Examination Specification Level B2 (Grade 11)

Part 1
Part 2
1		1
2		2
3		3
4		4
5		5

SECTION 3. Writing (40 minutes) Sport
Your teacher has asked you to write an article for the school magazine. You should write about either:


The sport you have done in school this year.

or

Why you think it’s important for young people to do sport.

Write an article. Write between 120 and 180 words.

SECTION 4. Speaking (10 minutes)

3. Why do people like to travel?

Science and Technology

Part 1

(Any three of these questions can be asked)

1. 
   Do you have a computer at home? What kind is it?
   
2. 
   Do you use a mobile phone? What do you use it for?
   
3. 
   Think about your home. In what ways does technology help you?
   
4. 
   Would life be better or worse without technology? In what ways?
   
5. 
   How do you think technology will help us in the future?
   

Part 2

If you had to spend a month without any electricity or electronic devices, how do you think you would feel? Try to talk for two minutes.

You might want to use some of the following:

• 
  TV/DVD
  
• 
  technology in the kitchen
  

• 
  computers
  
• 
  mobile phones
  
• 
  staying in touch with people
  
• 
  staying safe
  

Variant 8.

SECTION 1. Listening (15 minutes) Track 21

Travelling

Listen and circle the correct answer (A, B) or C)).

1. 
   Some holidaymakers are saving money by
   

1. 
   going for a shorter time.
   
2. 
   using self-catering accommodation.
   
3. 
   not travelling so far.
   

2. 
   Mexico and Cuba are examples of places where you can
   

1. 
   arrive at your destination more quickly.
   
2. 
   still get cheaper package holidays.
   
3. 
   find more things to see.
   

3. 
   Holidays in Spain are
   

1. 
   no longer popular.
   
2. 
   more popular than they’ve ever been.
   
3. 
   rising again after being less popular for a while.
   

4. 
   Countries such as Latvia and Belgium offer
   

1. 
   great sightseeing opportunities.
   
2. 
   the best beaches.
   
3. 
   the most expensive holidays.
   

5. 
   One thing that has helped tourism in the USA is that
   

1. 
   it is now quicker to get there.
   
2. 
   they offer special prices for British tourists.
   
3. 
   there are more places to go.
   

ANSWERS FOR THE LISTENING

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

SECTION 2. Reading (30 minutes)
Part 1.
The news and media
Read the article and answer the questions.
These days, when a story appears in the newspapers, it might be read by a few thousand people. That number increases greatly if we take into account the news sites on the internet. But if the story has a video with it, then it will be seen by millions of people all over the world.
Unlike in the past, when newspapers and radio formed the basis of our news service, we increasingly use visual media to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world. In many ways, this has changed the kind of news stories we follow. To put it simply, a television station that has a regular news programme would not attract many viewers if all they did was put a newsreader on our screens reading the news. People expect to see things on television, so stories that have a video – preferably with some recorded action – are going to be more popular with the viewing public. This could be as simple as an interview with a person in the news, or film from a helicopter of some kind of accident or event. The key point is that more people will watch a video than will read a long, detailed article.
It is known that ‘live’ news events – the ‘breaking stories’ that we watch as they happen – attract the most viewers. People, it seems, want to watch the events as they develop, even if most of the time not much is happening on the screen. And one of the big changes in recent years has been that ordinary people with smartphones have started doing the job of our journalists and cameramen. Anyone who is there, on the spot, when an important event happens can make a video and send it to one of the news channels. Within minutes, it can be seen by millions of people around the world, either on the TV news or on the internet. If you look at the numbers of people who view these videos, it is clear that this is the kind of news reporting that most people want.

Read the article and write true (T) or false (F).

1. 
   Newspapers are more popular than they were in the past.
   

1. 
   The use of video means we are interested in different kinds of stories these days.
   

2. 
   TV stations rarely use newsreaders any more.
   
3. 
   Viewers find interviews boring.
   
4. 
   Sometimes, very little happens in live news stories.