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Qualifications · Elementary School Teacher Exam Lab

Elementary All Subjects: Foreign Language Activities and the Foreign Language Subject

Read the questions and explanations in English. The lectures (explanatory articles) are available in Japanese only.

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Q1 | Hours for Foreign Language Activities

Under the 2017 Course of Study, what is the standard number of annual class hours for Foreign Language Activities (外国語活動) in Grade 3?

  1. 35 unit hours
  2. 50 unit hours
  3. 70 unit hours
  4. 105 unit hours
AnswerA. 35 unit hours

Foreign Language Activities in Grades 3 and 4 have 35 unit hours a year. 70 is the figure for the Foreign Language subject (外国語科) in Grades 5 and 6, which is easy to confuse. Neither 50 nor 105 is used for foreign language study (105 is, for example, the science hours in Grades 4 to 6).

Q2 | Five areas of the Foreign Language subject

Which set correctly lists the areas for which goals are set in the Foreign Language subject (外国語科) in Grades 5 and 6?

  1. Three: listening, speaking [interaction], speaking [presentation]
  2. Four: listening, reading, speaking, writing
  3. Five: listening, reading, speaking [interaction], speaking [presentation], writing
  4. Five: listening, reading, speaking [interaction], writing [interaction], writing [presentation]
AnswerC. Five: listening, reading, speaking [interaction], speaking [presentation], writing

The subject has five areas: listening, reading, speaking [interaction], speaking [presentation] and writing. The three areas belong to Foreign Language Activities in Grades 3 and 4. 'Four' is the number of skills; as areas, speaking is split in two. It is speaking, not writing, that is split into interaction and presentation.

Q3 | Goal of Foreign Language Activities

This is part of the goal of Foreign Language Activities (外国語活動). Which word fills the blank? "Through the language activities of listening and speaking in a foreign language, we aim to develop the qualities and abilities that form the ( ) for communication."

  1. basis (基礎)
  2. groundwork (素地)
  3. foundation (基盤)
  4. base (土台)
AnswerB. groundwork (素地)

Foreign Language Activities use 'groundwork' (素地). 'Basis' (基礎) is the word in the goal of the Foreign Language subject in Grades 5 and 6. 'Foundation' (基盤) and 'base' (土台) are close in meaning but do not appear in the text of the goal.

Q4 | Vocabulary in the Foreign Language subject

What amount of vocabulary does the Course of Study set for the Foreign Language subject in Grades 5 and 6 (including words used in Foreign Language Activities in Grades 3 and 4)?

  1. About 200-300 words
  2. About 300-400 words
  3. About 450-500 words
  4. About 600-700 words
AnswerD. About 600-700 words

The subject covers about 600-700 words, including those used in Foreign Language Activities. The figures 200-300, 300-400 and 450-500 are not given. In junior high school, about 1,600-1,800 new words are added to those learned in elementary school.

Q5 | Letters in Foreign Language Activities

Which statement follows the Course of Study on how letters are handled in Foreign Language Activities (Grades 3 and 4)?

  1. The main aim from Grade 3 is to learn upper- and lower-case print letters by writing them.
  2. Letters are not handled; children first meet the alphabet in Grade 5.
  3. English letters are replaced with romaji and taught the same way as in Japanese class.
  4. Letters are handled as a support for oral communication, with care for the learning load.
AnswerD. Letters are handled as a support for oral communication, with care for the learning load.

In Foreign Language Activities, letters are handled 'as something that supports oral communication, with consideration for the children's learning burden'. Writing upper- and lower-case print letters is a goal of the Foreign Language subject (Grades 5 and 6). Activities do include a goal of recognising which letter is meant when its name is spoken, so 'not handled' is wrong. Replacing English with romaji is not mentioned.

Q6 | Languages taught

Which statement matches the Course of Study on the language taught in the elementary Foreign Language subject?

  1. English is the rule, and other languages are taught in line with the goals and content for English.
  2. No language other than English may be taught in either the subject or the activities.
  3. Each school chooses freely, and there is no rule that English comes first.
  4. Other languages are taught only in Foreign Language Activities, never in the subject.
AnswerA. English is the rule, and other languages are taught in line with the goals and content for English.

The subject states that 'in principle, students take English', and other foreign languages are taught in line with English's goals for the five areas, its content and its guidance on planning. Because there is a provision for other languages, 'may not be taught' is wrong. Because English is the rule, 'chooses freely' is wrong. The subject itself has a provision for other languages.

Q7 | Short-period lessons

The General Provisions allow short periods used to teach a subject to count toward annual class hours if certain arrangements are in place. What length of 'short period' is given?

  1. About 5 minutes
  2. About 20 to 25 minutes
  3. About 10 to 15 minutes
  4. About 30 minutes
AnswerC. About 10 to 15 minutes

The General Provisions (総則) say 'a short period of about 10 to 15 minutes'. The condition is that teachers are responsible for deciding the content within the unit and for checking and using the results. 5, 20-25 and 30 minutes are not given.

Q8 | Non-verbal communication

Which of the following is stated in the Course of Study for handling the content of Foreign Language Activities?

  1. Lessons centre on having each child repeat the same phrase until it is pronounced correctly.
  2. Because non-verbal means also support communication, gestures and similar means are taken up.
  3. Lessons centre on explaining sentence structure with grammar terms such as subject and verb.
  4. As a rule, no Japanese is allowed and lessons are given in English only.
AnswerB. Because non-verbal means also support communication, gestures and similar means are taken up.

The Course of Study says that, since non-verbal means also support communication, gestures and the like should be taken up so children understand their role. There is no rule to centre lessons on individual repetition, on grammar terms, or to ban Japanese entirely. Because children are learning English for the first time, activities should be hands-on and value relationships with classmates.

Q9 | Sentence structures in Grades 5-6

Which sentence structure is listed in the content of the Foreign Language subject in Grades 5 and 6?

  1. [subject + verb + object], where the object is a noun or pronoun
  2. [subject + verb + indirect object + direct object]
  3. [subject + verb + object + complement]
  4. Sentences that describe a noun from behind using a relative pronoun
AnswerA. [subject + verb + object], where the object is a noun or pronoun

The subject lists three structures: [S + V], [S + V + C] (S + be + noun/pronoun/adjective) and [S + V + O] (object is a noun or pronoun). [S + V + IO + DO], [S + V + O + C] and relative pronouns are in the junior high school Course of Study.

Q10 | Question words

Which set of question words is listed in the Course of Study for questions beginning with a question word in the Foreign Language subject?

  1. what, which, whose
  2. who, what, when, where, why, how
  3. what, how
  4. whom, whose, which
AnswerB. who, what, when, where, why, how

The subject covers questions beginning with who, what, when, where, why and how. Which, whose and whom are not in the elementary list. 'What, how' covers only part of the six listed words.

Q11 | Word stress

Where is the stress in the English word 'banana'?

  1. First syllable (ba)
  2. Second syllable (na)
  3. Third syllable (na)
  4. No stress; all equally strong
AnswerB. Second syllable (na)

Banana has three syllables, ba-na-na, and the second is said strongly and longer. Saying it with equal length and strength, as in Japanese, does not sound like English. English words have a stressed syllable, so 'no stress' is wrong. The first and third syllables are weak.

Q12 | Syllables and morae

How many syllables does the English word 'strike' have?

  1. One
  2. Two
  3. Three
  4. Five
AnswerA. One

Strike has one vowel sound, so it has one syllable. The katakana ストライク has five morae; confusing this with English syllables gives 'five'. Japanese speakers tend to add vowels after consonants, so 'two' or 'three' also come from that added-vowel pronunciation.

Q13 | Intonation

Which is the usual description of the sentence-final intonation of 'Do you like dogs?' and 'What do you like?'?

  1. Both rise at the end.
  2. The first falls and the second rises.
  3. The first rises and the second falls.
  4. Both are read flat with no rise or fall.
AnswerC. The first rises and the second falls.

A yes/no question (Do you like dogs?) usually rises at the end, and a question beginning with a question word (What do you like?) usually falls. 'All questions rise' is a common misunderstanding. The reverse pairing and the 'flat' description are also wrong.

Q14 | Goals for writing

Which matches the goals for writing in the Foreign Language subject?

  1. Write cursive capitals and small letters, and write textbook passages accurately from memory.
  2. Write freely using spelling rules, including words and phrases seen for the first time.
  3. Write print capitals and small letters, and copy words already familiar through sound.
  4. Writing is not covered; letters appear only in the reading area.
AnswerC. Write print capitals and small letters, and copy words already familiar through sound.

The writing goals are to write upper- and lower-case letters in print, to copy simple words and basic expressions that children are already familiar with through sound while paying attention to word order, and to write about themselves using model sentences. Print, not cursive, is used. Free writing of new words from spelling rules is not required. The subject does have a writing area.

Q15 | Teaching sentence structure

Which matches the Course of Study on teaching sentences and sentence structure in the Foreign Language subject?

  1. Teach grammar terms systematically first, and start language activities after the rules are understood.
  2. Do not mention word-order differences between Japanese and English; have children memorise English sentences.
  3. Sentence structure belongs to junior high, so elementary school teaches only word pronunciation.
  4. Avoid focusing too much on grammar terms and usage, and link teaching to language activities.
AnswerD. Avoid focusing too much on grammar terms and usage, and link teaching to language activities.

The Course of Study says to 'take care not to lean toward teaching grammar terms and usage, and teach in effective connection with language activities'. Teaching grammar terms first goes against this. Teachers are also asked to help children notice differences such as word order between Japanese and English. The subject lists structures such as [S + V + O], so 'only words' is wrong.

Practice: answer the questions on this page

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* The explanations are for study purposes. Always check the official guidelines of the local government or MEXT. All questions are original. Based on the 2017 Course of Study (as of October 2026).

This page is a translation of the Japanese original. If the translation and the original differ, the Japanese version takes precedence. This translation was made with AI and may contain errors. Report a translation error View the Japanese original