§ Unlock Science Reading · CAP Science Competency Workbook
Long-form science reading × Chart interpretation × 108 Curriculum competency questions
Unlock Science Reading (解鎖科閱力) is a science reading workbook made by STARK Lab for the competency-based questions in the science section of the CAP (Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students, Taiwan’s national junior high exam). “Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS),” which we included in 2024, appeared the following year in the 2025 CAP science exam, because our topics are chosen by a lab that runs real experiments.
§ 01
Why PractiseThe Shift
A year of diligent memorizing, and then stuck in front of a passage of science never seen before: what the exam tests now is understanding and reasoning on the spot.
The questions have changed: not how much you memorize, but how well you understand
In the 2026 CAP science section, about 70% of questions involved charts or graphs, out of 50 questions with no complex calculation; question stems are long passages set in real-life contexts, and questions integrate several chapters. The exam leans toward more text, more charts, more real-life contexts and no complex calculation. It tests not how much students remember, but whether they can understand a new passage, reason from data and connect concepts across subjects.
What a competency question looks like · Sample question in the same style (not an actual CAP question)
Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have burned large amounts of fossil fuels, steadily raising the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. The ocean is one of Earth’s largest carbon reservoirs and absorbs part of the CO₂ in the atmosphere. When CO₂ dissolves in seawater, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), which then dissociates and releases hydrogen ions (H⁺), gradually lowering the pH of seawater. This is called “ocean acidification.”
Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in seawater is the main component of coral skeletons and shellfish shells. As seawater pH falls and hydrogen ions increase, carbonate ions (CO₃²⁻) decrease, making calcium carbonate harder to form and easier to dissolve, which threatens the survival of coral reefs and shellfish. The table below shows long-term surface seawater measurements from a research station (illustrative).
| Year | Atmospheric CO₂ (ppm) | Surface seawater pH |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 354 | 8.11 |
| 2000 | 369 | 8.09 |
| 2010 | 389 | 8.07 |
| 2020 | 414 | 8.05 |
QBased on the passage and the table, which of the following inferences is most reasonable?
Answer: (B)
(B) combines the passage and the table: CO₂ dissolving in seawater releases hydrogen ions (chemistry), making calcium carbonate dissolve more easily and threatening shellfish and corals (biology). Correct. (A) contradicts the table: as CO₂ rises, pH falls. (C) contradicts the passage: acidification reduces CO₃²⁻. (D) A pH above 7 is basic; this is a common misconception. This is exactly how competency questions work: understand a long passage, interpret data, integrate across subjects, and see through misconceptions. Rote memorization does not help here.
* This sample question was written by STARK Lab in the same style; it is not an actual CAP question. The context and data are illustrative.
This ability cannot be crammed before the exam
Reading long passages, interpreting charts and reasoning across subjects grow out of reading done steadily over time. A last-minute push rarely makes up for it, which is why Unlock Science Reading is built around one article a day, until the skill becomes second nature.
§ 02
What Sets It ApartWhy It Hits
Not luck, but a method for choosing topics. Three things set this workbook apart from popular-science reading and mock exams on the market.
We choose new contexts that textbooks do not cover but that can be reasoned through with textbook concepts: the James Webb Space Telescope, mRNA, black hole imaging, ocean acidification. This is exactly how CAP competency questions are written. Students are not practising questions they have seen before; they are building the ability to understand unfamiliar material on the spot.
Behind every reading passage is STARK Lab’s own lab work. The charts are not borrowed from elsewhere; we drew them ourselves from classroom measurements and experiment extensions, something a publisher’s editorial team cannot offer.
Every article is mapped to a competency indicator of the 108 Curriculum (Taiwan’s 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum) and labelled with its code (e.g. Jd-Ⅳ-1), so students know which indicator they have practised and which textbook chapter it links back to. Not a loose collection of popular-science reading, but structured exam training.
§ 03
What’s InsideInside
50 long-form science articles, each with 5 multiple-choice questions on the facing page, about 250 questions in all; each article has a suggested time of 5 minutes, like a series of short competency tests.
How each article is structured
Opens with an everyday hook that gives students a reason to read.
Links back to textbook concepts, connecting the new context to what students have already learned.
Data tables and graphing prompts: not only reading charts, but making them.
Cross-subject integration, connecting physics and chemistry, biology and earth science.
Competency indicator codes, so every article can be traced and checked.
§ 04
Training GoalsCompetencies
Not memorizing more, but breaking “scientific literacy” down into abilities that can be practised, aligned with the three competencies of the OECD PISA scientific literacy assessment and the inquiry competencies of the 108 Curriculum for natural sciences.
Read an unfamiliar long-form science article and use principles from the textbook to explain a new phenomenon: putting knowledge to use rather than only remembering it.
Read charts, compare data, draw sound conclusions from evidence, and see through misleading numbers and common misconceptions. About 70% of CAP science questions involve charts or graphs, so this is where the exam is decided.
Identify experimental variables, judge whether a method is appropriate, and assess whether a conclusion holds up, until the thinking of “inquiry and practice” becomes second nature.
Framework reference · OECD PISA scientific literacy assessment framework (explaining phenomena scientifically / evaluating and designing scientific enquiry / interpreting data and evidence scientifically) and “Inquiry and Practice” in the 108 Curriculum for natural sciences.
§ 05
New in 2026How to Solve
The 2026 edition adds an introductory unit on problem-solving strategies.
5 problem-solving techniques × worked examples from real CAP questions
Faced with a long passage and charts, what should students look at first, how do they pick out key information, and how do they eliminate options? We break this down into 5 techniques and demonstrate them step by step with real questions from the 2021 and 2023 CAP science exams. Students learn “how to solve competency questions” as a method they can understand and master, not just by doing more practice papers.
§ 06
EditionsEditions
Like an annual, one volume a year, with topics updated each year. The two editions share no articles; families can get a single volume or work through both years.
§ 07
Who It’s ForWho It's For
§ 08
Editions and OrderingEditions & Order
137 pages, 50 articles, about 250 questions, with full worked solutions and problem-solving strategy lessons. Prices and current bundles are shown on the online store’s order page.
How to buy
Single volumes are available in the 2025 edition or the 2026 edition (with problem-solving strategies), and there is also a two-year bundle. Editions, bundles and current offers are shown on the online store’s order page, which also includes a content preview to look through before deciding.
§ 09
FAQFAQ
Choose an edition or bundle and order in the online store;
the order page also includes a content preview.
Questions? LINE @starklab · 06-358-5873
STARK Lab · 417 Guoping Rd., Anping District, Tainan
