This example illustrates how Open Pool Exams could be used in a secondary school English course (English as a second language). The aim is to show that the method is not limited to mathematics or computer science, but can also support language learning in a natural and motivating way.
Students (age 12) read the book Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. The course focuses on vocabulary, reading comprehension, and basic grammar, in particular the difference between past simple and past continuous.
Fantastic Mr Fox tells the story of a clever fox who steals food from three mean farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The farmers try to catch him, but Mr Fox always manages to escape. When the farmers decide to wait outside his hole and starve him out, Mr Fox digs tunnels underground to reach food stores and help not only his own family, but also other animals who are suffering. In the end, the animals survive by working together, while the farmers are left waiting in vain.
Students receive the full pool at the beginning of the course. This makes expectations explicit and allows them to plan their learning.
The full vocabulary list contains approximately 200 words. Students are expected to understand them and use them in context.
Example words: farmer, tunnel, clever, digging, shotgun, feast, cellar, ladder, enormous, sneaky
Example sentence tasks:
Example 1
Explain the difference between past simple and past continuous in the following sentence. Identify which part is ongoing and which part is a single event, and explain why: “Mr Fox was digging when the farmers arrived.”
answer: “was digging” is in the past continuous and describes an ongoing action in the past. “arrived” is in the past simple and describes a completed event that happens at a specific moment. The sentence shows that the ongoing action (digging) was interrupted by a new event (the farmers arrived). This is a typical use of past continuous (background action) together with past simple (interrupting event).
Example 2
Rewrite the sentence using past continuous where appropriate. Then explain why this tense is used. “The animals ate while Mr Fox prepared the food.”
answer: “The animals were eating while Mr Fox was preparing the food.”
explanation: In the original sentence, both actions (“ate” and “prepared”) are in the past simple, which suggests two completed actions. However, the word “while” indicates that the actions were happening at the same time. Therefore, both actions should be in the past continuous to show that they were ongoing simultaneously. Past continuous is used here to describe two actions that were in progress at the same time in the past.
30% of the exam consists of questions taken verbatim from the pool. 70% consists of new questions that test the same understanding in different ways. We give for each category some example questions.
pool: Translate: “The fox was digging a tunnel under the farm.”
surprise: Translate: “The animals were hiding while the farmers were searching the forest.”
pool: Why do the farmers want to catch Mr Fox?
surprise: What does the story suggest about cooperation between the animals? Give one example from the story.
pool: Explain the use of past simple and past continuous in the following sentence: “The farmers were waiting when Mr Fox came out.”
expected answer: “were waiting” is in the past continuous and describes an ongoing action or background situation. “came out” is in the past simple and describes a completed action at a specific moment. The ongoing action (waiting) is interrupted by the event (Mr Fox came out).
surprise: Find and correct the mistake, and explain your correction: “The farmers were waiting and then Mr Fox was came out.”
expected answer: “The farmers were waiting and then Mr Fox came out.” “came out” must be past simple because it is a completed action. “was came out” is incorrect since past continuous requires an -ing form and would not fit this event structure.
Some questions appear directly in the exam (Promise). The pool is designed so that mastering these questions means mastering the course goals, including new variations (Operational).
The questions are used throughout the course (Ongoing), so students repeatedly practice the reasoning required. The pool remains small and manageable (Limited), giving students a clear and realistic study target.
The focus on explanation and translation encourages understanding rather than memorization (Sense-making). From a student perspective, preparation becomes more transparent: they know what to study, why it matters, and how it will be assessed, which can increase motivation and confidence.