Ready for B2 First

Student name

Group/Class

Date Score

LISTENING

Part 1 Multiple choice

1 You will hear people talking in eight dif f erent situations. For questions 1–8, choose the Mid-course T est 1
best answer (A, B or C). You will hear the recording twice.

1 You hear a music teacher talking about reading music.

What does she say about learning to read music?
A It can be learnt very quickly.
B It won’t be easy to do at the start.
C Students often make mistakes when they read it.

2 You hear a girl talking to a friend about a chess tournament.

Why did she sign up for the tournament?
A to get more practice by playing with children
B to improve at the game
C to show her natural talent

3 You hear two friends talking in a shop.

What do they agree about?
A that the man should try on the T -shirt
B how much money to spend
C what item of clothing to buy first

4 You hear a boy talking about going to the cinema.

What does he enjoy the most about it?
A being with friends
B seeing an exciting film
C discussing the film later

5 You hear a headteacher talking to a group of students.

What is he talking about?
A the end of classroom tests
B what work students will do
C how students will be assessed

6 You hear a radio show presenter talking about a band.

What is true about the band?
A T he band’s success has been sudden.
B T he band has been around for a while.
C T he band has been playing concerts all week.
7 You hear two people talking in a restaurant.
Why can’t the woman eat the food?
A She’s on a diet.
B She might feel unwell.
C She doesn’t like the food.

8 You hear two friends talking about a weekend job.

What is the woman doing?
A giving the man advice
B providing information
C encouraging the man

Score: /8

Part 2 Sentence completion

2 You will hear a student called Louise Parsons talking about acting. For questions 9–18, Mid-course T est 2
complete the sentences with a word or short phrase. You will hear the recording twice.

Working in the f ilm industry

Louise says that you can’t learn the (9) of the film industry from a book.

Louise explains that some people offering seminars are just trying to sell a (10) .

Louise says there are (11) of people who won’t find success in film, publishing or music.

It’s important to get a (12) because it can take ages to build up an acting career.

If Louise doesn’t make it as an actress, she can become (13) .

Louise says a benefit of acting classes is that they can (14) your skills.

Louise advises people to (15) agents who want money before they do any work.

Louise explains that her agent receives (16) of her own fee when she works.

Louise points out that (17) prefer to use actors who have an agent.

Louise says that her own agent (18) to find roles for her.

Score: / 10

Part 3 Multiple matching

3 You will hear f ive short extracts in which teenagers are talking about their achievements. Mid-course T est 3
For questions 19–23, choose f rom the list (A–H) what each speaker says about their
achievement. Use the letters only once. T here are three extra letters which you do not need to use. You will hear
the recording twice.

A It made someone very proud.

Speaker 1 [19]
B It should have been better.

C Few people knew about it. Speaker 2 [20]

D I kept going and improved.

Speaker 3 [21]
E I’m often asked about it.
Speaker 4 [22]
F It made me very popular.

G I started a campaign. Speaker 5 [23]

H What I do is selfless.

Score: /5

Part 4 Multiple choice

4 You will hear an interview with a teenager called Ingrid Mason, who’s talking about Mid-course T est 4
f ashion. For questions 24–30, choose the best answer (A, B or C). You will hear the
recording twice.

24 - Ingrid’s website is popular because

A it won an award for the designer.
B shoppers can order the clothes online.
C you can see how the clothes look on you.

25 - Ingrid initially became interested in fashion when

A she attended classes at an art school.
B she studied older works of art.
C she began to sew theatre costumes.

26 - Which job would not have been suitable for Ingrid?

A artist
B fiction writer
C car mechanic

27 - What is implied about older people who don’t buy Ingrid’s clothes?
A T hey are put off by bright colours.
B Some patterns are a problem for them.
C T hey are more confident than younger shoppers.

28 - Ingrid describes her clothes as

A good for special occasions.
B stylish, but casual.
C too fashionable for everyday wear.

29 - What does Ingrid say about sport and fashion?

A T he sporty look is very popular with consumers.
B Designers created their own basketball jerseys.
C All sportswear can be worn as street fashion.
 30 - Ingrid says that the polo shirt that originated in the 1920s
A was replaced 50 years later.
B was worn for greater comfort.
C was adopted by polo players.

Score: /7

READING AND USE OF ENGLISH

Part 1 Multiple-choice cloze

5 For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best f its each gap. Mark your
answers on the separate answer sheet.

Japanese manga comics

Japanese manga comics are read around the world in translation. But unlike translating from Spanish into English, for
example, (1) a Japanese story in English is no simple matter.

T he English words must describe the picture and (2) in the balloons. Since Japanese uses fewer words than English to
communicate the same meaning, it takes quite a(n) (3) for the translator to achieve this. T here is nothing they can do
(4) the word balloons – they already exist on the page and cannot be changed. T he challenge for the translator is to
(5) out the best way to deal with each scene. T his (6) translators have to change the script. Sometimes they
alter things only a little, but at other times they (7) up writing lots of new English scripts to match the existing
artwork.

T he best manga translators are (8) in writing as well. T hey need creativity and imagination to make the stories you
read just as exciting as the original Japanese versions.

1 A saying B speaking C telling D talking

2 A stay B match C go D fit
3 A work B effort C job D attempt
4 A about B for C from D by
5 A think B look C figure D consider
6 A means B makes C forces D causes
7 A work B end C bring D put
8 A capable B good C responsible D experienced

Score: /8

Part 2 Open cloze

6 For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best f its each gap. Use only one word in each
gap. Write your answers IN CAPIT AL LET T ERS on the separate answer sheet.

A clever solution

In 2016, South Africa was suffering its worst drought (1) 1982. (2) severe was the problem
that farmers were (3) danger of losing their crops and animals were dying.

When there isn’t enough rainfall for crops to grow, farmers use man-made polymers to cover the soil. T hese look
(4) small plastic crystals. T hey absorb water and keep the soil wet by releasing the water into it. T he only
problem is polymers are expensive, and, like plastic water bottles, they cannot (5) broken down and
absorbed into the ground.
Kiara Nirghin, a 16-year-old high school student, wondered (6) it was possible to create a low-cost, organic
alternative. Using waste products from fruit juice manufacturing, she (7) up with the idea for her ‘orange
peel mixture’. Not only (8) her product retain water well, it costs less than polymers. She won a $50,000
scholarship for her invention at the annual Google Science Fair, a competition for teenagers aged 13 to 18.

Score: /8

Part 3 Word formation

7 For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to f orm a
word that f its in the gap in the same line. Write your answers IN CAPIT AL LET T ERS on the separate answer
sheet.
Space tourism

T hese days, we can enjoy all sorts of holidays because the choices we have are seemingly
(1) endless If you are concerned about the planet, you can stay in environmentally END
friendly accommodation in stunning (2) around the world. If you’re interested in SURROUND
helping less- (3) communities, you can look into volunteer tourism. But for those FORTUNE
who are feeling more than a little (4) , nothing can match space tourism. Until ADVENTURE
now, only a handful of very rich people have ridden Russian rockets on (5) short RELATIVE
trips to the International Space Station (ISS). T he last person to take such an
(6) voyage was Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, in September ORDINARY
2009. Laliberté paid $35 million for the (7) of visiting the ISS. Virgin Galactic PLEASE
hopes to (8) travel by offering commercial spaceflights in the near future, REVOLUTION
though at a cost of $250,000 per flight, it would still be out of reach for most people.

Score: /8

Part 4 Key word transformation

8 For questions 1–6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the f irst sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and f ive words, including the word given.
Write only the missing words IN CAPIT AL LET T ERS on the separate answer sheet.

1 T here was no reason for you to get so angry yesterday.

SHOULD
You temper like that yesterday.

2 I expected the price of the holiday to be higher.

HIGH
T he price of the holiday I thought it would be.

3 T hese two pictures look exactly the same to me.

T ELL
I these two pictures.

4 I didn’t know you were going there, so I didn’t warn you about the parking fee.
WARNED
If I had known you were going there, I the parking fee.
5 She wants a professional photographer to take her photo.
HAVE
She wants to a professional photographer.

6 In fact, because I saw it myself, I know the site is impressive.

SEEN
In fact myself, I know it’s impressive.

Score: /6

Part 5 Multiple choice

9 You are going to read an extract f rom a novel about a teenager called Lucy. For questions 1–6, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think f its best according to the text. Mark your answers on the separate answer
sheet.

Lucy was trying to balance a chemical equation. Each time she thought she had the answer, the number of atoms and
the symbols for the elements would change before her eyes – oxygen became carbon and hydrogen turned into
nitrogen. ‘T his is crazy,’ she thought, and rubbed her eyes. ‘Maybe I need reading glasses.’ At that moment, a splash of
water on her face woke her up. Shaking her head, she remembered – she wasn’t in Mr Schnabel’s class, but at the
beach. T o be exact, she was on an inflatable lilo in the sea and the shoreline was getting further away by the second!

Looking towards the shore, Lucy realised the enormity of her problem. Although she could see the brightly coloured
beach umbrellas and towels on the sand, she knew they weren’t really close. She’d learnt to swim properly when she
was younger, but despite her excellent technique all she could manage at the local Olympic-size pool were a couple of
lengths. She didn’t have the strength for anything further, plus she had a phobia of deep water.

‘You idiot!’ she thought as she mentally kicked herself for getting into this mess. If only she’d gone on a walk with
Bethany and the others. School had recently broken up for the summer holidays and her friend Bethany had
suggested a day at the beach. T hey’d called some friends and that morning, a laughing, carefree group had got on the
bus to the coast. T hey did the usual things – swam, splashed each other, looked for seashells, had lunch. Later,
Bethany and the others had decided to go for a walk and explore some caves further along the coast. But Lucy
wanted to stay where she was and listen to music.

After a while, she got bored. Seeing Bethany’s plastic lilo, she grabbed it and headed into the water. ‘Now I can really
relax,’ she thought. T he pressure of the last few weeks with exams had worn her out and, within minutes, she was fast
asleep. Because of this, she was unaware that a strong current had taken her far from shore. Now, she was on her own
and no one knew where she was. As if that wasn’t bad enough, from the look of the dark clouds gathering behind her,
wild weather was on the way!

‘Surely the others will realise what’s happened when they get back,’ she reasoned. T he absence of both Lucy and the
lilo would lead them to the right conclusion. For a brief moment, she was hopeful. However, Lucy had learnt at summer
camp how to tell the time by the sun. Checking it now, it was only two o’clock; she realised they wouldn’t be back for a
while and time was running out. She looked down at her dark-blue swimsuit and clear plastic lilo – no one would be able
to see her in the water, there was no contrast. She wished she had stayed at home! T here was only one choice – she
would have to save herself.
 Swimming was out of the question – it was simply too far and the thought of what might be lurking beneath terrified
her. ‘What’s my plan? T hink!’ she told herself. She had nothing with her other than the lilo. ‘I’ll have to paddle,’ she
decided. Positioning herself the length of the lilo on her front, Lucy started paddling as she’d seen surfers do on their
boards. One big swing of her right arm followed by the left, strong, steady and even. Lucy focused on the shore and
paddled for all she was worth.

1 What is the writer’s purpose in the first paragraph?

A to explain why Lucy was facing a challenge
B to show that Lucy had something on her mind
C to describe how Lucy was going to deal with a problem
D to introduce the fact that Lucy was in a difficult situation

2 What does the writer suggest about Lucy’s swimming ability?

A She could only swim short distances.
B T hey think everyone uses the same language.
C She was as good as an Olympic swimmer.
D She only swam well in swimming pools.

3 T he writer says that Lucy ‘mentally kicked herself’ in line 12 to show that she was
A thinking too hard.
B angry with herself.
C upset with Bethany.
D was hurt that the others had left her.

4 What made Lucy’s immediate problem worse?

A T he sun was burning her.
B Her exams had tired her out.
C A storm was approaching.
D T he current was too strong.

5 Why would Lucy’s friends not be able to help her?

A T hey would have no idea where to look for her.
B T hey would be away for too long.
C T hey would assume she was safe on the lilo because she knew how to swim.
D T hey would think she had gone home.

6 What do we learn about Lucy in the final paragraph?

A She changed her mind about swimming to shore.
B She overcame her fear of deep water.
C She imitated a surfing technique.
D She used the strong current to get to the shore.

Score: /6

Part 6 Gapped text

10 You are going to read an article about a special kind of Olympics. Six sentences have been removed f rom the
article. Choose f rom the sentences A–G the one which f its each gap (1–6). T here is one extra sentence which
you do not need to use. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Young maths experts

What does it take to become an Olympic champion? Is it hours and hours of training and preparation every day over
many years? Could it be the willpower to push a body that has reached its limits just one step further? Is it the
determination to fight through the physical pain to beat other talented opponents? [1] But did you know it’s
possible to become an Olympian without a single minute of gruelling training and no crack-of-dawn practice sessions? All
you need are some pretty sophisticated mental gymnastics.

T he International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the world championship of mathematics for pre-university students.
Unlike the better-known sporting event, it is not held once every four years, but annually. [2] First held in 1959 in
Romania with seven countries participating, its popularity has grown rapidly. T hese days, over 100 countries from five
continents send their best and brightest teen mathematicians to compete.

While the IMO is definitely a competitive event with every country vying for the top honours, it has a number of
important aims. [3] Another is to stimulate interest in maths in the participating countries, where teenagers make
every effort to be selected for their national team. Of course, another objective of the IMO is to identify young people
with astonishing mathematical abilities.

Several students have represented their countries more than once and won multiple gold medals. Other winners have
gone on to become notable mathematicians, teaching at prestigious universities around the world. [4] Several

former participants have won other awards, including the Fields Medal, which is considered to be the mathematician’s
Nobel Prize.

But who are these gifted teens? T he most successful to date is Chinese-born Canadian Alex Song, who won his first
medal – a bronze – in 2010 at the age of 13. [5] It’s not surprising that apart from maths, he’s into brain games and
puzzles like chess and solving the Rubik’s Cube.

Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win the Fields Medal, also got her start in the IMO, where she became the first
female Iranian student to win gold. However, as a child, mathematics was not where her passion lay, and her dream was to
become a writer of novels. It was during her final year in high school that she began to apply herself to mathematics, after
her brother got her interested in the subject. [6] Her advice to students is to give mathematics a chance and to
realise that it isn’t a boring, pointless subject – that there is a beauty in numbers that only patience can reveal.

A T hereafter followed a string of gold medal wins for the next five years in a row.
B Undoubtedly, all of these contribute to success at the highest international level of competition.
C Her preferred pastime was reading novels; in fact, she would read anything she could find.
D Some have used their impressive knowledge of mathematics to contribute to related fields such as physics and
economics.
E It does, however, like its namesake, take place in a different location each time.
F Until that point, she had done poorly in maths, as many young people do.
G One is to bring young people together in an environment of friendship and mutual respect.

Score: /6

Part 7 Multiple matching

11 You are going to read an article about f our teenagers and the apps they use. For questions 1–10, choose f rom
the teenagers (A–D). T he teenagers may be chosen more than once. Mark your answers on the separate answer
sheet.
What’s your f avourite app?

Four young people talk about their f avourite apps

A Evan

I’ve got dozens of apps on my phone. I do use them all, though some more frequently than others. T he app I have the
most fun with is Snapchat. T here’s nothing else like it. I can easily share information about my life in a totally unique
way. Being able to add text or doodles to my photos makes them a lot more fun and personal. I send about 10 snaps a
day and receive around 30! T hey say the photo you send disappears forever after a few seconds, but that’s a myth.
Data is data: whenever you send an image, it never truly goes away. Plus, the person on the receiving end can take a
screenshot of it before it disappears. My friends and I often save each other’s goofy photos that way, so we can laugh
about them later.

B Faye

Music is my thing, so I think Spotify is easily the best app on my phone. I use it to share music, to see what my friends
are listening to and to find new music. At first, I used it to stream music that I was already familiar with, and I made
playlists with all of my favourite songs and bands. Once I’d done that, I started exploring and discovered music from
other eras, like punk, disco and soul from the ‘70s. In addition to the huge library of songs, it’s easy to use and I can link
my account to my laptop and tablet as well. I use the free version, but if I had the spare cash, I wouldn’t mind paying
for the premium service because there are no ads on that.

C George

Apps come and go, but Instagram is my current favourite. When I edit my photos on Instagram, I feel like a
professional photographer; the filters, the cropping tool and focus options mean I can create something really
special. I don’t use the tools to make myself more attractive – why would I? My friends know what I really look like
anyway! If I had to pick one drawback of the app, that would be it. People use it to improve their photos and they
sometimes no longer look anything like themselves. On the plus side, I can see what my friends and celebrities are up
to through live updates. Last year, when my favourite tennis player was in town, he posted the name of the hotel he
was staying at – so I rushed over there and got a selfie with him!

D Harley

It’s probably not among most teens’ favourite apps, but I love T witter. I think it’s great because you can voice your
opinion on anything you want to. I know T witter may be like shouting into an empty room at times, but at least I’m
heard sometimes and acknowledged by my peers. It’s also exciting because you can interact with celebrities, who
love the free publicity. I’ve had a few exchanges with some and a well-known actor once retweeted a tweet of mine. I
suppose I became famous myself because it went viral and my friends teased me endlessly about that! I’m still using
Facebook, but not as much as I used to for daily contact with friends. It’s good for group events, though, so I do use it
for that.
 Which teenager

A says the app brings out their artistic personality?

B has been in contact with more than one celebrity? [1]

C believes the app offers users something very

[2]
original?

D thinks others use the app to present themselves [3]

unrealistically?
[4]
E would be happy to upgrade to a different version
of the app? [5]

F says there is a mistaken belief about a feature of

[6]
the app?

G met someone famous in person because of the [7]

app?
[8]
H appreciates the opportunity to express their views
publicly? [9]

I has expanded their knowledge of a subject

[10]
through using the app?

J can access the app from a number of different

devices?

Score: / 10

WRITING

Part 1

12 In your English class, you have been talking about the environment. Now, your English teacher has asked you to
write an essay.
Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons f or your point of view.

T eenagers don’t care about the environment. Do you agree?

Notes

Write about:

1 recycling

2 animals

3 .............. .............. (your own idea)

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 140–190 words in an appropriate style on the separate answer
sheet.

Score: / 10

Part 2

13 Write an answer to one of the questions 1–3 in this part. Write your answer in 140–190 words in an appropriate
style on the separate answer sheet. Put the question number in the box at the top of the answer sheet.

1 You have received an email f rom your English-speaking f riend, Alice.

Write your email.

2 You have seen this notice in an English-language magazine called Music T ime.

Reviews needed!

Have you heard a good band recently? If so, could you write a review of the concert? Include information about the
performance and the atmosphere and if it was enjoyable. Would you recommend the band to other people?

T he best reviews will be published in next month’s magazine.

Write your review.

 3 You have seen this announcement in an English-language magazine.

Articles wanted

T he best holiday I have ever had

Which is the best holiday you have ever had? What did you do? Why was it the best?

Write an article for us answering these questions.

We will publish the best articles on our website.

Write your article.

Score: / 10

SPEAKING
14
Part 1 Interview (2 minutes)

T he examiner will ask you some questions individually.

People you know

Do you have a best friend? T ell us about him/her.

Do you enjoy spending time with your relatives? (Why?)
What qualities do you admire in your mother, father or other relative?
T ell us about someone you know who has influenced you.
 T hings you like

When do you have free time? (How do you spend your free time?)
What new activity would you like to try doing in your free time?
Do you follow a particular sport or a team? (Why do you like it?)
Do you like to read books? (What kind of books do you read?)

Places you go to

T ell us about some good places to spend time with your friends. (Why are they good?)
Which is your favourite place to go on holiday? (Why?)
Do you spend much time at your friends’ homes? (What do you do there?)
Can you remember the first day at your current school? (What was it like?)

Score: /5

15
Part 2 Long turn (4 minutes)

Candidate A: Look at photographs 1 and 2. T hey show people working.

Compare the photographs and say what you think might be difficult for people working in these situations.

Candidate A talks on their own for about 1 minute.

Candidate B: Which job would you rather do?

Candidate B talks on their own for about 30 seconds.

What might be dif f icult f or people working in these situations?

1
2

Candidate A: Look at photographs 3 and 4. T hey show people shopping.

Compare the photographs and say what you think might be good for people about shopping in these ways.

Candidate A talks on their own for about 1 minute.

Candidate B: Which kind of shopping would you f ind more enjoyable?

Candidate B talks on their own for about 30 seconds.

What might be good f or people about shopping in these ways?

3
4

Score: /5

Part 3 Collaborative task (4 minutes)

16 You will do this part of the exam in pairs. T his task has two parts.

Imagine that your school canteen wants to encourage more students to buy food there. Here are some ideas about how
to attract more students and a question for you to discuss. First you have some time to look at the task.

Now talk to each other about why each of the ideas might attract students.

Candidates A and B discuss this together for about 3 minutes.

 Now you have about a minute to decide which two ideas would be the most popular.

Score: /5

17
Part 4 Further discussion (4 minutes)

You will do this part of the exam in pairs. Answer the following questions together:

Do you think young people should be concerned about what they eat? (Why/Why not?)
What do you think about junk food?
Why do you think some people become vegetarian?
What kinds of foreign food are popular in your country? (Why do you think they are popular?)
Do you prefer home-cooked meals or restaurant food? (Why?)
What dishes from your country would you recommend to a tourist? (Why?)

Score: /5