English - Compulsory

The compulsory English paper is qualifying, worth 300 marks, and lost by a small number of candidates every year who assume familiarity is the same as accuracy. It tests comprehension, précis, usage, and short essay writing.
Marks go to control rather than flourish. A précis that keeps proportion, a passage answered in your own words, and sentences that stay grammatical under time pressure are what the paper wants. Ornate vocabulary deployed incorrectly costs more than plain vocabulary used well.
Grammar and usage notes, précis and comprehension practice, and model answers are collected here.