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100+ Free Kyoto Entrance English Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Kyoto Entrance English Exam

30+10 min / 40 points

Length and maximum score of the Kyoto English paper — 30 min written + 10 min listening = 40 min total, 40 points (Reiwa 8 / 2026 中期 test March 6, 2026)

Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education R8 selection requirements (subject timing and marks)

200 + 195 = 395

中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection uses the academic test (200) and report card (chōsasho, 195: 5 academic × 5 × 3yr = 75; 4 practical × 5 × 2 × 3yr = 120); ranking within quota under the step system

Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education R8 selection requirements

Mar 6, 2026

Reiwa 8 / 2026 中期 (chūki / second-stage) academic test date; results March 17, 2026; 前期 (first-stage) test Feb 16–17, 2026, results Feb 24, 2026

Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education R8 selection schedule and Benesse Kyoto R8 entrance schedule

JPY 2,200

Entrance selection fee for full-time prefectural high schools (JPY 900 part-time/teijisei), paid through the official online application site; not refunded once paid

Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education R8 (2026) selection requirements

100

Free original practice questions in this bank

OpenExamPrep

Reiwa 9 / 2027

New single 前期 (zenki) selection with 独自枠 + 共通枠 (common 5×40=200 + report card 195 = 395); test February 18–19, 2027

Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education R9 selection basic policy

The Kyoto public high school entrance English paper is a 40-minute, 40-point written exam (30 min written + 10 min listening) held in the 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection academic test (March 6, 2026), covering long-passage reading, dialogue-and-table comparison, content-match, excerpt, and listening, set by the Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education. This page offers 100 original English-language practice questions with explanations as a study aid.

Sample Kyoto Entrance English Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Kyoto Entrance English exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Choose the word closest in meaning to "ancient". ancient: Kiyomizu-dera is an ancient temple with a long history in Kyoto.
A.very old
B.modern
C.famous
D.beautiful
Explanation: "Ancient" means belonging to the very distant past, extremely old. A temple with a long history is very old, so very old is closest in meaning.
2Choose the word closest in meaning to "scenic". scenic: The Arashiyama area is famous for its scenic bamboo grove.
A.beautiful to look at
B.noisy and busy
C.dark and cold
D.difficult to reach
Explanation: "Scenic" means having beautiful natural views. A bamboo grove that visitors admire is beautiful to look at, which matches scenic.
3Choose the word closest in meaning to "preserve". preserve: Kyoto works hard to preserve its old temples and streets.
A.keep safe
B.destroy
C.sell
D.forget
Explanation: "Preserve" means to keep something safe from loss or damage. Protecting old temples and streets so they last is keeping them safe.
4Choose the opposite of "destroy". destroy: A strong earthquake can destroy weak buildings.
A.build
B.break
C.burn
D.remove
Explanation: To destroy means to ruin or tear down; the opposite is to build, meaning to construct or create. Break, burn, and remove are closer to destroy, not its opposite.
5Choose the opposite of "shallow". shallow: The river near the temple is shallow in summer.
A.deep
B.narrow
C.cold
D.slow
Explanation: Shallow means having little depth; the opposite is deep, meaning having great depth. Narrow, cold, and slow describe other features that are not opposites of shallow.
6Choose the word that best completes the collocation: Please _____ care of your belongings inside the temple.
A.take
B.make
C.have
D.do
Explanation: The fixed phrase is take care of, meaning to look after something. Make care, have care, and do care are not idiomatic English.
7Choose the word that best completes the collocation: They _____ a decision to visit Kinkaku-ji first.
A.made
B.did
C.took
D.had
Explanation: The collocation is make a decision, using the verb make in the past tense made. Do a decision, take a decision (more British/formal), and have a decision are not the standard phrase taught at this level.
8Choose the correctly spelled word to complete: Many visitors come to see the _____ temples of Kyoto.
A.traditional
B.traditonal
C.traditionel
D.tradishional
Explanation: The correct spelling is traditional, from tradition + -al. The other forms misspell the ending or the root.
9Choose the correctly spelled word: Foreign visitors are welcome to join the tea _____.
A.ceremony
B.ceremoney
C.cerimonie
D.ceremani
Explanation: The correct spelling is ceremony. The other options misspell the word by adding an extra o, using -ie, or shortening the ending.
10Choose the correct word: May I _____ your guidebook for a moment?
A.borrow
B.lend
C.take
D.bring
Explanation: The speaker wants to receive the guidebook temporarily, so borrow is correct. Lend is the giver's action, take implies removing, and bring means to carry toward the speaker.

About the Kyoto Entrance English Exam

The Kyoto Public High School Entrance Selection English paper is created by the Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education. The single 40-minute, 40-point written paper, sat in the 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection academic test (Reiwa 8 / 2026 cycle: March 6, 2026), includes a listening test and covers long-passage (chōbun) reading, dialogue-plus-table comparison, content-match, excerpt (nukigaki), and listening, on the 2017 MEXT junior-high Course of Study. The 中期 common paper is uniform across the prefecture. The 中期 selection uses the academic test (200) and the report card (195); there is no fixed pass mark. From Reiwa 9 (2027) a single 前期 with 独自枠 + 共通枠 replaces the two-stage system (test Feb 18–19, 2027). This page provides 100 original English-language practice questions with detailed explanations as a study adaptation — not an official translation, not a reproduction of the official paper, and not a format simulation.

Assessment

The real Kyoto English examination is a 40-minute paper scored out of 40 points (200 total across five subjects: kokugo, social studies, mathematics, science, English), sat in the 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection academic test (Reiwa 8 / 2026 entrance cycle: examination March 6, 2026; results March 17, 2026). It is administered in Japanese with English as the tested subject and includes a listening test (risuningu tesuto) within the English testing time (30 min written + 10 min listening). The 中期 common paper is uniform across the prefecture and typically has five big questions: a long-passage (chōbun) reading question (大問1), a dialogue-reading question compared with a table (大問2), a content-match (naiyō itchi) question, an excerpt (nukigaki, 2-3 words from text) question, and a listening (risuningu) question (大問5). Difficulty is standard; vocabulary matters, with few hard structures. The 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection uses the academic test (200 points) and the report card (chōsasho, 195 points: 5 academic × 5 × 3yr = 75; 4 practical × 5 × 2 × 3yr = 120) under the step system (suteppu hōshiki); both ranks must fall within the quota. There is no fixed pass mark. From Reiwa 9 (2027) a single 前期 (zenki) with 独自枠 + 共通枠 (common 5×40=200 + report card 195 = 395) replaces the two-stage system; the test is February 18–19, 2027. This local bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation providing 100 original practice items.

Time Limit

40 minutes for the English subject paper, including the listening test (30 min written + 10 min listening). The Reiwa 8 / 2026 中期 (chūki / second-stage) academic test is March 6, 2026, with results March 17, 2026.

Passing Score

No fixed pass mark; scored out of 40 points (200 total across 5 subjects). The 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection uses the academic test (200) and the report card (chōsasho, 195 points: 5 academic × 5 × 3yr = 75; 4 practical × 5 × 2 × 3yr = 120), total 395; both the academic-test rank and report-card rank must fall within the quota for admission under the step system (suteppu hōshiki). Selection is by ranking within each school's quota; there is no single pass line.

Exam Fee

JPY 2,200 entrance selection fee (nyūgaku sentaku tesūryō) for full-time prefectural high schools (JPY 900 part-time/teijisei), paid through the official online application site (shutsugan sait) during the application period; once paid, the fee is not refunded. The fee is set out in the official Kyoto selection requirements (nyūgakusha sentaku yōkō). (Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education (京都府教育委員会), jointly with Kyoto City Board of Education (京都市教育委員会) for Kyoto City area schools)

Kyoto Entrance English Exam Content Outline

About 15% of this practice bank

Vocabulary

Word meaning, synonyms and antonyms, collocations, context-appropriate word choice, commonly-confused words, and spelling.

About 20% of this practice bank

Grammar

Tense, articles, prepositions, comparatives and superlatives, relative clauses, passive voice, gerund and infinitive, conditionals, modals, and subject-verb agreement.

About 25% of this practice bank

Reading Comprehension

Short passages and a long-passage (chōbun) item set with four-choice items on main idea, detail, inference, pronoun reference, and word meaning in context.

About 12% of this practice bank

Dialogue and Pragmatics

Dialogue reading (tourist information, planning a trip), table comparison against a dialogue, and polite conversational responses / pragmatics.

About 15% of this practice bank

Listening Strategies

MCQ adaptations of listening strategy — gist, detail, and inferred intent from a described spoken script (weather forecast, phone message, announcement, directions, festival).

About 13% of this practice bank

Writing and Translation

Sentence reordering, connecting expressions, translation from Japanese cues, topic-sentence selection, and sentence-level error detection.

How to Pass the Kyoto Entrance English Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: No fixed pass mark; scored out of 40 points (200 total across 5 subjects). The 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection uses the academic test (200) and the report card (chōsasho, 195 points: 5 academic × 5 × 3yr = 75; 4 practical × 5 × 2 × 3yr = 120), total 395; both the academic-test rank and report-card rank must fall within the quota for admission under the step system (suteppu hōshiki). Selection is by ranking within each school's quota; there is no single pass line.
  • Assessment: The real Kyoto English examination is a 40-minute paper scored out of 40 points (200 total across five subjects: kokugo, social studies, mathematics, science, English), sat in the 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection academic test (Reiwa 8 / 2026 entrance cycle: examination March 6, 2026; results March 17, 2026). It is administered in Japanese with English as the tested subject and includes a listening test (risuningu tesuto) within the English testing time (30 min written + 10 min listening). The 中期 common paper is uniform across the prefecture and typically has five big questions: a long-passage (chōbun) reading question (大問1), a dialogue-reading question compared with a table (大問2), a content-match (naiyō itchi) question, an excerpt (nukigaki, 2-3 words from text) question, and a listening (risuningu) question (大問5). Difficulty is standard; vocabulary matters, with few hard structures. The 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection uses the academic test (200 points) and the report card (chōsasho, 195 points: 5 academic × 5 × 3yr = 75; 4 practical × 5 × 2 × 3yr = 120) under the step system (suteppu hōshiki); both ranks must fall within the quota. There is no fixed pass mark. From Reiwa 9 (2027) a single 前期 (zenki) with 独自枠 + 共通枠 (common 5×40=200 + report card 195 = 395) replaces the two-stage system; the test is February 18–19, 2027. This local bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation providing 100 original practice items.
  • Time limit: 40 minutes for the English subject paper, including the listening test (30 min written + 10 min listening). The Reiwa 8 / 2026 中期 (chūki / second-stage) academic test is March 6, 2026, with results March 17, 2026.
  • Exam fee: JPY 2,200 entrance selection fee (nyūgaku sentaku tesūryō) for full-time prefectural high schools (JPY 900 part-time/teijisei), paid through the official online application site (shutsugan sait) during the application period; once paid, the fee is not refunded. The fee is set out in the official Kyoto selection requirements (nyūgakusha sentaku yōkō).

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Kyoto Entrance English Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build vocabulary including connectors and adverbs — knowing words is the foundation for the long-passage (chōbun) reading and the content-match items, so drill core junior-high word lists steadily.
2Master the core grammar set (tense, articles, prepositions, comparatives, relative pronouns, passive voice, infinitive/gerund, and conditionals) — the blank-fill and ordered-composition items reward fast, accurate structural judgment.
3For the long passage, practice reading the questions before the passage to locate answers quickly, and train content-match (naiyō itchi) and excerpt (nukigaki, 2-3 words from text) extraction under the 40-minute limit that also includes the listening test.
4Compare 対話文 (dialogue) against a table accurately — the Kyoto paper pairs a dialogue with a table, so practice matching the spoken information to the table's numbers, times, and fees.
5For リスニング (listening), practice grasping numbers, times, and dates and choosing the appropriate response from a single hearing — the official audio plays once, so train note-taking of key details.
6Use the 中期 schedule to plan preparation: the Reiwa 8 / 2026 academic test is March 6, 2026, with results March 17, 2026, so start timed practice well before the application window.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the real Kyoto English paper a multiple-choice test?

No — the real paper is a mix of constructed-response and mark-sheet style items administered in Japanese with English as the tested subject, and it includes a listening section. This 100-question bank is an original English-language MCQ study adaptation aligned to the 2017 MEXT junior-high Course of Study, not a reproduction or format simulation of the official paper.

Are these questions official past exam problems?

No. Although the Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education publishes the actual R8 examination problems and model answers (including listening audio), it does not publish them as a four-option multiple-choice set. This bank is an original English-language MCQ study adaptation aligned to the 2017 MEXT junior-high Course of Study, covering vocabulary, grammar, reading, dialogue, listening strategies, and writing/translation — not an official translation or format simulation.

How long is the English paper and what is the maximum score?

The English paper is a single 40-minute exam scored out of 40 points (30 min written + 10 min listening), sat as one of five academic-test subjects totaling 200 points. The 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection combines the academic test (200) with the report card (chōsasho, 195) for a total of 395. In the Reiwa 8 (2026) cycle the academic test is held on March 6, 2026, with results March 17, 2026.

Does the real Kyoto English paper include a listening section?

Yes — the listening test (risuningu tesuto) is administered within the 40-minute English testing time (the 10-minute listening portion). This bank cannot play audio, so listening items are MCQ adaptations of listening strategy based on a described spoken script. The bank is an English-language study adaptation, not a reproduction of the official listening or written-response tasks.

How are the academic test and report card combined in Kyoto's selection?

Kyoto's 中期 (chūki / second-stage) selection uses the academic test (200 points) and the report card (chōsasho, 195 points: 5 academic × 5 × 3yr = 75; 4 practical × 5 × 2 × 3yr = 120), total 395. Under the step system (suteppu hōshiki), candidates whose academic-test rank and report-card rank both fall within the quota are admitted. There is no fixed pass mark.

Is there a recent or upcoming change to the Kyoto selection system?

Yes. From Reiwa 9 (2027), the two-stage 前期 + 中期 system is replaced by a single 前期 (zenki) with 独自枠 (school-specific quota) + 共通枠 (common quota), using the common 5×40=200 academic test and the 195-point report card (total 395). The test is scheduled for February 18–19, 2027. This bank remains aligned to the 2017 MEXT Course of Study regardless of the selection-stage change.

Is this bank an official English sitting of the exam?

No. The official exam is administered in Japanese with English as the tested subject; there is no official English-language sitting. This is an original English-language MCQ study adaptation that helps learners prepare, including non-native English speakers researching the Kyoto exam — not an official translation or format simulation.