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KET · Everyday Vocabulary · China

Everyday Vocabulary for the KET Exam — Chinese candidates

10% of the KET test plan. Core A2 vocabulary for daily life: food, transport, home, health, shopping, and directions. Calibrated for Chinese candidates.

High-stakes exams reward two skills equally: knowledge and test-craft. This page focuses on both for one of the most failure-prone areas. Everyday Vocabulary sits at roughly 10% of the Cambridge Key English Test (A2) content distribution — Everyday vocabulary is the foundation of all A2 Key skills. The Cambridge A2 vocabulary list includes approximately 1,200 words in topic groups. Gaps in core vocabulary directly cause incorrect reading, listening, writing, and speaking answers. Pass rates for the KET are published annually by the awarding body and vary by cohort and locale. For Chinese candidates preparing for KET, the calibration of study to local context matters: Gaokao is China's domestic entrance exam. IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT dominate study-abroad tracks. HSK is the proficiency standard for non-native Mandarin speakers.

Pass rates for KET (China) are published periodically by the awarding body.

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

  • !Confusing similar-looking words: receipt/recipe, kitchen/chicken, cost/coast
  • !Not knowing prepositions for location: next to, opposite, between, behind, in front of
  • !Limited food vocabulary — food topics appear in nearly every A2 Key paper

Study tips

  • 1Learn vocabulary in topic groups, not in isolation: practice all food words together, all transport words together.
  • 2Use the Cambridge A2 Key Wordlist (downloadable free from Cambridge Assessment website) as your master list.
  • 3Practice prepositions of place with real objects in your home — point and say where things are.
  • 4中国考生备考 KET 时，建议优先攻克英语听力与写作两个最易失分的板块 — 每日固定时段做真题模拟。

Sample KET Everyday Vocabulary questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real KET questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

  1. 1

    The post office is _____ the bank and the café.

    • Anext to
    • Bopposite
    • CbetweenCorrect
    • Dbehind
    Why this answer?

    "Between" is used for a location in the middle of two specific things. "Next to" means adjacent (one side only); "opposite" means facing across; "behind" means at the back of.

Frequently asked questions

How can I find the official Cambridge A2 Key vocabulary list?
The Cambridge A2 Key Vocabulary List is available free on the Cambridge Assessment English website. It organises approximately 1,200 words into topic groups and shows the forms candidates are expected to know. It is the definitive reference for exam preparation.
What is the KET pass rate for Chinese candidates?
Pass rates for KET candidates in China are published periodically by the awarding body. Practice questions, full-length simulations, and weak-area drills are the highest-impact way to improve your odds.
How long should Chinese candidates study Everyday Vocabulary for the KET?
For most candidates, focused mastery of Everyday Vocabulary requires 20–40 hours of deliberate practice — drilling sample questions, reviewing failure modes, and timing yourself against exam conditions. Gaokao is China's domestic entrance exam. IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT dominate study-abroad tracks. HSK is the proficiency standard for non-native Mandarin speakers. Combine Everyday Vocabulary study with full-length mock exams in the final two weeks before your test date.

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