Exam insight 2

 Listening

1Make a list of the things people do in the kitchen in your home. 

Things people do in the kitchen in your home

Exam strategy

• ■Read the sentences carefully before you listen. They will give you an idea of what you are going to hear.

  ■Decide if you need to listen for specific information or opinions.

2EXAM TASK Play the recording and listen to a radio interview. Are the sentences True or False? 

• 1Libby has been editor of Modern Homes magazine for twenty years.

   

  TrueFalse

• 2In the past, the kitchen was just the place where people prepared food.

   

  TrueFalse

• 3People spend less time in the kitchen now than they did in the past.

   

  TrueFalse

• 4The 'island' is where people put their new technology.

   

  TrueFalse

• 5Libby thinks the modern kitchen is good for family life.

   

  TrueFalse

Reading

3Read the text about the Plate and Spoon quickly. Choose the best endings to sentences 1 and 2. 

• 1The text is part of a lettera reviewan advertisement.

• 2The writer goes to the restaurant on her ownwith three other peoplewith one other person.

Exam strategy

• ■Read the text quickly to find out what it's about.

  ■Read each multiple-choice question carefully. Find a sentence in the text which contains similar information.

  ■Check that the answers you haven't chosen are incorrect.

Plate and Spoon, London EC2

I didn't know much about the Plate and Spoon before setting off there for dinner, but at least three people have told me it's the best new restaurant in the City so I thought I should give it a try.

As soon as we walked in, I realized that dining here was going to be an interesting experience. The restaurant was full, but not noisy. Some diners were talking, but many were not. And later I found out why.

The menu isn't long, but changes daily and is beautifully written out on white card. There is variety: meat, fish, vegetarian. And dishes range from the simple (a plain grilled steak) to the more complex (a tower of aubergine, goat's cheese, and tomato served with a dressing of fresh herbs).

I choose plain dishes. I often do when eating somewhere for the first time. If something simple can be made to taste really good, that is the mark of an excellent chef. I decide on a tomato salad, followed by a piece of grilled fish. My partner chooses soup and a seafood lasagne.

The tomatoes come with olives, herbs and taste as fresh as the tomatoes from my own garden. Harry's soup is steaming hot, as it should be, and delicious. My fish is perfect: not overcooked, not undercooked. It comes with tiny, tasty vegetables. The seafood lasagne is a creamy, fishy heaven.

And this is when I discover why the room is so quiet. It's the silence of diners enjoying their food, tasting every mouthful. They talk when the plates are empty, but not while eating.

I finish with homemade ice cream. Harry has an apple dessert that silences him for another ten minutes as he rolls his eyes with pleasure. Then the bill comes. It isn't cheap, but for food like this most people would think it a small price to pay. And with all tips going directly to the staff, we happily add 10% and depart, knowing that we will be back before too long.

Reading

4EXAM TASK Read the text about the Plate and Spoon. Choose the correct answers. 

exam strategy

• ■Read the text quickly to find out what it's about.

  ■Read each multiple-choice question carefully. Find a sentence in the text which contains similar information.

  ■Check that the answers you haven’t chosen are incorrect.

Plate and Spoon, London EC2

I didn't know much about the Plate and Spoon before setting off there for dinner, but at least three people have told me it's the best new restaurant in the City so I thought I should give it a try.

As soon as we walked in, I realized that dining here was going to be an interesting experience. The restaurant was full, but not noisy. Some diners were talking, but many were not. And later I found out why.

The menu isn't long, but changes daily and is beautifully written out on white card. There is variety: meat, fish, vegetarian. And dishes range from the simple (a plain grilled steak) to the more complex (a tower of aubergine, goat's cheese, and tomato served with a dressing of fresh herbs).

I choose plain dishes. I often do when eating somewhere for the first time. If something simple can be made to taste really good, that is the mark of an excellent chef. I decide on a tomato salad, followed by a piece of grilled fish. My partner chooses soup and a seafood lasagne.

The tomatoes come with olives, herbs and taste as fresh as the tomatoes from my own garden. Harry's soup is steaming hot, as it should be, and delicious. My fish is perfect: not overcooked, not undercooked. It comes with tiny, tasty vegetables. The seafood lasagne is a creamy, fishy heaven.

And this is when I discover why the room is so quiet. It's the silence of diners enjoying their food, tasting every mouthful. They talk when the plates are empty, but not while eating.

I finish with homemade ice cream. Harry has an apple dessert that silences him for another ten minutes as he rolls his eyes with pleasure. Then the bill comes. It isn't cheap, but for food like this most people would think it a small price to pay. And with all tips going directly to the staff, we happily add 10% and depart, knowing that we will be back before too long.

• 1The writer goes to the restaurant because

  it's quiet.she likes simple food.she's heard it's good.it's new.

• 2The writer chooses something plain because

  she wants to see how fresh the food is.she thinks plain food is tastier.she doesn't like more complex dishes.she wants to see how good the chef is.

• 3Which of the following sentences is not true?

  The tomatoes are very fresh.The fish is undercooked.The soup is tasty.The seafood lasagne is delicious.

• 4The writer thinks

  the food is reasonably priced.the desserts aren't as good as the main courses.the service wasn't very good.it will be a long time before she eats there again.

• 
  

Use of English

5EXAM TASK Choose the correct answers to complete gaps 1–7. 

Exam strategy

• ■Read the text quickly to find out what it's about.

  ■Read the sentences with each of the possible options and decide which one sounds best in English.

  ■Use the words before and after the gap to help you decide which option is correct.

Have you ever wanted to hide away from the rest of your family and get a little 

¹silencepeacesleep

 

and quiet? Do you think houses in trees are just for children? Well, think again. Here at Arborbuild we can help you 

²mapdescribedesign

 

the perfect treehouse.

David Arbor started Arborbuild in the late 1980s. He needed an office to work 

³inforwith

 

so he built a treehouse in his garden. He enjoyed the project so much that he gave 

⁴upoverin

 

his job as an accountant and started his own company, building treehouses full-time. Twelve people work for him now and he 

⁵builthas builtbuild treehouses in fifteen countries.

⁶WhereAsIf 

you need an office, a storeroom, a playroom for the kids, or just somewhere to relax and read a book, Arborbuild can help you. Our planners will help you create the perfect space. Our workers will then build your dream – a dream that 

⁷lastwill lastneeds to last a lifetime.

Speaking

6Imagine you are throwing a house-warming party. Look at lists A and B and decide who you would invite to a house-warming party and which food you would prepare. 

A

✓  siblings

✓  girlfriend / boyfriend

✓  neighbour

✓  old school friends

✓  parents

✓  people from your new school

B

✓  pizza

✓  sushi

✓  chicken soup

✓  crisps

✓  homemade cookies

✓  ice cream

✓  meat balls

✓  cheese crackers

SPEAKING EXAM STRATEGY Before you start speaking, think about each point in the exam task and how you are going to answer it. Try to say as much as possible about each point. Don't just give short responses.

EXAM TASK 7  Imagine you are renting a flat or a house with a friend and you want to have a house-warming party. Plan the party. Think about what you need to do in advance and what type of party you want to have. Include the following points: the guest list. food, drink and music. the time and date. cleaning and preparing the house. Speak for no longer than one minute.

1.  Select Record Audio to record yourself.
2.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.
3.  Select Submit to dropbox to send the recording to your teacher.

WRITING EXAM STRATEGY Read the exam task carefully and make notes about what you are going to write. Write a new paragraph for each point and make sure you include all the information. Read through your writing and check the vocabulary, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

EXAM TASK   8  You have recently left home and rented a flat and have decided to email a friend in England. Include the following points: say why you left home. describe your new flat. say what you'd like to change about it. invite the friend to visit you.

1.  Write your task in another program (e.g. Word).
2.  Save the file to your computer.
3.  Upload your file.
4.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.
5.  Select Submit to Dropbox to send your work to your teacher.