading (15 pts) · Language (15 pts) · Writing (10 pts)
[1] Natividad Sánchez is a 7 year-old girl from El Salvador. She is the youngest of ten children, and their daily life is really hard. Every morning, her mother María goes to the local market to sell fish. Her older sister finishes the morning chores and her father José takes the youngest children to school.
[2] After school, Natividad and her brothers and sisters return home where their mother is either cooking or washing clothes. Their father is an electrician. Every day, he goes to the nearby villages to look for work. This routine posed a challenge for the family. Children had no safe and fun activity to do in the afternoon. “There’s not much room at home, our street is quite dangerous and when the children wanted to play with other children, they had to go far away,” says the mother. For the father, the main concern about letting them play in the street was insecurity: the town is known for its high rates of violence and crime.
[3] Everything changed for the family when the mayor of the city invited the children to attend free swimming lessons at the local sports centre. The invitation to join sports activities was extended to all children in town. This was part of UNICEF’s violence prevention program. Today, more than 1,000 children participate in these activities three times a week.
[4] The swimming coach, Wilson Galán, says that Natividad and her siblings were outstanding. “Their results were surprising; in two months they mastered all the styles pretty well,” he says. The children have now accumulated a collection of 47 medals they have won in different local and national competitions. For Natividad, who has won 8 of the medals, these triumphs have boosted her confidence. “I feel very excited when I hear my family encouraging me ‘go, go, go’ and I keep my strength till the end,” Natividad says.
[5] Through the programme, Natividad got a scholarship that covers some of her school expenses. “For us, this is of great help so that she doesn’t stop going to school,” says her father. Both parents agree that playing sports has changed their children’s lives. “It has been good for their health and their mind,” says the mother. “They are active doing exercise; they have a purpose in life and are more disciplined in school.” For her father, one of the greatest benefits of the programme is that it keeps the children safe from street violence.
A. Complete the chart with the right information from the text. (2 pts)
| Numbers | What they refer to |
|---|---|
| Natividad’s age | |
| Medals Natividad has won |
B. Are these sentences true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
1. Natividad is from a large family.
2. Natividad’s father has a permanent job in a factory.
3. The children had to pay for the swimming lessons.
C. Answer these questions. (3 pts)
1. What does Natividad’s mother do?
2. Why did the children have to go far away to play?
3. How has Natividad benefited from winning the medals?
D. Complete the sentences with information from the text. (3 pts)
1. The swimming coach was surprised because
2. The scholarship helped Natividad to
3. According to the mother, the programme helped the children to
E. Find in the text words that mean almost the same as: (2 pts)
1. worry (paragraph 2):
2. victories (paragraph 4):
F. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 pts)
1. he (paragraph 2):
2. They (paragraph 5):
A. Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the lists. (4 pts)
take · have · get
1. The presidential elections in the USA place every four years.
can’t · won’t · shouldn’t
2. Jessica have seen me because she walked past without saying ‘hello’.
broke up · broke into · broke away
3. The burglar the house and stole all the money and jewelry.
who · which · whose
4. Tom was wearing a mask made him look like an old man.
B. Put the words in brackets in the correct form. (2 pts)
The Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 to the World Food Programme for its efforts to (prevention) famine in the world and its (contribute) to peace in areas of conflict.
C. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense. (2 pts)
1. I usually (drive) to work but yesterday, I (take) the bus because my wife needed the car.
2. We (live) in this neighborhood since 2016, but by the time my son finishes high school, we (move) to another area outside the city.
D. Rewrite the sentences as indicated. (3 pts)
The fireman asked the tourists to leave the hotel immediately.
The tourists
“Don’t play on the grass boys,” said the teacher.
The teacher ordered the boys
It was raining but we enjoyed the festival.
Despite
E. Match each expression with its appropriate function. (2 pts)
making a request · giving advice · asking for opinion · apologizing · complaining
1. “I’m so sorry for being late, I missed the train.”
2. “How do you feel about face masks in the classroom?”
3. “If I were you, I wouldn’t play that video game.”
4. “Could you possibly help with this bag?”
F. What would you say in the following situations? (2 pts)
1. You bought new bluetooth headphones but when you arrived home you found out they are not original.
You: (Complain to the shop assistant.) …
2. Your friend cannot decide where to spend the summer holiday.
You: (Make a suggestion.) …
Task 1: Complete the paragraph about your primary school. (4 pts)
I still remember a lot of things about my primary school …
Task 2: Write an email to apply for a summer job. (6 pts)
You have seen the following advertisement on a website: “Summer Jobs. We need people to work in our restaurant as waiters, cooks and cleaners. If you are interested, write an email to: staff@basmarestaurant.com” Mr. Naji is the manager of the restaurant. Write him an email to apply for one of the jobs. Include: personal information, qualifications, work experience, personal skills and interests.
Answer key: Reading, Language and Writing
Reading
A. Complete the chart with the right information from the text. (2 pts)
7 (a 7 year-old girl).
8 (she has won 8 of the 47 medals).
B. Are these sentences true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
- True. “She is the youngest of ten children.” (paragraph 1)
- False. He is an electrician who “goes to the nearby villages to look for work.” (paragraph 2)
- False. The mayor invited the children to attend “free swimming lessons.” (paragraph 3)
C. Answer these questions. (3 pts)
- She sells fish at the local market (and she cooks and washes clothes).
- Because there is not much room at home and their street is quite dangerous.
- Her triumphs have boosted her confidence (and she got a scholarship that covers some of her school expenses).
D. Complete the sentences with information from the text. (3 pts)
- …in two months the children mastered all the styles pretty well.
- …cover some of her school expenses so that she doesn’t stop going to school.
- …be healthy, be active, have a purpose in life and be more disciplined in school.
E. Find in the text words that mean almost the same as: (2 pts)
- concern
- triumphs
F. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 pts)
- Natividad’s father (José)
- The children
Language
A. Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the lists. (4 pts)
- take
- can’t
- broke into
- which
B. Put the words in brackets in the correct form. (2 pts)
prevent · contribution
C. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense. (2 pts)
drive · took · have lived · will have moved
D. Rewrite the sentences as indicated. (3 pts)
- The tourists were asked to leave the hotel immediately by the fireman.
- The teacher ordered the boys not to play on the grass.
- Despite the rain, we enjoyed the festival.
E. Match each expression with its appropriate function. (2 pts)
- apologizing
- asking for opinion
- giving advice
- making a request
F. What would you say in the following situations? (2 pts)
- Excuse me, I bought these headphones yesterday but they are not original. I want to exchange them or get my money back.
- Why don’t you go to Agadir? The weather is wonderful and the beaches are beautiful.
Writing
Task 1: Complete the paragraph about your primary school. (4 pts)
I still remember a lot of things about my primary school. It was a small school near my house, and I went there every day with my best friend. My teacher, Mrs. Amina, was very kind and patient. I loved the break time when we played football in the yard. I also remember the school trips and the end-of-year party. Those were the happiest days of my life.
Task 2: Write an email to apply for a summer job. (6 pts)
Dear Mr. Naji,
I am writing to apply for the job of waiter at your restaurant, as advertised on your website.
My name is Karim Alami. I am 18 years old and I live in Rabat. I am a Baccalaureate student and I speak Arabic, French and English. Last summer, I worked as a salesperson in my uncle’s shop for two months.
I am hard-working, polite and punctual, and I enjoy working in a team. In my free time, I like playing football and meeting people.
I would be grateful if you could give me an interview. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Karim Alami
Download the full exam (Reading, Language and Writing) with the answers as a PDF.
Source: Moroccan Baccalaureate English National Exam, Humanities, June 2021 session. The score counts only the questions that can be checked automatically; open answers (chart, sentences, dialogues, writing) are for self-checking against the model answers. More than one correct answer is often possible.
Exam Tips and Key Vocabulary
What this exam tests
The reading text of the June 2021 Humanities exam is about Natividad, a young girl from El Salvador who changed her life through swimming. The paper tests Reading, Language and Writing, so read the text twice before answering and base every answer on the text.
Key vocabulary from the text
- chores: أشغال البيت
- siblings: إخوة وأخوات
- outstanding: متميّز
- master: يتقن
- triumph: انتصار
- boost: يعزز
- scholarship: منحة دراسية
- violence: عنف
- purpose: هدف
- disciplined: منضبط
Grammar points in this exam
- Phrasal verbs (break into), modals (can’t have seen) and relative pronouns
- Word formation (prevent, contribution)
- Tenses (present simple, past simple, present perfect, future perfect)
- Passive voice, reported orders and concession (despite)
- Language functions (apologizing, asking for opinion, giving advice, making a request, complaining)
Revise these structures: the Language section of this exam is built on them.
Writing tips
The writing paper has two tasks. In task 1, complete the paragraph about your primary school. In task 2, write an email to Mr. Naji to apply for a summer job in his restaurant.
FAQ
Where can I download this exam with answers?
Use the download button under the exam: the PDF contains the original exam pages and a one-page answer key.
Are the answers on this page official?
No. They are model answers written for practice; any appropriate answer is accepted.
