Exam insight 3

Listening

EXAM STRATEGY

  • ■ Read the sentences before you listen and underline the key words.

    ■ Then listen for this information in the recording.

    ■ Sometimes the words in the recording are different from the words in the sentences. Listen for synonyms and antonyms.

    1Find synonyms and antonyms for words 1–5 below. 
      MOVE
    • expensive
    • difficult
    • bad
    • not into
    • easy
    • a few
    • like
    • half price
    • great
    • lots of

    • 1enjoy

    • 2many

    • 3hard

    • 4good

    • 5cheap

    • antonym

    • synonym


    Answers
    Listening
    2EXAM TASK Play the recording and listen to the conversation. Are the sentences True or False? 

    • 1Jackie has to get a birthday present for her brother.

    • 2Jackie's brother is sixteen.

    • 3Jackie's brother enjoys reading about basketball.

    • 4Jackie's brother hasn't got many DVDs.

    • 5Adam thinks that it's hard to choose a present.

    • 6Jackie wants to spend more than £20.

    • 7Jackie thinks that a hat is a good idea.

    • 8The clothes in Albatross are usually very cheap.

    Answers
    Reading
    3Read the article quickly and choose the best option. 

    EXAM STRATEGY

    • ■ Read the task carefully.

      ■ You don't need to understand every word in the text.

      ■ Look for the main idea in each paragraph. Then look for the heading which matches this idea.

    The article is about:

    Are you looking for the perfect present for an unusual friend? Do you want to find a pair of vegetarian shoes? Perhaps you need to buy an electric guitar or a bunch of flowers. Or maybe you want to meet your friends for a Chinese meal and then go to the cinema or watch a comedy show? You can do all of these things in North Laine – a small but lively area in the centre of Brighton. Here's our guide to the five most interesting places in North Laine.

    A

    Snooper's Paradise

    It's not one shop, it's a group of ninety small shops all together in one large building. You can buy second-hand clothes, antique furniture, old magazines and unusual jewellery here – as well as lots of other things.

    B

    Komedia

    This is a fantastic arts venue with comedy shows every weekend and special performances for children. You can also listen to live music here. It's got a small café with an excellent kitchen, so you can eat good food and watch a great show at the same time.

    C

    Canteen

    There are more than thirty cafés and restaurants in North Laine, but Canteen is our favourite. It serves fresh pies with potatoes and peas. All the ingredients are local and the food is delicious!

    D

    Pen to Paper

    You can buy cheap pencils for 50p here or you can spend £300 on a Mont Blanc pen. This shop has got diaries, journals, notebooks, pens and pencils. You can also find unusual birthday cards here.

    E

    The Animal House

    There are a lot of different things in this shop – cards, toys, games, clothes – but everything has an animal theme here. You can find a toy monkey for your baby brother, a zebra-patterned bag for you and a lovely mug with a picture of a cat on it for your grandmother!

    Answers
    Reading
    4EXAM TASK Read the text. Match the information in sentences (1–6) to paragraphs (A–E). There is one heading that you do not need. Mark it (–). 

    Are you looking for the perfect present for an unusual friend? Do you want to find a pair of vegetarian shoes? Perhaps you need to buy an electric guitar or a bunch of flowers. Or maybe you want to meet your friends for a Chinese meal and then go to the cinema or watch a comedy show? You can do all of these things in North Laine – a small but lively area in the centre of Brighton. Here's our guide to the five most interesting places in North Laine.

    A Snooper's Paradise

    It's not one shop, it's a group of ninety small shops all together in one large building. You can buy second-hand clothes, antique furniture, old magazines and unusual jewellery here – as well as lots of other things.

    B Komedia

    This is a fantastic arts venue with comedy shows every weekend and special performances for children. You can also listen to live music here. It's got a small café with an excellent kitchen, so you can eat good food and watch a great show at the same time.

    C Canteen

    There are more than thirty cafés and restaurants in North Laine, but Canteen is our favourite. It serves fresh pies with potatoes and peas. All the ingredients are local and the food is delicious!

    D Pen to Paper

    You can buy cheap pencils for 50p here or you can spend £300 on a Mont Blanc pen. This shop has got diaries, journals, notebooks, pens and pencils. You can also find unusual birthday cards here.

    E The Animal House

    There are a lot of different things in this shop – cards, toys, games, clothes – but everything has an animal theme here. You can find a toy monkey for your baby brother, a zebra-patterned bag for you and a lovely mug with a picture of a cat on it for your grandmother!

    • 1This place sells writing supplies.

    • 2This place provides entertainment.

    • 3This place has got things for people of different ages.

    • 4This place is a café and also a shop.

    • 5There is more than one shop here.

    • 6The food here is from the area around Brighton.

    Answers
    Use of English
    5EXAM TASK Read the text. Complete the gaps in the text (1–10) with the correct form of the words in brackets. 
    You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task.

    EXAM STRATEGY

    • ■ Read the text quickly first to get a general idea of the meaning.

      ■ Then look at the gaps and think about what kind of word you need: adjective, adverb, verb or noun.

      ■ You can use prefixes, for example, un- or im- to make the word negative.

      ■ You can use suffixes, for example, -ly to form adverbs or -ment, -er or -or to form nouns.

      ■ Sometimes you need to make a comparative or superlative form of the adjective.

    Everyone in our village knows my brother Jed because he's always doing sport and he wears very 1 (usual) clothes with bright colours and strange patterns. Jed is twenty-five years old and he has got a really 

    2 (interest)

     

    job. He works as a clothes 

    3 (design)

     

    for a sports company. It's the perfect job for him because he was really good at art and design at school, and he loves playing sport. He is the 4 (good) football player in our town and he's also an excellent horse 

    5 (ride).

     

    But his favourite sport is triathlon: running, cycling and swimming. Even when it's very cold, wet and 

    6 (wind)

     

    , Jed spends three hours every day training. He often cycles twenty kilometres to work and then the same distance home in the evening! We live in a village at the top of a hill and his office is in the town at the bottom of the hill, so he travels very 7 (quick) in the morning, but his journey home in the evening is much 

    8 (slow)!

     

    'Cycling is 

    9 (fast)

     

    than walking and 10 (exciting) than driving,' he says. 'It's the best way to travel!'

    Answers
    Speaking

    exam strategy

    ■ Read the task carefully.

    ■ For a role-play, remember to use the appropriate language for your role.

    ■ Remember to listen to your partner and respond to their questions or suggestions.

    6Look at the sentences below. Decide if they are from a patient (P) or a doctor (D). 

    • 1Are you worried about anything?

    • 2You should take these pills.

    • 3I've got a bad headache.

    • 4What's the problem?

    • 5Can you give me some advice?

    • 6I feel dizzy.


    Answers
    Speaking
    7EXAM TASK Write a dialogue to the situation below at a doctor's surgery. Role-play the situation below at a doctor's surgery.

    Student A: You don't feel well. Talk to a doctor about your problems:

    • Describe the problem
    • Ask for some advice
    • Listen to the doctor's suggestions
    • Thank the doctor

    Student B: You are the doctor. Give advice to a patient.

    • Listen to the patient's problem
    • Ask questions about the problem
    • Give some advice
    • Say goodbye to the patient


    Writing

    exam strategy

    ■ Think about the person you are writing for.

    ■ Make sure you include at least on idea for each point.

    ■ Remember to use linking words of addition: too and also when you add an extra idea.

    ■ Check your grammar, spelling and punctualtion carefully.

    8Look at the task below and make notes. Think of one piece of advice for each point.


    9EXAM TASK You write an advice column for your school magazine. A student is worried about an interview for a holiday job in a local shop. Write a letter of advice. Include information about:
    • how to prepare for the interview
    • what kind of clothes to wear
    • what questions she should ask
    • what things she should / shouldn't do