Paper 1

Reading Part 3

Part 3
THE TASK
Questions 11 – 15

For each question, choose the correct answer. uuIn this part, candidates have a text which expresses an opinion or attitude.
There are five multiple-choice questions with four options, A, B, C and D.
Artist Peter Fuller talks about his hobby

There’s a popular idea that artists are not supposed to be into sport, but mountain biking is a huge
part of my life. It gets me out of my studio, and into the countryside. But more importantly, racing HOW TO APPROACH THE TASK
along as fast as you can leaves you no time to worry about anything that’s going on in your life.
You’re too busy concentrating on not crashing. The only things you pay attention to are the pain in
your legs and the rocks on the path in front of you.
uuCandidates should begin by skimming the text to find out the topic and
I’m in my sixties now, but I started cycling when I was a kid. In the summer my friends and I would
ride our bikes into the woods and see who was brave enough to go down steep hills, or do big
jumps. The bikes we had then weren’t built for that, and often broke, so I used to draw pictures of
general meaning.
bikes with big thick tyres that would be strong enough for what we were doing. They looked just like
modern mountain bikes. However, it wasn’t until many years later that someone actually invented
one. By the 1980s, they were everywhere. uuThey should then read the text again, much more carefully.
At that time I was into skateboarding. I did that for a decade until falling off on to hard surfaces
started to hurt too much. Mountain biking seemed a fairly safe way to keep fit, so I took that up
instead. I made a lot of friends, and got involved in racing, which gave me a reason to train hard. I uuIt’s important to deal with the questions one by one, comparing each
wanted to find out just how fit and fast I could get, which turned out to be fairly quick. I even won a
couple of local races. option with the text before choosing one.
In the end I stopped racing, mainly because I knew what it could mean to my career if I had a bad
crash. But I still like to do a three-hour mountain bike ride every week. And if I’m out cycling in the
hills and see a rider ahead, I have to beat them to the top. As I go past I imagine how surprised they uuCandidates should carefully re-check their choice of answer with the text.
would be if they knew how old I am.

uuQuestions 11, 12, 13 and 14 follow the order of information in the text.
uuQuestion 15 focuses on global meaning.

ASSESSMENT
uuCandidates need to demonstrate they have understood the writer’s
attitude or opinion, or an opinion quoted by the writer, and both the
detailed and global meaning of the text.

Reading Part 4 6

Part 4
THE TASK
Questions 16 – 20

Five sentences have been removed from the text below.

For each question, choose the correct answer.
uuIn this part, candidates read a longer text that has five numbered spaces
There are three extra sentences which you do not need to use.
where sentences have been removed. Following the text there are eight
sentences, A–H. Candidates have to find the missing five sentences from
A new life
I used to work as a college lecturer in the north of England, running photography courses. It wasn’t a
sentences A–H.
bad job and I really liked my students, but I began to feel tired of doing the same thing every day.
16 x xx.
HOW TO APPROACH THE TASK
I’d always loved travelling, so one weekend I typed ‘international volunteering’ into an internet search
engine. At the top of the results page was the opportunity to go and stay on an island in the Indian
Ocean, thousands of miles away, and help to protect the beaches and the sea life. 17 x xx I had
uuCandidates should read the whole text to understand the narrative.
some diving experience, and the more I talked about it, the more I wanted to do it. So I contacted the
organisation. One week later they offered to send me to the island and I accepted. 18 x xx After uuThey should look at each numbered space in turn and select one of the
all, the volunteer job was only for two months during the summer holidays. I thought after I’d finished,
I’d come home.
sentences A–H to fit the gap.
As soon as I got to the island, I was sure I’d done the right thing. My first dive was incredible. uuCandidates need to check that the sentence they have selected fits with
19 x xx I felt so lucky to be able to experience that every day.
the text before and after the gap, both grammatically and in relation to the
In fact I loved it so much that I never came home! I’ve now been on the island for ten years and I have narrative or argument presented in the text.
a permanent job. I’m working as a marine educator, teaching volunteers about the sea life and taking
them snorkelling and diving. My desk is a picnic table 10 metres from the best beach on the island. Of
course not everything about my new life is perfect. 20 x xx However, I can’t imagine going back
uuAfter choosing a sentence, candidates should decide why the other seven
to my old life. sentences don’t fit.
uuOnce all the gaps are completed, candidates should read the text again to
make sure it makes sense.

ASSESSMENT

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uuCandidates need to show that they can follow the narrative of a text and the
attitudes and opinions contained within it, and that they understand how a
coherent, well-structured text is formed.

Reading Preparing learners 11

 Reading Part 5

Part 5
THE TASK
Questions 21 – 26

For each question, choose the correct answer.

uuIn this part, candidates read a short text with six numbered spaces.
The Coconut Tree

The coconut tree is thought to be one of the most valuable trees in the world. It is mostly found by the
HOW TO APPROACH THE TASK
sea where there is a hot and wet (21) ………… . The coconuts often fall into the sea and float on the
water until they (22) ………… another beach, where more trees then begin to grow. uuFirst candidates should skim the text to find out the topic and
Holiday makers often see the coconut tree as no more than an attractive sun umbrella that provides
general meaning.
(23) ………… . However, this amazing tree has hundreds of (24) ………… and more are still being
discovered. uuCandidates should work through the six questions, reading the whole
People have made houses, boats and baskets from the coconut tree’s wood and leaves for centuries. sentence to choose the correct word to complete the gap.
Even today, if you take a (25) ………… in your cupboards, you will find coconut oil in products as
(26) ………… as medicine and desserts.
uuAfter choosing an answer, they need to check the other three options and
decide why they are wrong.
21 A temperature B condition C climate D weather
uuOnce all the gaps are completed, they should read the whole text again to
22 A reach B go C travel D arrive
make sure it makes sense.
23 A cloud B shade C dark D cold

24 A uses B jobs C roles D things ASSESSMENT

25 A scene B sight C look D view
uuThe spaces are designed to test mainly vocabulary, but also an element of
26 A opposite B separate C strange D different grammatical knowledge may be tested, e.g. complementation.

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Reading Part 6

THE TASK
Part 6

Questions 27 – 32

For each question, write the correct answer.

Write one word for each gap. uuIn this part, candidates read a short text that has six numbered spaces.
Candidates have to think of the correct word to fill the gap.
The Natural History Museum

This is one of my favourite places to visit. I’ve learned a huge amount about animals and plants
(27) ………… time I’ve visited. I’ve even seen bits of rock from the moon! HOW TO APPROACH THE TASK
The building’s really beautiful and it’s easy to find your way around. There are hundreds of interesting
things on display, but (28) ………… you like dinosaurs the best time (29) ………… see them is during
uuCandidates should skim-read the whole text to find out the topic and
term-time. I’ve been twice in the school holidays and the queue was (30) ………… long that I wasn’t general meaning.
able to visit that part (31) ………… the museum.

You’ll probably want something to eat while you’re there. You can take (32) ………… own picnic and
uuThey should look at each gap in turn and think of a single word that makes
eat in the museum garden, or try one of the two museum cafés. sense in the gap.
uuCandidates should make sure that their spelling is correct.
uuOnce the gaps are completed, candidates should read the text again to
make sure it makes sense.

ASSESSMENT
uuThe task is designed to test candidates’ knowledge of grammatical
structures but there is also some testing of phrasal verbs and common
fixed phrases.

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