Teachers Book 4 Communicator More information

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Communicator level syllabus Frequently asked questions: teachers Frequently asked questions: students Exam advice Sample exam paper Sample exam paper tapescripts Book 2 Communicator Communicator

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More information Communicator level syllabus

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Communicator level syllabus Listening syllabus

The candidate will be able to: understand standard spoken English delivered at normal speed follow short conversations both formal and informal in a range of familiar situations understanding gist, context, purpose, function, attitude, feelings, opinions and relationships follow a conversation and predict the likely outcome understand narratives, sequences, instructions, descriptions and explanations identify the function of short utterances which may contain idiomatic expressions (see Grammar and Functions sections) follow a discussion to identify gist, detail, purposes and key ideas and distinguish between fact and opinion extract and reproduce key information from announcements, media broadcasts, presentations and lectures including abstract and concrete topics encountered in personal, social, academic and vocational life follow clearly structured extended speech and more complex argument when familiar with the topic. Phonological features recognise how intonation, pitch and/or stress can affect meaning recognise feelings, moods, attitudes, important points and opinions expressed through stress, pitch and intonation. Range understand ideas, arguments and descriptions expressed through complex sentence forms understand some lower frequency vocabulary and expressions relating to everyday life and current events. Register recognise degrees of formality used by speakers in different types of utterances in everyday and less familiar situations. Understanding gist understand the main ideas in longer but clearly structured announcements, conversations and discussions on familiar and unfamiliar concrete and abstract topics. Understanding detail extract the more salient points of detail from longer but clearly structured texts on familiar and unfamiliar topics and on both concrete and abstract topics.

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Reading syllabus
The candidate will be able to: understand texts in different styles and purposes with a large degree of independence understand the main ideas in complex texts on both familiar and abstract topics understand the way meaning is built up in a range of texts locate specific information from different parts of a text or different texts understand feelings, opinions, warnings and conditions in both formal and informal text understand lengthy texts containing complex instructions or explanations understand articles and reports concerned with contemporary issues in which the writers adopt particular viewpoints locate and understand information, ideas and opinions from longer more specialised sources in familiar contexts. Range understand a broad range of vocabulary but may experience some difficulty with low frequency idioms understand texts which contain a broad range of grammatical structures. Register understand the features of register in texts including those conveying emotion or dispute. Text structure recognise how purpose is achieved in a range of texts including those containing images, graphical and tabular data understand a broad range of discourse markers including those expressing addition, cause and effect, contrast, sequence and time.

Writing syllabus
The candidate will be able to: write coherently on topics of general interest linking ideas appropriately and effectively write clear connected text describing real or imaginary people or events present an argument giving points for and against, supporting and evaluating different views write formal letters, reports or articles to fulfil a range of functions for practical purposes write letters containing descriptions of personally significant events, people or experiences. Accuracy use words and expressions appropriate to topic and purpose of the writing adjust register in familiar contexts to suit purpose and readership. Range use vocabulary adequately to meet straightforward needs communicate information and ideas with some adaptation to the intended reader.

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Organisation use a range of linking words effectively to show clearly the relationship between ideas paragraph appropriately reproduce conventional features of common types of text.

Notes

Grammar
Candidates are expected to know the grammar required for Preliminary, Access and Achiever levels. They may also be exposed to the grammar required for the Expert level, but will not be tested on it.

Sentence structure
Simple sentences word order in simple statements: subject-verb-object/adverb/adjective/prepositional phrase word order in instructions word order in questions there is/are + noun there was/were there has/have been there will be/there is going to be Compound sentences use of the conjunctions and/but/or word order subject-verb-(object) (+ and/but/or) + subject-verb-(object) Complex sentences clauses of: time with when/before/after reason because result so noun clause with that word order in complex sentences complex sentences with one subordinate clause defining relative clauses with who/which/that clause as subject/object Simple, compound and complex sentences with subordinate clauses word order in sentences with more than one subordinate clause there had been use of common conjunctions expressing contrast, purpose, consequence, condition, concession non-defining relative clauses defining relative clauses with where, whose, when defining relative clauses without relative pronouns participal clauses describing action with -ing

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Verb forms
Present reference simple present tense of be/have/do and common regular verbs present continuous of common verbs have got simple present with no time focus present continuous to express continuity Present/Past reference present perfect with since/for/ever/never/yet/already/just present perfect continuous Past reference past tense of regular and common irregular verbs with time markers used to for regular actions in the past past continuous past perfect Future reference noun phrase (NP) + be going to, present continuous and time markers future simple verb forms, NP+ will Other yes/no questions question words: who/what/where/when/how much/how many/how old auxiliary do for questions and negatives imperatives and negative imperatives verb + to + infinitive, such as want/hope questions, such as what time/how often/why/how/which contracted forms appropriate to this level zero and 1st conditional range of verbs + -ing forms to + infinitive to express purpose common phrasal verbs and position of object pronouns, such as I looked it up simple reported/embedded statements and questions simple passive use of 2nd and 3rd conditional verbs + (object) + gerund or infinitive such as would like someone to do something, suggest doing something causative use of have and get reported speech with a range of tenses wider range of phrasal verbs such as give up, hold out reported requests and instructions question tags using tenses appropriate to this level contracted forms appropriate to this level

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Modals, nouns, pronouns, possessives, prepositions

Modals and forms with similar meaning can/cant (ability/inability, permission) and would like (request) not negative questions must (obligation) mustnt (prohibition) have to/had got to (need) can/could (requests) couldnt (impossibility) may (permission) single modal adverbs: possibly/probably/perhaps should (obligation, advice) might/may/will probably (possibility and probability in the future) would/should (advice) need to (obligation) neednt (lack of obligation) will definitely (certainty in the future) may I (asking for permission) Id rather (stating preference) ought to (obligation) must/cant (deduction) Nouns regular and common irregular plural forms very common uncountable nouns simple noun phrases all cardinal numbers wider range of noun phrases with pre- and post-modification word order of determiners, eg all my books Pronouns personal subject object reflexive Possessives possessive adjectives, such as my/your/his/her/its/our/their use of s, s possessive pronouns, such as mine/yours/whose Prepositions and prepositional phrases common prepositions, such as at/in/on/under/next to/between/near to/from prepositional phrases of place, time and movement, such as at home/on the left/on Monday/at six oclock prepositions of place, time and movement, such as before/after/towards/up/down/along/across/in front of/behind/opposite

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prepositional phrases of place and time, such as after dinner/before tea wide range of prepositions, such as beyond/above/beneath/below prepositional phrases, such as in her twenties/of average height/in the top righthand corner collocations of verbs/nouns + prepositions such as point at, have an interest in preposition + -ing form such as after leaving

Articles, determiners, adjectives, adverbs, intensifiers

Articles definite with superlatives definite article with post-modification, such as the present you gave me use of indefinite article in definitions, such as an architect is a person who designs buildings definite, indefinite and zero article with both countable and uncountable nouns in a range of uses Determiners any/some/a lot of all/none/not (any)/enough/(a) few/(a) little/many/more/most, much/no a range of determiners, such as all the/most/both Adjectives common adjectives in front of a noun demonstrative adjectives this/that/these/those order of adjectives comparative, superlative, regular and common irregular forms use of than adjectives ending -ed + -ing such as tired and tiring comparative structures, such as as as/ is the same as/not so as /looks like/is like all ordinal numbers comparisons with fewer and less collocations of adjective + preposition such as responsible for Adverbs simple adverbs of place, manner and time, such as here/slowly/now simple adverbs and adverbial phrases: sequencing, time and place, frequency, manner, such as as soon as possible position of adverbs and word order of adverbial phrases adverbial phrases of degree, extent, probability comparative and superlative of adverbs Intensifiers very/really quite/so/a bit a range of intensifiers such as too/enough wide range such as extremely/much too

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Punctuation and spelling

Punctuation use of capital letters and full stops use of question marks, exclamation marks, use of commas in lists use of punctuation in formal and informal texts, such as dashes, brackets, bullet points, speech marks multiple uses of commas use of apostrophes for possession and omission use of other punctuation to enhance meaning Spelling the correct spelling of personal details the correct spelling of words used in work, studies, leisure and daily life

Notes

Discourse
Discourse sentence connectives then/next adverbs to indicate sequence first/finally use of substitution I think so/I hope so markers to structure spoken discourse Right/Well/OK/Okay/anyway/by the way/as I was saying markers to indicate addition also, sequence in the first place, contrast on the other hand use of ellipsis in informal situations got to go and in informal speech and writing sounds good use of vague language I think/you know a range of discourse markers expressing addition, cause and effect, contrast however, sequence and time at a later date

Topics
1 Self and family name address telephone/fax number date and place of birth age sex marital status nationality origin occupation family likes and dislikes physical appearance email address title first language character, disposition

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2 3 4 5 6

House and home, environment accommodation, rooms furniture, furnishings, bedclothes services amenities region flora and fauna types of accommodation cost Daily life at home at work income prospects Free time, entertainment leisure hobbies and interests TV, radio, computer, etc cinema, theatre intellectual pursuits sports press internet music holidays exhibitions, museums artistic pursuits Travel public transport private transport traffic holiday accommodation luggage travel documents signs and notices entering and leaving a country Relationships with other people relationships correspondence behaviour invitations club membership government and politics crime, justice social affairs friends

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7 8

Health and bodycare parts of the body personal comfort hygiene ailments, accidents medical services Shopping shopping facilities foodstuffs clothes, fashion household articles prices

Notes

9 Food and drink types of food and drink eating and drinking out 10 Services post telephone banking police hospital, surgery garage petrol station emergency insurance diplomatic services 11 Places asking the way and giving directions location 12 Language ability at using a foreign language understanding, expression English spelling and alphabet 13 Weather obtain information from weather forecast climate and weather 14 Measures and shapes all digits and cardinal numbers telephone numbers, process height, length, weight, capacity, temperature dates, times, days shape

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15 Education schooling subjects qualifications

Functions
(See Topics list for contexts) Giving and finding out factual information identifying correcting narrating describing asking questions to obtain confirmation/information/identification/descriptions responding to requests for confirmation/information/identification comparing reporting explaining

Expressing and finding out attitudes Factual: agreement, etc expressing agreement with a statement expressing disagreement with a statement expressing views with reasons enquiring about agreement and disagreement denying statements

Factual: knowledge expressing ones knowledge or ignorance of a person, thing or fact enquiring about anothers knowledge or ignorance of a person, thing or fact stating whether one remembers or has forgotten a person, thing, fact or action enquiring whether another person remembers or has forgotten a person, thing, fact or action expressing degrees of probability enquiring about degrees of probability expressing or denying necessity (including logical deduction) enquiring about necessity expressing ones certainty or uncertainty of something (strong/positive/ intermediate/weak/negative) enquiring about anothers certainty or uncertainty of something

Factual: modality expressing ability or inability enquiring about ability or inability expressing ones obligation (or lack of) to do something enquiring about ones obligation to do something granting permission

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denying permission seeking permission responding to granting of permission expressing permissibility enquiring about permissibility

Notes

Volitional expressing want, desire or need enquiring about want, desire or need expressing intention enquiring about intention expressing and responding to preference enquiring about preference

Emotional expressing liking, with reasons expressing dislike, with reasons enquiring about likes and dislikes expressing pleasure, happiness with reasons expressing displeasure, unhappiness with reasons enquiring about pleasure, happiness/displeasure, unhappiness expressing hope expressing satisfaction expressing dissatisfaction enquiring about satisfaction expressing disappointment expressing gratitude expressing feelings expressing interest expressing lack of interest enquiring about interest or lack of interest expressing surprise expressing lack of surprise expressing fear giving reassurance enquiring about fear/worry reacting to an expression of gratitude expressing regret/sympathy

Moral offering an apology accepting an apology granting forgiveness expressing approval expressing appreciation expressing regret expressing indifference expressing moral obligation expressing disapproval enquiring about approval/disapproval

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Getting things done responding to a request requesting something requesting someone to do something inviting someone to do something giving instructions accepting an offer or invitation declining an offer or invitation enquiring whether an offer or invitation is accepted or declined advising others to do something warning others to take care or to refrain from doing something offering assistance asking for assistance insisting politely persuading suggesting a course of action agreeing to a suggestion encouraging someone to do something asking for advice responding to advice rejecting advice with reason making/agreeing plans and arrangements compromising prohibiting complaining asking for suggestions responding to suggestions rejecting suggestion with reason/alternative

Socialising attracting attention greeting people responding to greetings responding to offers or invitations expressing thanks addressing somebody introducing somebody reacting to being introduced congratulating proposing a toast taking leave hesitating praising complimenting offering someone something

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Structuring discourse opening hesitating, looking for words correcting oneself interrupting politely enumerating summarising closing expressing an opinion asking someones opinion exemplifying emphasising handing over to another speaker indicating a wish to continue or finish speaking encouraging someone to continue speaking

Notes

Telephone opening/announcing self asking for extension, person offering to call back asking someone to wait confirming understanding on both sides

Letter opening closing Communication repair signalling non-understanding asking someone to spell something asking for clarification and explanation responding to clarification and explanation asking for repetition of sentence, word or phrase asking for confirmation of understanding asking someone to write something down appealing for assistance asking someone to slow down responding to requests for clarification paraphrasing checking anothers understanding

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Frequently asked questions: teachers General

Q Can the candidates use dictionaries in the test? A Yes, they can use EnglishEnglish dictionaries only; no electronic dictionaries can be used. Q How many different parts of the test are there? A At Communicator level, ten parts. Q Is there a time limit for each part of the test? A At Communicator level, the Listening section takes 20 minutes. The candidates then have 2 hours 10 minutes for the rest of the paper. Teachers need to help their students to plan how to use their time effectively. Q Do the candidates have to pass every part of the test? A Yes, the candidates must reach the required pass mark for each of the Listening, Reading and Writing sections in order to pass the test as a whole. Q What grades of pass are there and how do the candidates get these? A Pass: the candidates must get a pass mark in each of the Listening and Reading sections and a Pass grade or above in the Writing section. First Class Pass: the candidates must get a First Class Pass in each of the Listening, Reading and Writing sections.

Listening
Q The Listening part of the test is now all recorded why? A It gives us the chance to test conversations as well as monologues. We can test the candidates recognition of stress and intonation. It also makes the test more reliable. Q Do the candidates hear different accents? A The accents are mostly neutral, standard British English. In conversations, there is one male and one female speaker to help the candidates know who says what. Q Do the candidates hear everything twice? A Parts 1, 2 and 3 are played once only. Part 4 is played twice. Q What happens if the candidates spell their answers incorrectly? A If the answer can be understood, it is accepted (unless the answer is spelt out in the recording).

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Reading
Q Is there sometimes more than one correct answer to multiple-choice questions? A No. We check this when we vet the exam tasks and when we trial the papers. Q Is there sometimes more than one way of answering the questions in Reading Part 4? A There may occasionally be alternatives these are included in the examiners answer key. Q What happens if the candidates exceeds the word limit in giving answers to Reading Part 4? A The answer will not be allowed.

Notes

Writing
Q How much do the candidates have to write? A At Communicator level, 100 to150 words in Writing Part 1 and 150 to 200 words in Writing Part 2. Q What happens if the candidates write more or fewer words than instructed? A If they write fewer words, this is taken into account in the marking. If they write more than required, they have probably penalised themselves by not planning their work sufficiently, or giving themselves time to proofread and review and correct errors.

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Frequently asked questions: students General

Students preparing for International ESOL naturally have questions about what they will find in the test. Here are some frequently asked questions, along with answers. We hope these will be useful to you and your students. Some of the students who are now preparing for IESOL at Communicator level may be familiar with the test at B1 Achiever. The basic structure of the test remains the same but there are some features of the different parts which will be new. These include: not all listening tasks are heard twice there are two writing parts It is worth going through these FAQs in preparation for the test to help your students know exactly what to expect as candidates. IESOL candidates often ask about the pass grades and how they achieve these. Pass and First Class Pass grades are available, and it is important for candidates to perform to a sufficient standard in each section of the test. Q Can I use a dictionary in the test? A Yes, you can use an EnglishEnglish dictionary, but not an electronic version. Q How many different parts of the test are there? A There are ten: Listening 1, 2, 3 and 4; Reading 1, 2, 3 and 4; Writing 1 and 2. Q Do I have a time limit for each part of the test? A The Listening Part will take 20 minutes. You have 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the rest of the test. Q Do I have to pass every part of the test? A You have to pass in the Listening, Reading and Writing sections. You dont have to pass each separate part of these sections as long as the overall total for each section is sufficient to pass. Q What grades of pass are there? A A Pass or a First Class Pass.

Listening
International ESOL candidates are sometimes concerned that they will have trouble understanding strong regional accents. Stress that most of the recordings are made by speakers with mostly neutral, standard British English accents. Another worry the candidates have is spelling answers correctly. Tell them that unless a word is spelt out, they will not be tested on correct spelling and if their answer can be understood it will be accepted.

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Q Is all of the Listening part of the exam now recorded? A Yes. Q Do I hear many different accents? A No. The accents are mostly standard British English. In conversations, there is one male and one female speaker to help you know who is speaking. Q Do I hear everything twice? A No. Listening Parts 1, 2 and 3 are heard once only. Q What happens if I spell answers incorrectly? A If the examiner can understand your answer, thats not a problem.

Notes

Reading
The candidates are sometimes concerned that there may be more than one correct multiple-choice option in reading tasks; tell them that there will be only one correct answer to each question. Remind the candidates to read the instructions very carefully before giving answers and not to exceed any given word limit.
Q Is there only one correct A, B, C or D answer to multiple-choice questions? A Yes. Q What happens if I write too many words in my answers in Reading Part 4? A Your answer will not be allowed.You must use no more than five words maximum.

Writing
The candidates sometimes worry that they will not be able to write enough or will write too much. Point out that there are word limits in Parts 1 and 2 and explain why it is useful for the candidates to keep to these.
Q How much do I have to write? A Between 100 and 150 words in Writing Part 1 and between 150 and 200 words in Writing Part 2. Q What happens if I dont write the correct number of words? A If you write too few words, this is taken into account in the marking. If you write more than required, you will probably make more mistakes and not give yourself time to read it through and correct errors, so try and keep to the limit.

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Exam advice
Tips from the examiners
Check how much time you have for the whole paper. Give yourself enough time to answer all the questions. Read each question carefully and follow the instructions exactly. If you become stuck, then move on to the next question. You can always come back to a question later. Always use a black or blue pen, not a pencil. Attempt all the questions, even if you are not completely sure. You may make corrections, but make sure your writing is easy to read. At the beginning of the Listening section your supervisor will check that you can hear the recording clearly. Tell the supervisor if you cant hear well. You must not speak during the test itself.

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Sample exam paper Communicator level Listening Part 1

You will hear eight short unfinished conversations. Choose the best reply to continue the conversation. Put a circle round the letter of the best reply. First, look at the example. You will hear the conversations once only. 23
Example Speaker 1: Are you sure this one will fit into the room? Speaker 2: Its no bigger than the one we have now. Speaker 1: You really should measure it. a b c d 1 a b c d 2 a b c d 3 a b c d 4 a b c d 5 a b c d Why are you so surprised? You worry too much. Ill change it after I finish this one. I have it right here.

Notes

No, I like that one. I like the white one. Im not very sure. No, not really.

Its my first choice. I really want to go to Spain. I suppose so. I really doubt it.

Im not going to go. I think you should be careful. That would be fortunate. Thats a lost cause.

Pleased to meet you. You didnt interview me. I havent met you yet. I work in Accounts.

It is rather boring. Not at all, please do go on. It depends on the time. Its not very helpful.

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6 a b c d 7 a b c d 8 a b c d

OK, bye for now. I do need to know the price. You can ring me back. Thats not very useful.

I can look it up for you if you like. I cant help that much on this one. For when you forget someones birthday. They must all be labelled somehow.

Im afraid youll learn the hard way. No problem. Ill do it for you this time. You could have thought ahead. Dont worry no real harm done.

Listening Part 2
You will hear three conversations. Listen to the conversations and answer the questions below. Put a circle round the letter of the correct answer. You will hear each conversation once only. 24
Conversation 1 What are the two people discussing? a Their differences in taste. b The womans mature personality. c How to make life interesting. d To make room for meeting friends. What does the woman think of the man? a Hes full of inspiration. b He has a sparkling personality. c He likes sitting around too much. d Hes a bit unexciting. Conversation 2 What is the relationship between the speakers? a Husband and wife. b Both teachers. c Both cleaners. d Mother and son. What is the womans opinion about recycling? a It wont save the planet. b It should be abandoned. c Its a worthwhile exercise. d Its always unhygienic.

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Conversation 3 Where are the speakers? a On the beach. b In a hotel. c In a caf. d On a yacht. How does the woman react to the mans suggestions? a Shes not entirely convinced. b She thinks his ideas are stupid. c She doesnt think hes serious. d She agrees wholeheartedly.

Notes

Listening Part 3
Listen to the talk and complete the notes. Write short answers (15 words). First, look at the notes. The first one is done for you. You will hear the talk once only. 25

Big Ben
Big Ben refers to: bell 1. Name can also refer to: the clock tower 2. Construction material at top: cast iron 3. Access to the top by: climbing stairs/steps 4. Towers vertical shift due to: ground condition changes 5. Age of Big Ben: 150 years 6. Country of largest four-faced clock: USA/America 7. Old penny alters time by: 0.4 seconds daily 8. Clock parts damaged by war: two clock faces

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Listening Part 4
Listen to the conversation and answer the questions. Put a circle round the letter of the correct answer. First, look at the questions. The first one is done for you. You will hear the conversation twice. 26
Example: The speakers a disagreed that theyd enjoyed themselves. b agreed that theyd enjoyed themselves. c both thought what they had seen was funny. d both thought what they had seen was good. 1 a b c d 2 a b c d 3 a b c d 4 a b c d 5 a b c d 6 a b c d Sue thinks success can be measured by the reaction of an audience. defining what success means. how much she enjoys something. judging peoples movements. Sue thought the costumes were tasteful and authentic. tasteless but authentic. not typical of the seventies. not made of the right material. Tonys main criticism is that the production was not entertaining enough. had too many songs and dances. had a soppy romantic plot. was not well thought out. Sues reaction to Tonys comments about the plot is that she doesnt believe him. thinks hes too critical. agrees with him. thinks hes too complimentary. Tony prefers plots that are to the point. down to earth. very romantic. well-structured. Tony and Sue have the same taste in entertainment. prefer the theatre to concerts. have different views on entertainment value. prefer classical to popular music.

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7 a b c d 8 a b c d

Why does Sue believe the show is a hit? Its full of lovely popular songs. People like songs of the seventies. Its designed to be popular entertainment. People respond positively to it. What do Tony and Sue agree in the end that the musical is? Lacking in depth. Worth recommending. Not true to life. Not sufficiently classical.

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Reading Part 1
Read the text and complete the tasks that follow. Choose a, b, c or d. Put a circle round the most appropriate answer. The first one is done for you.

Hundreds of rare sand lizards to be released

Hundreds of sand lizards are to be released into the wild as part of an attempt to ensure the survival of threatened reptile and amphibian species in Britain. Lacerta agilis was once a common sight in dunes and on heathland. Males were particularly distinctive, with their striking green flanks. Over the past 100 years, however, the species disappeared in many English counties, especially in the south, as housing development destroyed habitats. Declines of up to 90 per cent were also seen in parts of the north. Conservationists estimate that there are now fewer than 300 locations in the country where they are still thriving. These remaining colonies are mostly found on small fragmented areas of heath or dune in isolated areas surrounded by woodlands. In an attempt to restore Britains rarest lizard, the species is to be re-introduced at five sites in the south. The first release of 80 baby lizards, which have been reared in hatcheries, is to take place today at a nature reserve in Surrey. The breeders have had to minimise contact with the animals to prevent them becoming too tame, which would leave them at risk of being eaten by their main enemy, the smooth snake, another threatened species. During the next two weeks 320 more lizards are also to be introduced on other nature reserves. Native frogs, toads, newts and snakes have also suffered decline due to intensive farming practices. A spokesman for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) said, These lizards needed channels of sand to lay eggs and without them could not survive. The problem was really down to ignorance, and people were not aware how best to manage these habitats and allow development on dunes and heathland. Nick Moulton, who is co-ordinating the releases for ARC, said, It is great to see them going back, now safely protected where they belong. ARC, which was formed by a merger of the charities Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust, has a three-year partnership to release threatened species with Natural England, the Governments wildlife advisers. Tom Tew, chief scientist at Natural England, said, Reptiles and amphibians are coming under pressure from an increasing number of factors, including habitat loss and disease. This important re-introduction programme is an example of the action that is being taken to reverse the decline in Englands biodiversity and to conserve the habitats that our unique wildlife relies on.

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Example: What is notable about male sand lizards? a Their special appearance. b Their incredible speed. c Their distinctive habitat. d Their large numbers. 1 a b c d 2 a b c d 3 a b c d 4 a b c d 5 a b c d 6 a b c d Why have sand lizards disappeared in the south? All the countryside has disappeared. They died out over a century ago. The places where they lived were built over. Their species have been destroyed. Where can surviving lizards be found? In conservation areas. In distant colonies. In new forests. In remote spots. The baby lizards were born throughout the UK. in captivity. on a nature reserve. in controlled conditions. The lizard breeders released snakes alongside lizards. touch them as little as possible. want to reduce snake numbers. were unable to tame them. How are sand channels used? As survival routes. For camouflage purposes. As nesting places. For food sources. What is Tews main point about this programme? It shows how situations can be improved. It puts too much pressure on wildlife. Partnerships are promoting wildlife protection. The importance of preservation is highlighted.

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Reading Part 2
Read the text and fill the gaps with the sentences AH. Write the letter of the missing sentence in the box in the correct gap. There are two extra sentences you will not need.

Peoples chef
Is Jamie Oliver a national treasure? This young exuberant chef, who left school without any academic qualifications, burst onto British TV screens a decade ago. He was bubbling with enthusiasm, but perhaps a little annoying. B 1 Maybe this was because he seemed too much of a do-gooder: the golden boy, who liked to visit his grandma and spoke readily of his love for his wife, Jools. A 2 This is probably thanks to his willingness to receive sponsorship from one of Britains leading supermarket chains, and his unwillingness to cook with food not locally and organically sourced. G 3 He has recently officially become Britains bestselling author. He has defeated not only the literary efforts of authors such as Khaled Hosseini and JK Rowling, but has also outsold those of his fellow celebrity chefs. F 4 More than a mere celebrity chef, he has become the Chosen One. He holds meetings with the Prime Minister. He changes supermarket policy. He cooks for heads of state and Hollywood stars. H 5 He has his own magazine, a website, a blog, and his shows are broadcast in many countries overseas. Oliver might still have his critics, but it appears they are seriously outnumbered these days. E 6 He is a chef who is on our side, who has used his position of power to expose injustices and to educate. He is a man who surely has the makings of a proper national treasure for the UK.

A B C D E F G H

He has been criticised too for being both a hypocrite and a food snob. In truth, there have been times when people really disliked Jamie Oliver. Jamie Oliver has not so far regained his popularity over time. Oliver still cant compete with other celebrities. At last, a majority has come to recognise that he is one of the good guys. Oliver is now, without doubt, the countrys leading foodie. Sales of Olivers latest cookbook appear to point to his return to favour. Today, Jamie Olivers media influence is far-reaching.

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Reading Part 3
Read the four texts below. There are ten questions about the texts. Decide which text A, B, C or D tells you the answer to the question. The first one is done for you.
A

Notes

Volunteers from Swindon spend prize money to help wildlife. Not only did they work hard to earn their Quality of Life Award, but a dedicated group of Swindon conservation volunteers has worked just as hard to spend their prize money helping wildlife. In particular, they are hoping to invest in a new bee-keeping scheme to help the declining local bee community. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact www.witshirewildlife.org. There will also be an interesting talk on making honey in Swindon on Friday 27th and honey tasting to follow.

Blakehill Conservation Volunteers Conservation Task Wasteland Cricklade 10am4pm Sun 22, Mon 23 and Tue 24 Birds of Maryland and Coffee Illustrated Talk The Memorial Hall, Station Road, Wootton Bassett 7.30pm Wed 25 Smallbrook Meadows Conservation Volunteers Conservation Task Warminster 10am3pm Thu 26 A Year in the Life of Bee Talk Wesley Hall, Pewsey 7.30pm Fri 27 Jones's Mill Conservation Volunteers Conservation Task New breeds, Pewsey 10am12.30pm Sat 28

Im writing to say that we all very much enjoyed your excellent talk about a year in the life of the bee. So much so that I would like some information about volunteering and training courses on keeping bees. Id appreciate it if you could let me know of any associations locally where I could do some voluntary work. Im afraid I couldnt stay to speak to you after the talk on Friday. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Where have all the bees gone? What can we do about it? If these are questions that concern you, why not enrol in our new bee-keeping courses at Marlborough Library? Complete beginners and those with some experience equally welcome. Course starts on Friday April 24th Times: 7.00pm to 8.30pm Cost 75 for 6 weeks introductory course (no concessions possible). Those interested in gaining practical experience will be able to take up voluntary placements at the end of the course. For more information, telephone Dot on: 01381 725670

Which text:
1 2 3 4 5 is an advertisement? asks for information? provides details of a course? invites readers to volunteer? gives the date and time of the talks? D C D A B

Which text give you the answers to the following questions:

6 7 8 9 Where will the talk about bees take place? How long does a bee-keeping course last? What were winners given? How successful was the bee talk? B D A C B

10 What other wildlife events are scheduled?

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207

Reading Part 4
Read the text and answer the questions. Write a maximum of five words for each answer. An example is done for you.

Notes

High-speed rail in Spain

Ana Portet had an unusual commute to work today. At half-seven in the morning she popped down to Sants railway station in Barcelona. At half-ten she was in a meeting with colleagues from her firm, 315 miles away in Madrid. I'll be back in Barcelona by half five, she said, as her early afternoon bullet train flew back along the new high-speed tracks at up to 210mph. Its so quick, sometimes youre there before youve even noticed. Portet is one of hundreds of thousands of travellers who have migrated from the worlds busiest air shuttle, linking Madrid and Barcelona, to what is now Spains most popular train, the high-speed AVE. The AVE delivers its passengers to the heart of Barcelona in just two hours and thirty minutes. With Madrids station a short walk from the Prado museum, the journey is from one city centre to another. Furthermore, the high-speed train does this in a punctual, problem-free, elegant style. High-speed trains pulled by aerodynamic engines with noses shaped like a duck-billed platypus are grounding aircraft across Spain. The year-old Barcelona-Madrid line has already taken 46% of the traffic stealing most of it from fuel-guzzling, carbon-emitting aircraft. As the high-speed rail network spreads a web of tracks across Spain, it threatens to relegate domestic air travel to a distant second place. A high-speed network is not designed overnight. Spains AVE story started in the 1980s, when the Prime Minister commissioned a line between Madrid and Seville. The project was greeted with a certain amount of scorn. Why was sleepy Seville getting the line and not busy Barcelona? Some saw it as an expensive white elephant. The line, however, was a spectacular success. Remote Seville was suddenly two-and-a-half hours from Madrid. Previously, the choice on the MadridSeville run was between a hot, tiring six-hour coach journey or a flight often subject to delay. Seventeen years later, only one traveller in ten takes the plane to Seville. Nearly all the rest go by a train that is 99% punctual. The Seville line proved high-speed trains could be the answer to some of Spains most enduring problems. A country almost two-and-a-half times the size of Britain, it is traversed by mountain ranges and wide rivers that act as barriers to communication. EU funds were used to help railways bulldoze their way through. Spains vast open spaces and fuss-free approach to planning meant a high-speed network

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could expand fast. Budget airlines offer cheaper prices but the regular air shuttle cannot compete, except on time. The high-speed train network also helps Spain control carbon emissions, with passengers on the Madrid-Barcelona line cutting their own emissions by 83% on the trip.

Example: Where does Ana Portet live? Barcelona 1 How did Ana Portet travel to other cities in the past? By air 2 How long does the train journey from Madrid to Barcelona take? 2 1/2 hours / 2 hours 30 minutes / two hours thirty minutes 3 Where are Barcelona and Madrids AVE stations? (in the) city centres 4 What effect are high-speed trains having on air travel? Reducing it 5 What is predicted will happen to Spains railways? They will grow / increase / expand 6 What was the initial reaction to the MadridSeville high-speed link? Scornful / sceptical 7 What two advantages does the Seville train have over coach and plane? Shorter and punctual (both for one mark) 8 Which geographical features pose problems to travel in Spain? Mountain/s (ranges) and (wide) rivers (both for one mark) 9 What, excluding time and price, is the advantage of rail travel? Cuts / reduces / lower carbon emissions

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209

Writing Part 1
You see the following article in an English newspaper:

Notes

Education today!
We want to know about the education system around the word and how it varies from country to country. This is what we want to know about: compulsory and optional school subjects how students get into university advice for making the best of education suggestions for improvements.

Write an article for the newspaper relating to your country. Write between 100 and 150 words.

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211

Writing Part 2
Write a letter to your friend describing a memorable, important or difficult journey you have had. Talk about your reasons for taking the journey, what happened and how you felt about it. Write between 150 and 200 words.

Notes

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Sample exam paper tapescripts Listening Part 1

23 Male voice 1 Part 1. Part 1. You will hear eight short unfinished conversations. Choose the best reply to continue the conversation. Put a circle round the letter of the best reply. First look at the example. You will hear the conversations once only. Number one. Number one. Male voice 2 So youre sure you want the white one? Female voice Well, I do like that one. M2 So, youve made your decision, then? M1 Number two. Number two. F I know Spains not your first choice, but its much cheaper. M2 I know we cant really afford California. F So weve agreed on Spain, then? M1 Number three. Number three. M2 Theres no harm in having a go, is there? F Wellyou could lose a lot of money. M2 But I could also make a fortune. M1 Number four. Number four. F Of course, you met Mr Williams at your interview. M2 Thats right. F And this is Miss Robbins, our Chief Accountant. M1 Number five. Number five. M2 Of course, I could elaborate on that. F Actually, it would be helpful to know more. M2 Well, if youre sure Im not boring you. M1 Number six. Number six. F Ill ring back and let you know the cost, then. M2 OK, thatd be very useful. F Speak later, then. M1 Number seven. Number seven. M2 Sorry, what sort of card did you want, madam? F Oh! I cant remember what its called. M2 Perhaps if you explained? M1 Number eight. Number eight. F Ive sent the brochures out, by the way. M2 But I asked you to wait until tomorrow. F Oh no. Im so sorry. I totally forgot. M1 That is the end of Part 1.

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Listening Part 2
24 Male voice 1 Part 2. Part 2. You will hear three conversations. Listen to the conversations and answer the questions below. Put a circle round the letter of the correct answer. You will hear each conversation once only. Look at the questions for Conversation 1. M1 Conversation 1 Female voice Ooh this is nice very cheerful! Male voice 2 You are joking?! It would probably be lovely in a nursery but its hardly suitable for sophisticated, mature adults like us who wish to entertain their friends! F I suppose youd like something brown and cream and boring to sit and stare at. M2 No, no not at all just plain no patterns. I had in mind something that reflects our personalities you know chic, classy, that sort of thing. F But thats so dreary and all the walls are plain now I thought we could have a change brighten up our lives a bit. M2 Umm excuse me! Are you suggesting I need livening up a bit? F Well, now you come to mention it... M1 Now look at the questions for Conversation 2. Conversation 2 F Well, if we could discuss something else before we end, Id like to suggest we stop trying to recycle everything and go back to collecting rubbish the way we did before. M2 Why on earth would you want us to do that? F Theres uncollected rubbish everywhere the place is a real mess, since we asked the children to sort out their rubbish and put it in different bins. M2 I agree theres a problem, but if we as professionals cant educate the children, then who will? I assume you do believe in saving the planet. F Of course I do. And I recycle everything at home. But here were risking unhygienic surroundings. M2 So perhaps we could try to improve the current system, rather than abandon it totally? F If you really think thats viable, I suppose Id consider ityes M1 Now look at the questions for Conversation 3. Conversation 3 M2 Ah this is the life! Sun, sand and sea. What more could anyone want? F Well... perhaps a little breeze might be nice. M2 Seriously? I think this is ideal doesnt the heat suit you? F Yes, well, no, well I mean, it is lovely to be warm, but you can have too much of a good thing, and I think this may be a few degrees above whats comfortable for me. M2 Why not ask that nice waiter for some more ice with that, then. Thatd help. F Mmm OK. I will. Though Im not sure itll work. A nice cold shower might be better. M2 Brrr sounds horrendous. You can have one when we get back to the hotel, of course, but I thought we could pop down for a dip later on thatd be better. F Mmm that might be good, though in this heat itll be more like taking a warm bath. M1 That is the end of Part 2.

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Listening Part 3
25 Male voice 1 Part 3. Part 3. Listen to the talk, and complete the notes. Write short answers (15 words). First, look at the notes. The first one is done for you. You will hear the talk once only. Male voice 2 Big Ben is really the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Palace of Westminster in London, although its often used to refer to the clock tower too. The sixty-one metres at the bottom of the Clock Tower are of brickwork with a sand coloured limestone cladding. The rest of the tower is a framed spire of cast iron. Its foundations are on a fifteen-metre square raft, made of concrete three-metres thick, going down four metres below ground level. And the four clock faces are fifty-five metres above ground. Despite being one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, the interior of the tower is not open to the general public for security reasons, although from time to time press and other VIPs are granted access. However, the tower has no elevator, so people going in have to climb the three hundred and thirty four limestone steps to the top. In actual fact, the tower leans slightly to the north-west because of changes in ground conditions since it was built. More recently, tunnelling for the Jubilee underground line extension has had its effect. As a result of thermal conditions it also oscillates annually by a few millimetres east and west. Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. Its also the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. It celebrated recently its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary in May two thousand and nine. There were some special commemorative events. The clock faces are large enough to have once made the Clock Tower the largest four-faced clock in the world, but now the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower in Milwaukee, USA, holds that distinction. But the builders of the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower didnt add chimes to the clock, so the Great Clock of Westminster still holds the title of the world's largest four-faced chiming clock. The clock is famously reliable. The idiomatic expression of to put a penny on, meaning to slow down, originated from the method of fine-tuning the clock's pendulum. On top of the pendulum is a small stack of old penny coins; used to adjust the time of the clock. Adding or subtracting coins has the effect of minutely altering the position of the pendulum's centre of mass, and hence the rate at which the pendulum swings. Adding or removing a penny changes the clock's speed by just nought point four seconds per day. During World War Two, the Palace of Westminster was hit by bombs. On the tenth of May nineteen forty-one, a bomb damaged two of the clock faces and sections of the tower's roof, as well as destroying the House of Commons chamber. Architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed a new five-floor block. Two floors are occupied by the current chamber which was used for the first time on the twenty-sixth of October nineteen fifty. Despite the heavy bombing the clock continued to run accurately and chimed throughout the war. M1 That is the end of Part 3.

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Listening Part 4
26 Male voice 1 Part 4. Part 4. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions. Put a circle round the letter of the correct answer. First, look at the questions. The first one is done for you. You will hear the conversation twice. Female voice Mmm that was fun, wasnt it? Male voice 2 Well, fun yes, I suppose so. I have to admit that I did enjoy myself, but I wouldnt actually say it was good, Sue, would you? F Ah well, that depends on your definition of good, Tony. I had a good time, and, judging by the foot tapping all the way through and the applause at the end, so did everybody else, so surely thats a reasonable measure of success. M2 Well, on that basis, yes. But some people are very easily pleased, or just get carried away by the general atmosphere. That doesnt mean that merits praise though, does it? F Oh Tony! Youre so serious! Were not talking about a Shakespearean play or a Wagnerian opera here. M2 No, no I know that... but just because its popular entertainment doesnt mean its ok for it to be tacky! F Tacky?! What are you on about? M2 Well, those costumes, for a start I mean all that lycra it was gross! F Yes, it was, but thats what people wore in the seventies. You might not like it but it wouldnt be true to life to choose modern costumes that we think are chic and sophisticated, now would it? M2 Oh I know what youre saying, but my point is that pure seventies tackiness might make for a reasonable evenings entertainment, but whoever put this stuff together couldve done a far better job and produced something really worthwhile, not just cobbled together songs and dances and a soppy romantic plot. F A what? Youre unbelievable! You are so, so cynical. It was fine! Theres nothing wrong with a bit of love interest! M2 Now thats not what I meant. You know full well I like a good romance as much as anyone but this just wasnt very good. I couldnt really believe in it, there was no beginning and end, just filling gaps between songs. F OK, well thats different. Yes, Ill grant you that. But Im looking at this as pure entertainment, which I reckon it does a pretty well at, and I love the music, so I couldnt care less how its stitched together you seem to want a literary masterpiece. M2 Well, not quite that but I did expect something more like a play than a concert, if you like. Then it would have appealed to me more. I want something to challenge me when I go out, something to make me think, enrich my life F Well, I know you generally prefer straight theatre to popular music, so I can see where youre coming from, but Im not so concerned if its not a perfect production. M2 So you agree it was thrown together a bit carelessly, then? F WellOKBut I think the shows a success because it doesnt try to be anything other than popular entertainment. Part of its success is probably the fact that the producers have the confidence to recognise this and dont take it too seriously. M2 So you are of the same mind as me, really, then? F Oh I dunno I mean I really did enjoy myself, and I would actually go and see it again, if for no other reason than that I love the songs, but I suppose it was a bit shallow (repeats after 10 seconds) M1 That is the end of Part 4. You now have 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the rest of the paper.