ICAS English Sample Questions with Worked Solutions
ICAS English has two sides: Reading (understanding texts across different genres) and Language Conventions (grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary). Below are six original, ICAS-style English questions spanning both. Encourage your child to try each one before reading the answer.
Read this sentence: “The hikers were relieved when the storm finally abated.” What does the word “abated” mean here?
- A.died down
- B.grew stronger
- C.was about to begin
- D.kept going
Answer & worked solution
Answer: A) died down
The hikers were 'relieved' and it happened 'finally', so the storm eased off. 'Abated' means became less intense — the opposite of 'grew stronger'. Using the surrounding words to fix a word's meaning is 'vocabulary in context'.
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: “Each of the students ___ a library book to return.”
- A.has
- B.have
- C.having
- D.haves
Answer & worked solution
Answer: A) has
The subject is 'Each' (one at a time), which is singular, so it takes the singular verb 'has' — not 'have'. This is subject–verb agreement.
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- A.The girls' bags were left in the classroom.
- B.The girl's bags were left in the classroom by all of them.
- C.The girls bag's were left in the classroom.
- D.The girls bags were left in the classroom.
Answer & worked solution
Answer: A) The girls' bags were left in the classroom.
The bags belong to more than one girl, so the apostrophe goes after the plural 's': girls'. 'Girl's' would mean one girl, and the others place the apostrophe wrongly or omit it.
Which word is spelled correctly?
- A.necessary
- B.neccessary
- C.necesary
- D.neccesary
Answer & worked solution
Answer: A) necessary
The correct spelling is 'necessary' — one 'c' and two 's'. A common memory trick: it is necessary to have one Coffee and two Sugars.
Read this passage: “Maya kept glancing at the clock and tapping her pen. When the teacher finally said ‘pens down’, she let out a long breath.” How was Maya most likely feeling during the test?
- A.anxious
- B.bored
- C.confident
- D.sleepy
Answer & worked solution
Answer: A) anxious
Glancing at the clock, tapping her pen and letting out a long breath at the end are all signs of nerves. The writer never says 'anxious' — you infer it from what Maya does.
Read this text: “1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Grease the cake tin. 3. Pour in the batter and bake for 25 minutes.” What TYPE of text is this?
- A.a set of instructions (a procedure)
- B.a narrative story
- C.a persuasive argument
- D.a poem
Answer & worked solution
Answer: A) a set of instructions (a procedure)
Numbered steps and command verbs ('Preheat', 'Grease', 'Pour') that tell you how to do something are the features of a procedure. Recognising text types is a key reading skill in ICAS English.
The two skills it tests
Notice the split: half of these are reading questions (working out a word from context, inferring how a character feels, recognising a text type) and half are language conventions (subject–verb agreement, apostrophes, spelling). Strong ICAS English scores come from being comfortable with both — the careful reading and the mechanics of written English.
Practise more like these
PrepPath offers ICAS-style English practice for Years 3, 5 and 7 (Year 9 coming soon) — a timed paper combining Reading and Language Conventions, with a worked explanation for every question and an estimated award level. For the bigger picture, read What Is ICAS? and How to Prepare for ICAS English.
PrepPath is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with ACARA or the NSW Department of Education. This guide is general information only — always check the official ACARA (nap.edu.au) or NSW Department of Education websites for current dates and rules.