IELTS Placement Test

Time allowed: 30 minutes

LISTENING
SECTION 1 Questions 1 – 10
Questions 1 – 10
Complete the form below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

DRIVING LESSON ENQUIRY

Student ’s information

Name Nick Rye

Type of driver: 1. .................................

Address: 2. .................................

Preferable course: 3. .................................

Type of vehicle: 4. .................................

Course’s information

Skills covered: • Clutch and gear control

• Parking and checking 5 .....................

Materials provided: Books about 6 ................................. and traffic rules

Cost: 30 pounds/hour

Duration: 7 ................................. per class

Time: Morning

Notes: • prepare a 8 .................................

• no 9 ................................. before class

• remember to have 10 .................................

SECTION 2 Questions 11-20
Questions 11 – 16
Label the plan below.
Write the correct letter A – I, next to Questions 11 – 16.

NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY LAYOUT

Cafeteria

E
A
B C G H

I
F D
You
are
here
Parking lot

11. Tennis court ………………………

12. Laboratory ………………………

13. Lecture building ………………………

14. Campus ………………………

15. Science Learning Center ………………………

16. Library ………………………

Questions 17-20
Write the correct answer, A – F, next to Questions 17 – 20.
A. 5-year duration
B. require more credits
C. language certifications are needed
D. need high scores in science subjects
E. require knowledge about science
F. most attractive to freshmen

17. Engineering and Science Program ………………………

18. Pharmacy course ………………………

19. Environment design ………………………

20. American Studies and History ………………………

SECTION 3 Questions 21 – 30

Questions 21-22
Choose two letters, A-E.
What are the TWO reasons why Vanessa doesn’t want to stay in the campus?
A. the food is not good
B. she has too many room mates
C. it’s too expensive
D. the room is too small
E. its restriction regarding accessible hours

Questions 23-24
Choose two letters, A-E
What are TWO things that Vanessa likes about her new living place?
A. The convenience store nearby
B. The owners of the house treat her well.
C. The food the owners cook suits her taste.
D. She can redecorate her room whenever she likes.
E. Easy access to public transport

Questions 25-30
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Heinz’s Advice
Important assignments & Final exams
• Try to design a smart 25 ..................................
• Change the 26 .................................. occasionally for higher productivity
• Do not rely too much on 27 ..................................
• Don’t take too much responsibility in 28 ..................................
Extracurricular activities & part-time jobs
• Before deciding to join a club, learn about its 29 .......................... and goals.
• Try to visualize a specific 30 ..................................
SECTION 4 Questions 31 – 40
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE
Introduction:
• The study of animals’ mental capacities.
• Research on the cognition ability in animals.
• Give us 31 ................................. about humans’ place on earth.
Chimpanzees:
• Closely related to humans
• Live in tropical forests and savannas.
• Consume nutrients from fruits, leaves, bird eggs, insects, etc. which facilitates 32
................................. development.
• Incredibly intelligent:
o Has the ability to learn different types of 33 ................................. (including the ones
using sign or the display of tokens and symbols)
o Communicate with each other in many ways (e.g: using their face, 34 .................. or
vocal)
o Use tools in many situations:
- Find and lead out termites and ants by using grass stalks or branches
- Open 35 ................................. by using stones or woods
- Drink water by using folded leaves and moss
Dolphins:
• Known for their intelligence, grace and friendliness to humans.
• Bottlenose dolphins:
o Popular performer in oceanariums.
o Capable of using 36 ........................ and ultrasonic pulses as communication tools.
o Have better social memory than other animals: can remember the unique
37 ................................. of other individuals even after 2 decades.
o Able to recognize their own reflections in many cases, which is a sign of
38 ..................................

Crows:
• Consume meat, insects or birds’ eggs and often store food in trees.
• Very good at imitating.
• Have the ability to count, learn a great deal of vocabulary as well as
39 .................................
• Some species are capable of using 40 ................................. to obtain food from small
spaces.
READING
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 – 13, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 on the following pages.

INNOVATIONS IN RECYCLING

Scientists are looking for new ways to recycle plastic in an endless loop, so it never becomes
waste. Now, revolutionary technology is advancing the movement.

A. Plastic waste is one of the most urgent environmental issues of our time. Less than 10 percent
of the plastic we use is recycled, and there’s currently an estimated 100 million tons of plastic in
oceans around the world. But what would happen if we stopped thinking of plastic as waste, and
instead as a valuable renewable resource? Scientists around the world want to find out. The
plastic “end-of-life challenge” calls for new ways to recycle and reuse plastics endlessly in a closed
loop system, so they never become waste. Innovation on that scale would convert the current
“make-take-dispose” linear economy into a circular economy, where recycling plastic for eternity
is possible.

B. One scientist has made a significant advancement. John Layman, head of material science at
Procter & Gamble and chief technologist and founding inventor of PureCycle Technologies,
developed a revolutionary process to remove color, odor, and contaminants from polypropylene
plastic waste and transform it into a “virgin-like” resin, which is the basis for plastic products.
PureCycle’s technology presents a major development in recycling capabilities, and focusing on
polypropylene is especially notable. It’s the second-most used plastic in the world, yet only 1
percent is currently recycled.

C. Layman’s colleague and former classmate Scott Trenor, a senior polymer scientist at Milliken
& Company, contributed a key set of plastic additives to increase the viability of PureCycle
materials. Additives are chemical substances that modify the properties of plastics so they can be
used in different types of products. For example, a car bumper would need to be more durable
and impact-resistant, while a yogurt cup would need to be more flexible. Now Milliken and
PureCycle are working together to scale and advance the technology, with plans to start
commercial-scale production at PureCycle’s first plant, in Ohio, in 2021.

D. Trenor says the collaboration is a natural fit, partly because “both companies have a very
strong environmental purpose.” Milliken’s first recycling policy dates back to 1901, and the
company just launched ambitious sustainability goals that include creating circular economies and
zero waste to landfill by 2025. PureCycle’s technology supports P&G’s vision of using 100 percent
recyclable or renewable materials in its packaging. Trenor’s motivation is closer to home. He often
takes his 4-year-old son to ride mountain bikes near his home in South Carolina, and he’s been
disheartened to see an increase in plastic litter in natural spaces. “It’s not the way I want to leave
things for the future generation,” he says. Layman agrees. While studying plastics in graduate
school, he was amazed at the volume of material being produced, and horrified by how much
was ending up in the environment. “Since the day you were born, there’s a pile of trash with your
name on it,” he says. “The first diaper you wore as a newborn is likely still on this planet
somewhere.”

E. He got interested in recycling in 2008, when he was tasked with buying plastic waste from
recyclers and surveying its usefulness for P&G’s products and packaging. “You quickly realize
there’s a lot of issues when it comes to the quality of recycled material,” he says. Currently, only
two kinds of plastic, PET and HDPE, are economically viable for recyclers, and even those are
hard to upcycle into high-quality products.

F. Layman focused on polypropylene because it’s one of the three largest plastic resins used in
the world. Its super powers include flexibility and impact resistance. It’s found in most caps on
most bottles. It’s in luggage and carpets, computers and phones. In the grocery store, it’s
everywhere—yet it’s hardly the favorite of recyclers looking to make a profit. It holds onto
pungent smells and contaminants, and it can only be made into black or gray products. For those
reasons, the little that’s recycled is usually made into park benches or car bumpers—important
but limited applications.

G. To recycle polypropylene into higher-value products, Layman knew he would first have to
purify the plastic waste, and in an energy-efficient way. He worked on the discovery phase with
financial backing from an internal seed fund program at P&G. The resulting PureCycle technology
relies on a physical solvent-based process that uses less energy than a chemical process because
it doesn’t have to break down and build up the molecule. “It’s the combination of the solvent
choice, plus specific process steps, that enable us to purify this material in a way that nobody’s
been able to do before,” he says.

Once the material has been purified, the question is what to do with it. Trenor explains that when
scientists create plastic products from scratch, “they have a lot of knobs they can turn to select
the exact set of properties they need for a certain application.” Working with recycled material is
more challenging. That’s where Milliken’s additives come in—they can modify PureCycle’s
polypropylene resin for use in a diverse set of applications. For the first time, recycled
polypropylene doesn’t have to become a car bumper. Purified and modified, the resin can be
molded into different products with different properties in a closed loop.

H. The first PureCycle plant is expected to purify and recycle 119 million pounds of polypropylene
and produce 105 million pounds each year. Those numbers sound huge, but Layman puts it in
perspective by pointing out that 120 billion pounds of polypropylene were produced globally in
2018 alone. “You can see we have a long way to go,” he says. He compares PureCycle with wind
and solar energy technology before they scaled up. “We have an ambition to build 25 plants
around the world, each one bigger than the last,” he says. “This is plant number one.” Eventually,
he hopes to PureCycle at least 10 to 20 percent of all polypropylene plastic. “For all of these
technologies, it's really more of a marathon than a sprint,” says Trenor. He also notes that the
plastic end-of-life challenge doesn’t concern technology alone. For PureCycle or any other
initiative to succeed, consumers need to change their behavior and recycle more, and recyclers
need the ability and financial incentive to process more than PET and HDPE.

Question 1-6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Most of plastics used end up in the Earth’s ocean floors.

2. The fact that Layman’s new technology places emphasis on recycling polypropylene makes
it remarkable.
3. Additives are to help maintain plastics’ distinctive attributes
4. Milliken and PureCycle both aim at protecting the environment.
5. Trenor tries to raise his son’s awareness of environmental protection.
6. It took Layman a long time to recognize various problems with regard to recycled materials’
quality.
Question 7-12

Complete the summary below

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.

Write your answer in boxes 7-12 on your answer sheet.

Polypropylene, which is chosen as Layman’s focus, is incredible due to its 7 …………… as well
as……………. This type of plastic can be easily found in a wide range of daily products. However,
it is not really profitable because after being recycled, it can only be used to produce dark-colored
goods, such as benches or car bumpers. These are 8……………which are significant, yet small in
number.

In order to filter out plastic waste with a minimum amount of energy needed, Layman sought
9………… from a seed fund program. The energy-saving process that PureCycle technology bases
on is called a 10………………process. The purification process is followed by the stage of selecting
plastic’s desired properties where 11…………… are added to change PureCycle’s polypropylene.
After that, purified and modified propylene can be used in the production of various goods in a
continuous 12 …………….

Question 13

Choose no more than ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER to answer the question below.

Write your answer in box 13 on your answer sheet.

13. How many plants does Layman expect to establish worldwide in the future?
READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2.

WHAT MAKES A PERSON ATTRACTIVE?

A Understandably enough, our societies pay vast attention to the idea of ‘sexiness’; far more
questionably, they tempt us to believe that it might be easy to understand what this quality
consists of. The leading suggestion takes its starting point from the biological sciences: we learn
that sex aims at successful reproduction and genetic fitness in the coming generation. Therefore
‘sexiness’ must logically comprise a host of signals of fertility and of resistance to disease: bilateral
facial symmetry, large bright pupils, full lips, youthful skin and melanin-rich hair.

B But this analysis too quickly assumes that it might be simple to know what sex really aims
at. Unlike most other living beings, our biological drives sit alongside, and at points take second
place to, a range of emotional priorities. Chief among these is the desire to overcome loneliness
and share our vulnerability within the arms of a safe and intimate other. We seek, through a
physical act, to overcome our customary psychological alienation and a host of painful barriers to
being known and accepted. Viewed through such a lens, the erotic is not so much a promise of
reproductive health as a suggestion of a redemptive capacity for closeness, connection,
understanding and an end to shame and isolation.

C The people whom we call sexy despite, or aside from, the raw facts of their appearance
are those whose features and manner suggest an unusual ability to fulfill the underlying emotional
purpose of love-making. The way they respond to a joke, the curve of an eyebrow, the
characteristic motion of their forehead, the way of holding their hands convey in an unconsciously
understood but hugely eloquent language, that one is in the presence of a kindly being who is
liable to understand our broken and confused aspects, to help us overcome our loneliness and
submerged sadness and reassure us of our basic legitimacy and worth; someone with whom we
can at last reduce our normal suspicions, cast aside our armour and feel safe, playful and
accepted. Whatever the quality of their skin or balance of their proportions, it is these aspects
that have a true power to excite us; in a melancholy and avoidant world, this is the real turn on.

D We hear so much about what we might need to do to increase our physical appeal. But
by getting more detailed about the psychological traits that drive desire, we could learn to pay as
much, if not more, attention to the foundations of an exciting mindset. Armed with a broader
understanding of the aims of sexuality, some of the following might also – henceforth – deserve
to be counted as valuable sources of sexiness:

E Whether at work, with friends or around family, we are too often hemmed in by exhausting
requirements to fit in and subscribe to dominant notions of what it means to be good and
acceptable, which nevertheless leave behind, or censor a lot of our internal reality; there ends up
being a lot we mustn’t say and even more we shouldn’t even really feel. What a relief then to
note that we are in the presence of someone who knows how to adopt a sceptical perspective on
prevailing assumptions – someone who would be able to express personal doubts about popularly
revered ideas and cast a sceptical gaze on the normal rules of life.

F The more we are honest with, and exploratory about ourselves, the more we realise that
there is much inside our characters that might surprise or horrify outsiders: that we possess
alarming features such as vulnerability, meanness, strangeness, waywardness and folly. Our
standard response may be shame and embarrassment – and yet we always quietly hunger to be
properly witnessed and accepted as we really are. What may prove supremely sexy therefore are
suggestions that another person has explored their own deeper selves with courage, has a handle
on their darkness – and may on this basis be capable of extending an uncensorious perspective
on our own.

G Someone who paid no attention to decency and scoffed at all proprietary might be merely
alarming. Yet what can prove uniquely appealing is a person alive both to personal responsibility
and temptation. In addition, it might come a potential for anger that they managed to keep very
sanely under control in daily life, but they knew how to release at points in private; someone
whose capacity for a little cruelty was all the more moving because it stood out against a
customary habit of extreme consideration and gentleness.

H A lot of our reality deserves compassion and sympathy. How compelling, therefore, to
come across someone whose features would show a willingness to extend charity towards a lot
that is less than perfect in human nature, someone who could know how much we stand in need
of forgiveness and who could laugh generously with and at us – because they knew how to do
the same in relation to themselves.
Questions 14-19

Reading passage 2 has eight sections A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-19 of your answer sheet.

14. Examples of shockable qualities that may emerge when we explore our deeper selves

15. Attractiveness coming from the good management of a particular feeling that involves harm
to other people

16. Behaviors that show slight disagreements with normal society

17. Acts of kindness of a warm-hearted person towards imperfect ones or those making
mistakes

18. Sexily powerful features of a person that could fulfill others’ emotional needs

19. What sets human beings apart from other creatures

Question 20-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 20-26 on your answer sheet, write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the text

FALSE if the statement contradicts with the text

NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the text

20. An attractive person is conscious of being responsible rather than fulfilling personal desire.

21. Emotional satisfactions are always more important than our biological drives.

22. From the angle of biological sciences, attractiveness includes the showing of features of
being able to produce young and fight against illnesses.

23. We usually desire our deep horrifying characteristics to be viewed acceptable by other
people.

24. It is true that our thoughts and feelings are negatively affected by expectations of
acceptable behaviors from our family, friends and colleagues.

25. A sexy person is not judgmental to others’ unpleasant characteristics.

26. We have always been able to discover negative qualities inside each one of us.
READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading
Passage 3.

Questions 27-35

Reading paragraph 3 has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 27-35 on your answer sheet.

LIST OF HEADINGS

i. Good teachers don’t get angry

ii. Good teachers pick their moments
iii. A narrow interpretation of who teachers are
iv. Good teachers are also good students
v. The importance of mastering teaching skills
vi. Good teachers can admit they aren’t all-knowing
vii. Good teachers are able to tolerate ignorant students
viii. The good teacher never blames another person for not already knowing
ix. Good teachers need to be aware of the significance of postponing teaching tasks

27. Paragraph A ……….

28. Paragraph B ……….

29. Paragraph C ……….

30. Paragraph D ……….

31. Paragraph E ……….

32. Paragraph F ……….

33. Paragraph G ……….

34. Paragraph H ……….

 HOW TO BE A GOOD TEACHER

A. A discussion of how to be a good teacher sounds a little narrow – and probably not very
relevant to most of us. Few of us want to be in a school, instructing children in some narrow
academic subjects, which is what we overwhelmingly associate with the word ‘teacher’, the
person in a rather frayed jacket in front of the class, the type who bored us rigid for long stretches
of our early years.

B. However, teaching is far from being something that we only need to learn if we’re
contemplating a career in education. Considered properly, teaching – by which we mean, the vital
business of getting an important idea from one mind into another – is one of the most crucial life
skills that any of us ever require. Every one of us, whatever our occupation, needs to become a
good teacher, for our lives constantly require us to deliver crucial information with effectiveness
into the deep minds of others. We can admit – quite candidly – that most of us have probably
started off by being quite bad teachers. This is nothing to be ashamed of, like most things,
teaching can, and must be learnt. What, then, are some of the prerequisites of the good teacher?

C. It seems paradoxical – once it is pointed out. But the truth is we often get very annoyed
by the fact that another person doesn’t know something yet – even though we have never actually
told them what it might be. Certain ideas can seem so important to us, we simply can’t imagine
that others don’t already know them. We suspect they may be deliberately upsetting us by
pretending not to have a clue. This attitude makes it unlikely that what we actually have to teach
will make its way successfully into the unfortunate other person’s head. Good teaching starts with
the idea that ignorance is not a defect of the individual we’re instructing: it’s the consequence of
never having been properly taught. So the fault, rightly, really only ever belongs with the people
who haven’t done enough to get the needed ideas into others’ heads: in other words, with you.

D. The more we need other people to know something, the less we may be able to secure
the calm frame of mind which is indispensable if we are to have a chance of conveying it to them
effectively. The possibility that they won’t quickly understand something that matters immensely
to us can drive us into an agitated fury, which is the very worst state in which to conduct any
lesson. By the time we’ve started to insult our so-called pupil, to call them a blockhead or a fool,
the lesson is quite plainly over. No one has ever learnt anything under conditions of humiliation.
Paradoxically, the best sort of teachers can bear the possibility that what they have to teach will
not be understood. It is this slightly detached, slightly pessimistic approach that stands the best
chance of generating the relaxed frame of mind essential to successful pedagogy.
E. It’s pretty humiliating to be in the learning position. Someone else has information you
don’t. That can be so irritating, the person learning may shut their ears and hate the alleged
superiority of the one in the teaching role. That’s why another fundamental skill of the good
teacher is to admit that they are, in most areas of life, pretty ignorant and stupid. This might
seem to undermine their authority. Far from it; it creates an atmosphere of goodwill and modesty
which puts the pupil at ease. They might not know this particular thing that’s being taught but
they are, overall, not inferior to the teacher – and so they can dare to face up to their ignorance
in a given area and submit to the discipline of having it nicely corrected.

F. As bad teachers, we tend automatically to try to teach a lesson at the moment the problem
arises, rather than selecting a time when it is most likely to be attended to properly. Crises aren’t
the best times for a lesson. We might have to wait a long time, three days after an argument for
example, in order to pick just the opportune occasion to deal with those issues. When our partner
is stacking the dishwasher and humming a song might be the wisest moment cheerfully and
innocently to refer back to something that truly maddened us a little while back, but over which
we were – at the time – sagely silent.

G. As we’re beginning to see, the more desperate we feel inside, the less likely we are to get
through to others effectively. It is deeply unfortunate that we typically end up addressing the
most delicate and complex teaching tasks just when we feel most irritated and distressed. We
suffer from a panicked feeling that if we don’t jump on this right now, an issue is going to go on
and on unchecked forever. Precisely not. We should be more confident that not jumping on an
issue is what is in fact going to allow us to fix it properly a little way down the line.

H. Good teachers know that everyone has a lot to learn and everyone has something
important to impart to others. We should never get incensed if someone is trying to teach us
something and snap back, ‘I wanted you to like me just as I am’. Only a perfect being would be
committed to staying just as they are. For all the rest of us, good learning and teaching are the
only ways we’ll ever be able to progress and that’s why we should welcome them as the gifts
they truly are.
Questions 35-36

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 35-36 on your answer sheet.

35. In the fourth paragraph, the writer suggests that

A. We are easily prone to anger if we cannot understand important things quickly.

B. Good teachers are willing to accept chances of failing to impart lessons to other people.
C. Learning process is heavily affected by indirect insults.
D. Teachers have to bear the responsibility for not trying to convey understandable
messages.

36. In the sixth paragraph, the writer refers to “three days after an argument” to
make a point that

A. People can tackle teaching tasks more effectively when they are no longer in desperation.
B. It would be better for people to solve problems immediately without talking.
C. Being skilled at timing in solving problems is necessary.
D. Crises require bad teachers to conduct lessons at the right time.

Questions 37-40

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your
answers in the boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.

Because we associate (37) _________________so strongly with schools, it’s natural to

assume somewhere in our minds that ‘teaching’ is something most people leave behind as
they grow up. We tell ourselves that it requires a person to have particular personalities to
be a teacher – and assume that we’re just not cut out for that kind of role. But in truth,
being a teacher is one of the most (38) ________________ of human life. There is no
alternative but to master the art of teaching. Teaching happens every hour of every waking
day, but we’ve fatally misconstrued teaching as a specific professional job, when it’s in
actuality a role that everyone has to dip into continually. Whether we like it or not, things
in life frequently (39) ________________ us to teach, which means getting an insight,
emotion, state of mind or a skill from your head into the (40) ________________ of others.
WRITING

Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the production of cacao bean in six regions between 1992
and 1998.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Regions 1992 1994 1996 1998
North and Central 46000 25000 39000 46000
America
Africa 29000 43000 119000 25000
Asia 119000 124000 234000 436000
Oceania 40000 45000 65000 77000
South America 143000 140000 127000 389000
England 56000 67000 43000 49000
Units are in tons.

Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Although more and more people read the news on the Internet, newspapers will
remain the most important source of news for the majority of people. Do you
agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
Write at least 250 words.