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This is the Pearson Test of English General Level 5. This test takes 2 hours and 55 minutes.

Section 1

You will have 10 seconds to read each question and the corresponding options. Then listen to the recording. After the recording you will have 10 seconds to choose the correct option. Put a cross (1Zl) in the box next to the correct answer, as in the example.

Example: What is the speaker doing?

A recommending an action

[gj B criticising a practice

D C explaining a process

I. What does the speaker say about relationships?

D A Parents are the most important family members.

D B Relationships play different roles throughout our life.

C Friends are more important than family:

2. The speakers disagree about the importance of

A external appearances.

B being physically fit.

D C our genetic make-up.

3. What are the speakers discussing about the celebrity lifestyle?

A making the most of it

D B ways of prolonging it

C the uncertainty of it

4. What is said about health reporting in the US?

D A Many journalists no longer focus exclusively on health. B The low standards ofjournalism are a major concern.

D C Health reporting is going through a stagnant time.

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5. The woman suggests that the man's attitude is

0 A CUrIOus.

0 B prudent.

0 C elitist.

6. What is the man talking about?

0 A the competition for TV sponsorship

0 B the effectiveness of TV sponsorship

C the costs of TV sponsorship

7. What does the man think is changing nowadays?

0 A what people spend their money on

0 B how people identify themselves

0 C who people see as important in their lives

8. What does the man say about his boss?

0 A She does not acknowledge the work he has done.

B She does not believe that holidays are necessary.

0 C She does not apply the same standard to employees.

9. According to the speaker, for the majority ofyoung people, having a celebrity role model is 0 A worryingly obsessive.

0 B merely a passing phase.

0 C more than a stylistic choice.

10. What is the speaker going to do?

0 A provide a summary

B explain a theory

0 C expand on a topic

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Section 2

11. You will hear a recording about cultural globalization. Listen to the whole recording once. 11 D Then you will hear the recording again with pauses for you to write down what you hear. Make sure you spell the words correctly.

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Section 3

12-16 You will hear a talk. First, read the notes below, then listen and complete the notes with information from the talk. You will hear the recording twice.

. . .. walking to meetingsExample: The speaker suggests combmmg exercise with work by... ............. ..... ................... .

12. She thinks that your .............................................. can be improved by flexible working.

13. In a recession people are inclined to regard work-life balance

as a .............................................. .

14. Greater productivity means your boss will probably .............................................. .

15. It's not a good idea to keep working .............................................. .

16. The consensus is that the economy will .............................................. .

17-21 You will hear a talk. First, read the notes below then listen and complete the notes with information from the talk. You will hear the recording twice.

. I . b' d' d I ' blogsExampIe: Niowadays, toplca questions are emg Iscusse on peop e s ................................ .

17. Various causes are being publicized by both businesses and .............................................. .

18. Such discussions are normal for the current generation and have helped to form

their .............................................. .

19. The software called Web 2.0 enabled people to build their own ....................................... .

20. American businesses realized that, in terms of .............................................. , using social media was an improvement on traditional methods.

21. The older generation is more concerned about protecting

their .............................................. .

(Total to marks) That is the end of the listening section of the test. Now go on to the other sections

of the test.

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Section 4

Read each text and put a cross (IZI) by the missing word or phrase, as in the example.

Example:

If the community is viewed as a marketplace, and individuals as consumers,

Pre-existing conditions

Please note: you will not be covered for any pre-exlstmg medical conditions that you may have. Acondition will be considered pre-existing if it is a condition you have received treatment for, or one you knew about or in our reasonable opinion you ................................ .

D A were not aware of

l&l

B

C

need treatment for

should have known about

22.

those who fall short in a competitive ................................ tend to become socially invisible. These people carry no weight as consumers or voters or protestors. Viewed in this way, the needs Of homeless people are easy to ignore.

D A environment

8 manner

D c association

23. A dense, tact-filled publication that makes plain the jargon spouted by all who put profit before basic human needs ... A well-conceived primer on the machinations ofthe modem consumer world. No Logo is ................................. for anyone who thinks people should not be treated like machines.

A a 'must' read

DBa harsh correcti ve

DCa timely antidote

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24. No commercial venture .................................. This means that consumers have the power through their purchasing decisions to make a difference to the way companies conduct their business. Nowhere is this truer than in the field of green products where businesses, as a direct result of consumer pressure, have been forced to monitor and evaluate their green credentials.

o A is without its inherent weaknesses

o B will own up to its environmental impact

o C can survive without its customers

25. In this short film Dr Whitley warns that in their proposed form, 10 cards fail to

distinguish the separate tasks of authentication and identification forcing us to

disclose more personal infonnation than necessary in situations where we may

; need, for example, simply to ................................. that we are over 18. I

o A detennine

B witness

o C establish

26. Many analysts point to the way new technologies and their exploitation such as commercial air travel, satellite television, mass telecommunications and the internet have created a world where billions now consume identical cultural products such as pop music, soap operas and sporting events and .... ............ ....... .......... cultural practices they would never otherwise have encountered.

A engage

0 B employ

0 C adapt

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Section 5

Read the article and answer the questions below. For each question, put a cross (~ in the box next to the correct answer, as in the example.

Toy Stories

Toys are the most frivolous things in the world and, in some ways, the most essential. No

eulture is without toys; where mass-produced toys are absent, children transform everyday

objects into games, pUzzles, and imagined friends and enemies. Toys can be objects of

solitary attention and entertainment or, far more often, centerpieces of social interaction.

Even animals play with toys. If it is true that no one ever steps into the same river twice, it

is also true that no child ever plays with the same toy in the same way more than once. As

the child grows, the play changes; and as the play changes, the toy is transformed.

Some psychologists have argued - controversially that boys' and girls' preferences for

certain kinds of play are driven by hormonal differences, and that socialization plays a

relatively minor role. Regardless of the roots of gendered toy preferences, it is clear that

toys and toy advertising have powerful effects on the ways children construct their gender

identities. Whether children play with boys' or girls' toys has significant effects for the

nature of their play, says Isabelle Cherney, a developmental psychologist at Creighton

University. Cherney found that female-stereotyped toys tend to promote the most complex

play in 18 to 47 month-olds. But as children grow older, their gendered stereotypes about

toys grow stronger. Boys, especially, become increasingly likely to avoid playing with "girl

toys," possibly for fear of social repercussions from their peers.

Under the glare of so much attention from parents, children, toy-makers, and cultural critics,

toys can seem central to the lives of children and crucial determinants of their futures.

But buying "Baby Einstein" does not a baby Einstein make, say psychologists. Toys are

opportunities for play, for exploration, and for social interaction; an educational toy that

promotes these will have a positive effect, but so will an everyday household object if used

in the right way. The anthropologist lean-Pierre Rossie of the Stockholm International Toy

Research Centre describes children he has studied in Saharan countries as "masters in the

re-utilization of waste material," crafting intricate toys from detritus and everyday household

objects. The subjects of Rossie's research were likely more skilled in making ad-hoc toys

than many children who grow up with toy-chests full of mass-marketed playthings, but they

were hardly unique in their ability to transform mundane objects into opportunities for play.

"Toy manufacturers strive mightily to make toys that attract infants and young children with lights and sounds, buzzes and whistles," says Andrew Meltzoff, a developmental psychologist at the University of Washington. "They can make things that grab the child's attention, but the children's hearts lie with the pots and pans, the tea cups and telephones

. that they see their parents use."

Example: What is the writer's main point in the first paragraph?

A Toys can have both positive and ncgativc effects.

[gJ B Toys are found in a multitude of situations.

D C Toys appeal to our basest instincts.

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27. The writer uses the analogy of a river to show that

A different children perceive the same toys in different ways.

B the experience of playing with a toy alters over time.

0 C toys have the capacity to shape a child's character.

28. Which of the following words best describes the writer's attitude towards psychologists' views on gendered toy preferences?

0 A disrespectful

B defensive

C dismissive

29. Why are male children often reluctant to play with what they consider to be "girl toys"?

0 A They prefer toys that give them the opportunity to display strength.

B They are worried about what others may think of them.

0 C They are afraid they will become too feminine.

30. The writer gives the example of'Baby Einstein' to show 'that

0 A children are unaware of the significance of toys in their lives.

B it is not the toy but how the toy is exploited that matters.

0 C innovative, expensive toys tend to be a waste of money.

31. What does the research in the last two paragraphs imply?

0 A Children have an instinctive ability to create their own toys.

B Companies know how to stimulate product loyalty in children.

0 C Toys modeled on real objects are more attractive to children.

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Section 6

Read the article below and answer the questions.

A melding of African and European music and culture, jazz was born in the USA, a new musical fonn that used rhythm and improvisation in unique and exciting ways. Jazz came to prominence in the early 20th century on the dance floors of major cultural centers such as Kansas City and New York. With the advent of sound recording techniques, and the increased domestic availability of affordable gramophone players and the rise of radio as a popular entertainment, jazz quickly conquered the country. By the 1930s and 1940s, jazz had become America's dance music, selling albums and perfonnance tickets at dizzying rates and sweeping millions of fans in foreign countries off their feet.

Example: Where did jazz begin? USA

32. Which two musical elements were used in distinctive ways in jazz?

33. When did jazz first gain popularity?

34. Which devices in the home aided in the spread of jazz across the US?

35. What did people buy in large quantities in the 308 and 408?

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Read the article below and answer the questions.

The Fourth Estate

There are various ways in which the first three estates of a democracy are defined, but essentially they are seen as the government, the legal system and the church in various combinations. Each has power in our society. Pluralists argue that it is good that each of these systems is held in check by the other two because peace and democracy are thereby maintained.

The role of the media is seen as being that of the fourth estate, whose role is to keep the public informed about what is happening in the other three estates. The media fulfil this role by reporting political events in the newspapers or on broadcast television by providing documentary programmes to report on key events, among other ways. For instance, BBe Question Time is seen as an important programme for giving feedback to the government about current issues and debates. Where there has been evidence of possible misconduct by the police or by judges, for example, the media argue that it is their role to investigate and keep the public fully informed.

Example: What are the first three estates of a democracy?

Government I legal system and the church ...................... ............................... ~ ..........................', ........ ~ ........... '" ......... " ............................~

36. What do the first three estates ensure. according to pluralists?

37. How do the press and TV perform their role?

38. What does Question Time provide for politicians?

39. What might the media investigate amongst the legal profession?

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Section 7

Read the article and complete the notes. Write no more than three words in each gap from the article.

Shifts in Educational Authority

In countries around the world, the power of the central state over the educational system has diminished in the past two decades. In educational systems where control was formerly exercised by a powerful national Ministry of Education, including France and China, administrative authority has been devolved to regional or local governments, and often beyond to the school level. In less-centralized systems, including Brazil and the UK, in which authority was already lodged at sub-national levels of government, an increased degree of control has shifted to communities and schools. Issues related to administrative decentralization dominate the educational policy agenda in these and other countries, and in virtually all countries, the advocates of further decentralization are winning the policy debate.

The worldwide trend toward administrative decentralization originates in a number of different motives, and the relative weight of these motives in the determination of policy choices varies substantially among countries. In South Africa and Brazil, for example, the move to decentralize administrative authority is associated with powerful pressures to increase democratic accountability in previously authoritarian political systems. These moves may also be associated with an obligation, or at least a willingness, to acknowledge

'.

and respect ethnic or regional differences in parents' and' communities' expectations for the educational system, including, for example, variation in preferences with respect to the language of instruction. They may also originate in the desire of central governments to shift intractable political and policy problems to other spheres of government or out of the public sector altogether, as in the US.

In other countries, including New Zealand and China, administrative decentralization is, in significant part, attributable to efforts to increase efficiency and reduce public expenditure in the educational system. Different governments have sought to accomplish this by fostering competition among service providers, by privatizing previously public services, or by mobilizing additional resources from communities and households. In some instances, notably including the UK and the US, these efforts are accompanied by explicit ambitions to limit the power and capacity of the state and the "education establishment" by generating competitive, "market" pressures on public sector institutions. In other countries, the move to decentralize authority and responsibility in the educational system originates in the incapacity of the central state to provide educational services of acceptable quality to all who demand them.

Many of these decentralizing moves include expanded opportunities for parents to make choices about the schools their children attend. In the US and the UK, the array of public sector alternatives has been significantly increased through the establishment of grant-maintained and charter schools, and through the removal of previous obstacles to mobility among regular public schools.

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I did . h I diminished .Example: Centra Ize contra over e ucatlOn as recent y ....................................... 10 systems around the world.

40. In systems where local governments already held authority, both

....................................................................................... are gaining more controL

41. Trends toward decentralization of educational authority in some previously authoritarian political systems are motivated chiefly by the desire for

42. New Zealand is shifting authority away from the center in order to achieve greater

43. Some governments have subjected the public sector to

44. In some countries, decentralization has occurred because of central governments' failure

to offer adequate ....................................................................................... .

45. Decentralization is broadening parents' ........................................................... with regard to their children's education.

46. In the UK there are now fewer..................................................................... ................. for parents and chi Idren.

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Section 8

Use the infonnation in Section 7 to help you write your answer. Use your own words.

47. You have read an article on shifts in educational authority around the world. Now write a letter to a friend of yours who is studying education in order to become a teacher. Write 150 to 200 words and include the following infonnation:

A summary of some approaches around the world to decentralisation

Some effects of decentralisation on parents and students Your opinion on whether schools should be regulated by central governments

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47F

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........ '" ....... ~ ........................ ~ ................................................................................................... . Q8

1,__ (Total 10 marks) I-[~ -

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Section 9

48. Choose one of the topics below and write your answer in 250-300 words.

Either:

A You see this notice in a magazine about adventure sports:

There's been debate in the news about whether people who are injured or lost in the course of doing adventure sport should have to pay for their own treatment and rescue.

Write an article giving your opinion.

Or:

B Write an essay on the following topic:

Put a cross (~) in the box next to the task you have chosen.

A 0 B 0-

Write 250-300 words.

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48E

o

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4 ~ ~ .................................... ,. ................... ~ ~ ~ ......................... ~

..

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4 ~ ~.~ *~ ...... ~ ......................................................................... .

~~ ... " " ........................., ............ , .............................................. " ... " .... .............................. .

....................................................................................................................................... Q9 -.--v.-

(Total 1 0 marks)

THAT IS THE END OF THE TEST

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1

KEY - PEARSON TEST OF ENGLISH - GENERAL MAY 2013 Level 5 Section 1 - Listening (10 marks)

Numbers 1 to 10

A B C Rationale / Key words

Ex X charities arent there to make money for food companies 1 X family friends family once again takes precedence 2 X whats on the inside counts VS when I know I look good 3 X never know when the lights are going to go out and its all over 4 X standards never higher // time of great opportunity and great ferment

5 X for a small minority like yourself and all the others should have opportunity

6 X if can manage to support a TV program, must be something to them

7 X people getting sense of self less from work and more from shopping

8 X maybe if I was married to her niece, Id be in Corfu like Francis 9 X little more than a style thing, can be obsessive, but most grow out of it

10 X first say some things so lets start Section 2 Listening (10 marks)

Number 11

(Full text) Current developments seem likely only to accelerate things further. Since the 1990s, entertainment, telecommunications and IT sectors have been building ever closer ties, partly through acquisitions and mergers. Coupled with the widespread liberalization of the telecommunications industry, once dominated by public monopolies, this is already ensuring speedier, cheaper and more efficient means of delivering entertainment and information throughout the world.

(As spoken with pauses) Current developments seem likely // only to accelerate things further. // Since the 1990s, // entertainment, telecommunications and IT sectors // have been building ever closer ties, // partly through acquisitions and mergers. // Coupled with the widespread liberalization // of the telecommunications industry, // once dominated by public monopolies, // this is already ensuring speedier, cheaper // and more efficient means of delivering // entertainment and information throughout the world.

Section 3 Listening (10 marks)

Numbers 12 16

Example: walking to meetings

12. job and productivity

13. soft option

14. value you more

15. in crisis mode

16. recover

Numbers 17 21

Example: blogs

17. celebrities

18. world view

19. communities

20. marketing

21. privacy

2

Section 4 (5 marks)

A B C

Ex X

22 X

23 X

24 X

25 X

26 X

Section 5 (5 marks)

A B C

Ex X

27 X

28 X

29 X

30 X

31 X

Section 6 (8 marks)

Ex USA

32 rhythm and improvisation

33 in the early 20th century

34 the gramophone and the radio

35 albums and performance tickets

Ex Government, legal system and the church

36 peace and democracy

37 by reporting political and other key events

38 feedback about current issues and debates

39 possible misconduct

Section 7 (7 marks) Write no more than three words from the article.

Ex diminished

40 communities and schools

41 democratic accountability

42 efficiency

43 competitive (market) pressures

44 educational services

45 choices

46 obstacles to mobility

3

Section 8 (10 marks, 7 criteria)

Writing (150 - 200 words)

47. A letter to a friend who is studying education to become a teacher.

Information to include will come from Section 7 text (article). However, it should be rephrased in the candidates own words.

Bullet points to include (i.e. required):

a summary of some approaches around the world to decentralisation (throughout paragraphs 1, 2, 3)

some effects of decentralization on parents and students (appearance of more choice/control, but possible lack of standards to weigh results against?)

your opinion on whether schools should be regulated by central governments (brainstorm specifics; not many are mentioned in the article, though many are seen in press/TV. Central control is a question, perhaps, of extent broad standards vs local whims, e.g. teaching climate change vs denial, or, in US, intelligent design vs scientific approach. You may need to draw on outside knowledge for this one.)

Section 9 (10 marks)

Writing (250-300 words)

48. Choose ONE of the two options.

A Write an article giving your opinion about adventure sports In response to the following notice in a magazine:

Theres been debate in the news about whether people who are injured or lost in the course of doing adventure sport should have to pay for their own treatment and rescue.

No bullet points are given. However, logic and flow suggest the candidate should mention: 1. The notice and your reaction to it 2. The reality of participants ability to pay for catastrophic injuries, permanent disability. 3. Alternatives to paying out of public coffers, e.g. requiring special insurance by sport providers or

participants in order to offer and take part in extreme sports. OR

B Write an essay On the following topic:

Young people often enjoy different music from their parents. What do you think shapes peoples tastes in music?

Again bullet points are not given. Consider:

1. Other influences that shape tastes: media, peer groups, exposure at school, etc. 2. Examples of each influence you mention. Both positive and negative exposures might be

mentioned, e.g. music appreciation courses at school vs a neighbours loud stereo playing a type of music you soon come to loathe.

3. Summary: Is it okay for young people to form their own preferences? (Well, um, yes, why not? As long as respect for others ears is maintained.)