LISTENING SECTION
SECTION 01
40 minutes
Question 1-10
Questions 1-2
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
Example:
What nursery school registration option does the woman choose?
A. Half-day
B. Full-day
C. Full-day plus after school care
1. What is the woman’s husband’s nationality?
A. Swiss
B. Swedish
C. Swazi
2. How is a child’s personal education number normally received?
A. By post
B. By e-mail
C. Picked up from school
Question 3
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
3. Why is the husband out of town?
A. Vacation
B. Work
C. Family reasons
Question 4
Choose three letters, A-F.
4. Which THREE pieces of information are required to retrieve the child’s personal education number?
A. The woman’s Personal Insurance Number
B. The husband’s Personal Insurance Number
C. The woman’s National Insurance Number
D. The husband’s National Insurance Number
E. The woman’s name
F. The husband’s name
Question 5
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
5. How is the husband’s name spelt?
A. Erick
B. Eric
C. Erik
Questions 6-7
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
6. What is Matilda’s Personal Education Number?
A. T56340192
B. P56340192
C. T56P40192
7. Where was the child born?
A. Newcastle
B. London
C. Monterey
Question 8
Choose two letters, A-F.
8. What TWO qualifications do many of the nursery school’s senior staff have?
A. One year diploma
B. Two year diploma
C. Three year diploma
D. Master’s degree
E. Bachelor’s degree
F. Doctorate degree
Questions 9-10
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer.
First day of class:
………………..9……………………
Orientation day:
3rd September
Orientation hours:
9:00 to mid-day
……………….10……………… and children should attend orientation.
SECTION 02
Question 11-20
Questions 11-13
Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer.
University opened
………………11…………….
1745-1805
Shut down
1805-1815
………………12…………… buildings
constructed
Seven buildings constructed
In the past ………….13………….
years
Question 14
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
14. The Prescott Building has which layout?
A
B
C
Question 15
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
15. How many years ago were the Persian carpets donated?
………………………………………..
Question 16
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
16. What discount do students receive at the local pub?
A. 30%
B. 40%
C. 3%
Questions 17-20
Complete the summary below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer.
In front of the library, there is a beautiful ………………17…………………… Inside the library, the ground floor
has ………………….18………………….. books. The upper floors, however, house over 3,000,000 books. The
collection was built by donations, gifts and university purchases. Additionally, there is a
……………..19…………… area, with works dating back to 1588. There are many sporting facilities, including
the rugby field, which is home to the rugby team which has won three of the past five
………………20……………
SECTION 03
Question 21-30
Questions 21-23
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
21. If an Egytian’s income was 10000, how much would he be given to the Pharaoh?
……………………………………
22. The first reason mentioned for taxes is ……………………………………
23. The second reason for taxes, known as …………………………………………., takes money from the rich
and gives it to the poor.
Questions 24-26
Complete the flowchart. Write the correct letter, A-F, next to questions 24-26.
PRODUCT
….…….25............
Subject to
……..26…... tax
….…….24............
Allowed to go to
free market
A
Revenue
B
Alcohol
C
Redistribution
D
Repricing
E
General goods
F
Production
Questions 27-29
Which THREE of the following are arguments given in favor of lower taxes?
Write the THREE correct letters, A-F, next to questions 27-29 (in any order).
A. It is easier to make money when you are already rich.
B. Business will leave the country if taxed too harshly.
C. Inheriting money requires no hard work.
D. A country must be able to stay competitive in the global market.
E. A worldwide tax structure can be implemented.
F. Lower taxes, in the end, end up benefitting everyone, including the poor.
Question 30
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
30.
A.
B.
C.
What do the speakers believe about taxes in the future?
They will stay relatively the same.
They will be lower.
They will be higher.
SECTION 04
Question 31-40
Questions 31-33
Complete the flowchart below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer.
Issac Newton born, 1643.
Studies at the King’s School in Grantham from the age of ………………31…………… to ……………………
Leaves school, mother attempts to make him a ………………………32………………………..
1661, on the recommendation of his teachers, admitted to Trinity College in Cambridge. Six years after
beginning, Newton becomes a …………………33………………………. There.
Questions 34-37
Choose your answers from the box and write the letters A-D next to questions 34-37.
NB
You may use any letter more than once.
A
Galileo
C
Descartes and Leibniz
B
Newton
D
Einstein
34. Believed that planets moved in an ether. …………………………..
35. Developed a theory which was thought to ‘replace’ the earlier theory of gravity.
36. In the “experiment of the mind”, tells us the billiard ball is “smooth”.
…………….
………………………
37. Used not mirrors, but lenses in the construction of the telescope. ……………………….
Questions 38-39
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Telescopes with lenses cannot be built as large as telescopes with mirrors because large lenses tend to
………………38…………………. Telescopes with mirrors take up less space because of their reduced
……………………39…………………..
Question 40
Choose the correct letters, A, B or C.
40. Which statement is true?
A. Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus together.
B. Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus separately, during the same time period
C. Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus separately while working at the same university.
READING SECTION
60 minutes
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Mountains of ICE
The word ‘iceberg’ derives from the Dutch word ‘ijsberg’, meaning ‘ice mountain’. Icebergs are
sections of glaciers that broken off during the warmer summer months and float freely in open
water. Icebergs typically found in open water, predominantly around Greenland and Antarctica. The
characteristics of icebergs, their historical impact, and the methods we employ today to monitors
them are important topics.
The reason icebergs exist is because of the difference between the density of ice and the density of
salt water. The density of ice is approximately 920 kgs per cubic meter, while the density of salt water
is approximately 1025 kgs per cubic meter. Because ice is less dense than water, it floats. However,
because the difference in densities is so small, only about 10% of the iceberg is visible above the
ocean’s surface. The rest of the iceberg hides below the water. This is the origin of the familiar
expression ‘tip of the iceberg’ used to describe a situation where only part of the problem is
noticeable.
Icebergs range in height from one meter all the way up to over 75 meters above sea level- the height
measures the visible portion of the iceberg. The tallest icebergs may have a total height of over 650
meters including their underwater portion. The largest ever recorded was 168 meters above the
water, meaning the entire height of this floater was likely greater than 1500 meters. For reference,
that is twice the height of most skyscrapers.
Different sized icebergs have different name classifications. The smallest icebergs are called ‘brash
ice’, the next category up in size is called ‘growlers’ and the ones after that are called ‘bergy bits’. For
whatever reason, after three classes, the people in charge of naming icebergs got a little less creative.
The next classes simply range from ‘small’ to ‘very large’. Icebergs can be massive objects. Very large
icebergs can weigh more than 200,000 tonnes. The largest iceberg ever recorded was over 30,000
square kilometers in area. Again, for reference, that is the approximate size of the country of
Belgium.
The most famous iceberg in history is undoubtedly the one which eventually sunk the English ship
Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland in 1912. At that point in time, there was no central group
which monitored iceberg activity. Ships relied on lookouts to spot the icebergs. For the Titanic, the
unfortunate attitude was that any iceberg big enough to do damage to the ship would be seen in
time. This attitude was, of course, catastrophically wrong. The main reason it failed was the
remarkable calmness of the water that ill-fated night. The easiest way to spot an iceberg from afar is
to see waves crashing up against it, but on the night the Titanic sank, there were no such helpful
waves. For all intents and purposes, the iceberg was invisible until it was too late. The captain
swerved at the last minute, but as the side of the ship scraped across the iceberg, the hull of the
ocean liner tore open. Things still may have been fine, had it not been for the poorly designed
‘water-tight’ compartments. It turns out that when too many compartments were affected, the water
was simply able to spill over to all the other compartments. This was an engineering defect that
contributed to the Titanic’s sinking.
After the disaster of the Titanic, maritime authorities realized that a system needed to be put in place
to monitor icebergs, so that such a catastrophe would not be repeated. By 1914, the International Ice
Patrol (IIP) was formed. Their purpose was to track all of the relevant meteorological and
oceanographical data, and to chart the movement of all major icebergs. Today, technology is used to
track iceberg data. The Canadian Space Agency has multiple radar satellites which send microwaves
off the ocean surface and record the reflection to track the movement of the icebergs. Maritime
vessels have access to this information in real time which allows them to know exactly where any
local icebergs are at any moment, meaning that a repeat of the Titanic disaster is virtually impossible.
Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, writeYES
if the statement agrees with the information
NO
if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN
if there is no information on this
1. Icebergs are sections of glaciers that have broken off in the winter months.
2. Icebergs exist because of the different densities of ice and salt water.
3. 90% of the iceberg is hidden below the water.
4. The name classifications of icebergs derive from the Dutch language.
5. Some icebergs can be the size of a country.
Questions 6-9
Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.
THE SINKING of the TITANIC
Because there was no international group which monitored icebergs in 1912, it was the sole
responsibility of the ……………….(6)…………….. to make sure there were no icebergs in the
ship’s path. The chief reason the iceberg wasn’t detected was the ………………(7)…………….. of
the sea that night. Because of this, there were no waves crashing against the iceberg, making
it difficult to spot. The captain swerved, but the iceberg scraped the side of the ship, ripping
the ……………..(8)………………. of the ship. Things should have been fine nevertheless, but the
water tight compartments were poorly designed, and once the water was in a few
compartments, it was able to …………………(9)……………….. into all the others. This was a major
engineering defect which resulted in the eventual sinking.
Questions 10-13
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10. To avoid a Titanic-like disaster in the future, ……………………………………………….. formed the
International Ice Patrol (IIP).
11. The IIP’s goal is to track the relevant data and ……………………………………….. of icebergs.
12. The Canadian Space Agency bounces …………………………………………. off the water to measure
iceberg movement.
13. This data renders large scale maritime disasters ………………………………………………………
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2
below.
Questions 14-18
Reading passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.
From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs A-C, and E-F from the
list of headings below.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-xi) in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
Reason as the basis for knowledge
The relation between reason and maths
The end goals of empirical pursuits
Is Socrates a man or a mortal?
Philosophy as the pursuit of knowledge and truth
Maths versus reason: the differences
Using the right tool
A central debate in education
The lack of practicality as philosophy’s downfall
The value of education in practice
Purity as beauty
14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
Example:
17. Paragraph E
18. Paragraph F
Paragraph D
vii
Why Study PHILOSOPHY?
A. There are two schools of thoughts when it comes to education. One side believes that
education should give students tools for success in life, while the other side believes that
education itself is an important goal. No area of study brings this debate to a head more
than the study of philosophy. Philosophy, for those who belong to the practical side of the
debate, is an utter waste of time. Philosophy provides very few tools for success in life, they
say. A common question for someone studying philosophy is ‘”what are you going to do
with it?” Those on the other side of the debate- those who value education for knowledge
itself- can see that the study of philosophy has many important benefits.
B. The word ‘philosophy’ derives from the Greek for ‘love of wisdom’. Just as it was in Ancient
Greece, it is those people who love wisdom, knowledge and truth who study philosophy.
However, we do not live in Ancient Greece, where people had slaves to do all of their
chores (such as working in the fields), so what place does philosophy have in today’s
world?
C. If philosophy teaches anything, it teaches the ability to reason. With reason, one can
construct, analyze and find faults in arguments. For example, if all men are mortal, and
Socrates is mortal, is Socrates a man? What if we change the question to: if all men are
mortal, and Socrates is a man, is Socrates mortal? Once a student is schooled in the ability
to reason, he will right away see that these two questions are very different. As it turns out,
the first is an invalid argument, while the second is very much valid. Perhaps the next
question of the skeptic is ‘what is the value of reason’? This is a very important question surely if philosophy is all about learning to reason, then an ability to reason must be a
valuable trait. Arguably, the ability to reason forms the foundation for all knowledge.
D. If an individual holds an opinion which is believed wrong or incorrect, it could be important
to convince them of the right opinion. There are a number of ways to attempt this. They
can be intimidated, belittled or bullied into accepting the opposite opinion. However,
having a strong opinion does not mean the opinion is any more correct. Many people have
strong opinions on all manner of subjects but, of course, strength of feeling does not
correspond to validity, and it follows that someone who belittles another’s opinion is not
necessarily the one in the right. When two men engage in a fistfight over whose opinion is
correct, the winner of the fight may not have the correct opinion, but merely the correct
fighting technique. In any disagreement, the right tools must be employed. In a battle of
brawn, the tool is strength. In a battle of will, the tool is perseverance. In a battle of words,
the tool is reason. When arguing with reason, facts of the matter are stated and
conclusions are drawn from those facts accordingly.
E. Reason is fundamental to almost every intellectual endeavor one can imagine, just as
mathematics is fundamental to almost every scientific endeavor. Maths is the language of
science just as reason is the language of discourse and debate. Accordingly, just as society
needs experts in mathematics, so society needs experts in reason. The argument should
follow that as well learn mathematics as children and young adults, so we should learn the
precepts of reason.
F. Above all, philosophy is pure. Certainly reason is useful in all areas of life, but that does not
mean that philosophy’s value lies only in its usefulness in the day -to-day. Philosophy is the
pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge. There is a beautiful human quality
expressed in this. Every other academic discipline is knowledge for some empirical pursuit.
For example, engineering is knowledge so that we can construct buildings, che mistry is
knowledge so that we can make drugs, and biology is knowledge so that we can stay
healthy. Philosophy has no tangible outcome outside of the pure pursuit of knowledge. The
only other discipline which comes close in this regard is mathematics. One is purity in
numbers, and the other is purity in words.
Questions 19-24
Complete the summary below, using the list of words, A-M, below.
Write the correct letters in boxes 19-24 on your answer sheet.
Philosophy
teaches
us
how
to
reason,
which
in
turn
can
help
us
deconstruct
……………….(19)………………… Students schooled in the precepts of reason are able to
differentiate between an argument which follows from the given premises and one that does
not
and
is
…………(20)…………………..
Force
of
opinion
has
no
impact
on
the
……………………(21)………..……… of the opinion. This is because forcefulness is the wrong
………………………..(22)……………………. for the job of convincing someone of a viewpoint. In
physical battles, the correct implement is ……………..(23)…………………. In discursive arguments,
it is ………………………(24)………………… alone which leads to the truth.
A
invalid
F
opinions
K
philosophy
B
correct
G
strength
L
tool
C
thoughts
H
arguments
M
valid
D
truth
I
knowledge
E
perseverance
J
reason
Questions 25-26
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 25-26 in your answer sheet.
25. Mathematics and reason are :
a. opposites
b. analogues
c. complementary disciplines
d. unrelated but both important.
26. What differentiates philosophy from the sciences is thata. philosophy isn’t connected with truth
b. philosophy is done by the heart, while science is done by the mind
c. philosophy has no definite aim
d. philosophy is practical.
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3
below.
Explosions in Space: SUPERNOVAE
A. Supernovae are among the most spectacular events in the universe. They are incredibly powerful:
in just a few weeks, they can release the same amount of energy as our sun will release in its
entire lifetime. Supernovae are also the origin of many of the elements that make up the
universe. Most of the elements of the Periodic Table require enormous amounts of energy to
produce, and supernovae are the only source of this energy. Due to their consistent brightness,
supernovae are used to measure distances across the universe.
B. There are two major types of supernovae, type Ia and type II. There are a number of differences
between the two, but the main difference is the process by which they come into being. Type II
supernovae originate from a dying star. A star begins to die when it runs out of fuel. Fuel for
stars is the element hydrogen. For their entire lives, stars fuse hydrogen into helium, producing
energy in the process. This energy comes from the difference in mass between a helium molecule
and the four constituent hydrogen atoms. Four hydrogen atoms have a mass of approximately
4.0138 atomic mass units, while a helium atom’s mass is approximately 4.0026 atomic mass units.
The difference between these two values is the amount of mass which is converted into pure
energy. In a dying star, there is no more hydrogen- all that is left is helium. At that point, the star
begins to fuse helium molecules together to form carbon molecules. Once all the carbon is gone,
the star moves on to even heavier elements, and the star consumes these heavier elements at
faster and faster rates. A star may take ten million years to consume its hydrogen, then take a
million years to consume its helium, a thousand years for the carbon, three years to consume the
neon, three months for the oxygen and only five days to convert all of the silicon into iron. There
is a stopping point, however. Once the core of the star is entirely iron, there can be more fusion.
This is because the small difference in mass that is converted into energy is not present in the
case of iron. The star is then left with an inactive iron core. Once the iron core reaches a mass
called the ‘Chandrashekhar Limit’, the star can no longer exist under its own weight and it
collapses in on itself. The result is a cataclysmic type II supernova.
C. The other type of supernova is the type Ia. Type Ia supernovae are formed most commonly in
binary star systems, where there are two stars which rotate around a common point. For a
supernova type Ia to occur, one of the stars has to be a white dwarf. A white dwarf is the remnant
of a low mass star that has come to the end of its stellar life. Our sun will one day be a white
dwarf because it lacks the mass needed to blow up in a supernova type II explosion. In a binary
system, the white dwarf star gravitationally attracts matter from its companion star, with the
matter taken from the companion star becoming part of the white dwarf. Eventually the white
dwarf will have added so much mass that it begins to approach the Chandrashekhar Limit. Once
it hits this limit, just like in type II explosions, the white dwarf can no longer sustain itself, and the
core of the star collapses. The star blows itself up in an even more spectacular event than the
type II explosion.
D. Type Ia supernovae are extremely bright- if the sun were to be replaced by a type Ia supernova, it
would appear five billion times brighter. This brightness is also very consistent from one
supernova type Ia to another supernova type Ia. This consistency has led to astronomers to use
supernova type Ia as what are called ‘standard candles’. A standard candle is used to determine
how far away an object is. For example, if we observe a supernova type Ia in a nearby galaxy, we
can tell very accurately how far away it is by comparing the apparent brightness of the supernova
observed with its absolute brightness. Respectively, if the supernova is very bright, the galaxy is
quite close, if the supernova is very dim, the galaxy is very far away.
E. Supernovae are responsible for every element in the universe that is heavier than iron. Every
atom of gold, silver, tin and lead, as well as eighty other elements in the universe was born in a
supernova. Supernovae are also the origin of most newly born stars in the universe. Our sun, for
example, was born from a cloud of dust and gas that was left over from a supernova. The Earth
likewise was born from a supernova. It is not too imaginative therefore to regard the plants,
animals and humans on this planet as a development of this supernova. Every atom of our
bodies was once scattered in a supernova explosion. Therefore many scientists believe that
supernova are the crucibles of existence itself.
Questions 27-32
Reading Passage 3 has five paragraphs, A-E.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
27. Mass- energy conversion
28. The requirements for a type Ia supernova
29. Supernovae as intergalactic measuring sticks
30. Heavy elements come from supernovae
31. The fuel used for stars
32. Supernovae are the progenitors of much of existence
Questions 33-36
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
Write your answers in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet.
33. Type II supernovae originate from a star which is ..................................................
34. The energy producing process in a star converts .......................................... into .....................................
35. The death process starts when all of the hydrogen is used up. The star then begins to process
................................... elements.
36. The first element that can no longer be fused into another element is .................................................
Questions 37-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 37-40 in your answer sheet.
37. The sun will not become a type Ia supernova. Why?
a. It is not a white dwarf.
b. It will never reach the Chandrashekhar Limit.
c. It does not have a companion star.
d. It is going to be a type II supernova.
38. The Chandrashekhar Limit is
a. the mass at which a star will blow up in a supernova
b. the distance between two stars at which a white dwarf will blow up in a supernova
c. the time between fusing helium and fusion and fusing carbon
d. the distance between two stars at which the giant star will blow up in a supernova.
39. If two type Ia supernovae are observed and one is brighter than the other, what can be
concluded about the dimmer one?
a. It gives off less light
b. It is farther away
c. It is closer
d. It gives off more light and is farther away
40. Supernovae can be compared toa. the universe’s factory
b. the universe’s graveyard
c. the universe’s hospital
d. the universe’s recycling center.
WRITING SECTION
60 minutes
WRITING TASK 1
You are expected to take 20 minutes on the completion of the following task.
The following graph provides a picture of the percentage of social networking site users and people
who buy from these sites in UK for the year 2015 and the percentage change compared to 2014.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
80%
+9%
- 3%
70%
+ 15%
60%
50%
40%
Social Networking Site Users
Social Networking Site Shoppers
30%
+6%
+5%
20%
-3%
0%
10%
-2 %
0%
18-24 years
25-39 years
40-54 years
55 years or older
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic:
Many people believe that companies and individuals should pay to clean up the environment in
proportion to the amount of pollution they have produced.
Do you agree or disagree?
You should write at least 250 words.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your argument with
examples and relevant evidence.