Leslie Silver International Faculty

School of Languages

PRE-ENTRY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST 2FOR

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSTEST 2

Student Name: ___________________________________________________

Proposed Course: ________________________________________

Contact Name/Admissions Tutor: ________________________________

Your e-mail: _________________________________________________

This test has 3 parts:Parts Focus MarksPart 1 Reading, Vocabulary and Grammar (pass: 60)Part 2 Reading Comprehension (pass: 18)Part 3 Writing Pass Fail

James Roy, Principal Lecturer, ELT, School of Languages

Leslie Silver International Faculty

Part 1 Reading, Vocabulary and GrammarTime: 60 minutes (recommended)

Task 1There are 30 blank spaces in the text below. Read the text and for each blank space insert ONE appropriate word. The words you need are all ‘grammatical’: articles; verbs; prepositions; pronouns; conjunctions etc. Total marks: 30 (1 mark per correct answer)You should spend between about 10 minutes on this task.

Drafting and revisingWriting is difficult 1 ________ very few people 2 _________ the ability to write 3 __________ essay at one sitting 4 ____________ a form that 5 _____________ adequate. If you want 6 ___________ write well you should therefore 7 ____________ prepared 8 ________ write several drafts and 9 _________ read 10 __________ revise each carefully, trying as far 11 ___________ possible to undertake revisions objectively.

Unfortunately, 12 ____________ fact that writing involves mental 13 __________ physical effort, more so 14 ____________ does speaking, means that we 15 _____________ very often reluctant 16 ___________ rewrite what we 17 ____________ written. The skill of writing 18 _________ rewriting is, however, one of 19 ______ ________ most important skills that the successful author can acquire. Its importance is such that many educationists now recommend 20 ___________ the arts of drafting 21 __________ redrafting be practised by children 22 _________ the primary school, let alone 23 __________ secondary and higher education levels. Indeed, the art 24 __________ drafting and revising is now part of the National Curriculum in Primary Schools in England 25 ________ Wales. If you 26 __________ producing a serious piece 27 _____________ writing that 28 __________ intended to represent 29 ___________ best efforts, then you need to see the writing process as one that consists 30 __________ several stages.

The above text is slightly adapted from Fairbairn GJ and Winch C (1996, 2nd edition) Reading, Writing and Reasoning: a Guide for Students Buckingham: Open University Press. Page 61.

Marks Obtained in Task 1:

Possible Total Actual Total30

2

Task 2There are 10 blank spaces in the text below. Choose the best option from the possible selection of verb forms and write the answer in the space provided under the text. You should spend about 10 minutes on this task. Total marks: 10 (1 mark per correct answer)

This book is about the experience of learning as 1 ___ __________ from the student’s point of view. But in this chapter that experience 2 _____________ first from perspectives adopted by other groups – lecturers, psychologists, and educational researchers in an attempt 3 _________ the meaning of learning as it 4 ___________ by these different interested groups. The student’s perspective 5 _____________ in subsequent chapters as a way of 6 ______________ a new conceptualisation of learning, but always it 7 ____________ important to recognise the continuing existence of alternative frameworks for 8 _____________ learning in higher education.

Each group and, ultimately, each individual, 9 ____________ an interpretation of reality which is in some sense unique. And yet effective communication 10 ____________ on shared assumptions, definitions, and understanding.

This text is taken from page 3 of Entwistle N (1997, 2nd edition) Contrasting Perspectives on Learning in Marton, F, Hounsell D, Entwistle N (eds) The Experience of Learning: Implications for Teaching and Studying in Higher Education, pp 3 – 22, Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press

Task 2: Possible answers YOUR answer1. a) being seen b) seeing c) seen2. a) is examined b) is examining c) examines 3. a) to being explored b) to explore c) exploring4. a) is understood b) is being understood c) was understood5. a) to be used b) will be used c) are used6. a) developing b) to develop c) being developed7. a) will be being b) will to be c) will be8. a) understanding b) to understand c) to be understood9. a) is having b) has c) have10. a) depends b) is depending c) is being depended

Marks Obtained in Task 2:

Possible Total Actual Total10

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Task 3In most lines of the following text, there is one unnecessary word. For each numbered line, 1 - 15, write the unnecessary word in the space at the side of the text. Some lines are correct. Indicate these lines with a tick (). The task begins with two examples. Total marks: 15 (1 mark per correct answer)You should spend about 10 minutes on this task.

TEXT ANSWERS0. Not only should what you to write be clear in its meaning ,0. it should also make some sense beyond the level of the statement;1. it should make the sense as a text. 2. This requirement is easier to state than it is to be describe briefly. 3. At the core of the idea of coherence is the need for the overall message or argument 4. that you are conveying to be hang together and be consistent. 5. You should not to contradict yourself either explicitly or implicitly. 6. As we have already to said, when you are reading you rely on the author 7. to supply all the relevant many information that you need to understand the text. 8. This means that when you are to writing, 9. you need to be comprehensive in providing all of that is needed for the reader 10. to understand what you have be written. 11. As a writer you have a variety of the sources of information available to you:12. your memory, files, notes, reference books and so on. 13. One the danger faced by an inexperienced writer is that of mistakenly assuming14. that since she has access to multiple sources of information, 15. her readers also have of them available.

The above text is adapted from Fairbairn GJ and Winch C (1996, 2nd edition) Reading, Writing and Reasoning: a Guide for Students Buckingham: Open University Press. Pages 58 & 59.

Marks Obtained in Task 3:

Possible Total Actual Total15

4

Task 420 words have been removed from the text below. Each one fills one of the blanks, 1 – 20, in the text. Fill the blanks with the correct letter of the right missing word which is needed in order to complete the text. You should spend about 10 minutes on this task. Total marks: 20 (1 mark per correct answer)

TEXT WORDS REMOVED‘Public Relations and the Age of Spin’Professor Anne Gregory, Director of the Centre for Public Relations 1 ___________ at LMU, delivered her first 2 __________ as the UK’s only full-time Professor of PR to a3 _______________ audience at Beckett Park recently. In her inaugural lecture ‘Public Relations and the Age of Spin’, 4 __________ by Professor Gaynor Taylor, Anne 5 __________ the role and importance of public relations as a 6 ____________ for good and a moral agent for building dialogues between organisations and their 7 ________________.

As one of the top three 8. ___________ choices for new graduates, public relations is a 9 _____________ industry that 10 ___________ over 30, 000 people in the UK. “So why has its reputation not progressed with its growth?” 11 _________ Anne. The answers are easy to see in most modern 12 ___________: spin, ambivalent relationships with the 13 ____________ and political PR that makes the public distrustful of its 14 _____________ all contribute to the 15 ___________ light in which PR is seen.

Presenting to an 16 __________ that included PR practitioners, journalists and alumni of LMU’s PR courses, Anne suggested that current models of practice are 17 ___________ as corporate social responsibility and 18 ____________ are becoming more important to the public. Anne wants to engage in debate to move the industry forward, and suggests a new model of practice in which educated and ethical PR 19 _____________ work with the public, for the public and in public.

Also present at the lecture was John Aspery, current President of the Institute of Public Relations, a role Anne will be 20 ________ up herself next year.

A forceB asksC StudiesD careerE employsF packedG audienceH governmentI lectureJ accountabilityK arguedL organisationsM stakeholdersN takingO negativeP pressQ introducedR practitionersS outdatedT growing

Taken from The News (LMU news magazine) 09/05/03, no. 59, page 4.

Marks Obtained in Task 4:

Possible Total Actual Total

5

20

Task 5In most lines of the following text, there is either ONE spelling or ONE punctuation error. For each numbered line, 1 - 15, write the correctly spelled word or show the correct punctuation in the column at the side. Some lines are correct. Indicate these lines with a tick (). Total marks: 15 (1 mark per correct answer). The answer begins with one example.You should spend about 10 minutes on this task.

0. A well-known scientist once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described 1. how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn orbits around the2. centre of a vast collection of stars called our gallaxy. At the end of the lecture,3. a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: ‘What you have told4. us is rubbish? The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a5. giant tortoise.’ The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, ‘What is6. the tortoise standing on?’ ‘You’re very clever, young man, very clever, said 7. the old lady. ‘But its tortoises all the way down!’8. Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of. 9. tortoises rather ridiculous, but why do we think, we know better? What10. do we know about the universe and how do we know it? Recent11. breakthroughs in physiques, made possible in part by fantastic new12. technologies; suggest answers to some of our oldest questions. One13. day these answers may seem as obvious to us as the earth orbitting the14. sun – or perhaps as ridiculous as a tower of tortoises: only time (whatever15. that maybe) will tell.

This text is taken from Hashemi L (1995) CAE Practice Tests 2. Cambridge: CUP. Page 78.

Marks Obtained in Task 5:Possible Total Actual Total15

6

Task 6Below is a short text taken from the book ‘Mars and Venus: Together Forever’. However, the words in the text have been all mixed up and now no longer make sense. Re-write the short paragraph in the space provided using all the words below in a way that makes sense. Total marks: 10 (for a fully constructed, grammatically correct answer). You should spend about 10 minutes on this task.

All original punctuation has been left in its original place. The original paragraph is made up of 3 sentences.

JUMBLED TEXThaving as confessed more passion of I probably a my growing up, had serious. father to started when secretly moment was divorce. a the In fifties, I he an became out was What asked mother my that affair. gradually He for

From Gray J (1996 edition) Mars and Venus: Together Forever page 1. London: Vermilion

MY CORRECTED VERSION:

Marks Obtained in Task 6:

Possible Total Actual Total10

Marks Obtained in Part 1:

Possible Total Actual Total100 (60 = pass)

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Part 2 Reading ComprehensionTotal Time: 40 minutes

Text 1This task should take you about 20 minutes. Read the text and answer the comprehension questions which follow.

MicropropagationIf you’ve bought a garden plant recently, the odds are that it started life as a green blob in a sterile dish in a laboratory. Micropropagation – the rapid multiplication of plants using tissue-culture technology – is becoming big business.

One of its disadvantages is speed. Take a small piece of plant, put it in a medium which encourages it to form multiple shoots, then repeat the exercise.

One plant becomes tens of thousands or even millions in a matter of months. And every copy of the plant is a genetically uniform clone.

This can be a boon to horticulturists and gardeners. New varieties reach the market place in record time, and the technique also generates disease-free stock. Micropropagation is also playing an increasingly important role in the conservation of rare plants. But there is one application that carries a serious ecological risk.

Micropropagation of forest trees is a superficially attractive proposition. Most tree species show enormous variability in growth rates, shape and almost every other economically important character. Conventional selective-breeding methods to improve them are at best slow and at worst completely impractical. Breeders may have to wait 10 years before they can assess the performance of new varieties. Some species, such as oaks, may take 40 years to produce the crop of seeds that will show whether desirable characters will be inherited.

But micropropagation could soon change all that. By cloning in a test tube the biggest and best trees, plantations could be established with a limited range of varieties that satisfy commercial forestry’s narrow criteria for the ideal tree. Tissue culture technologists have already begun to clone eucalyptus, oak, birch, poplar, willow, pine and fir.

These developments also pave the way for new possibilities for genetic engineering in forestry. Experimental poplars which contain foreign genes that give insect and herbicide resistance already exist.

If all this goes strictly according to plan, we could look forward to a new breed of weed-free, insect-free forests of cloned trees – a sterile habitat formed from shoots multiplied in sterile culture.

That’s the medium-term risk. The longer-term hazard arises if it all goes wrong and the pests and diseases retaliate. The history of international agriculture is littered with examples of famine and disasters precipitated by epidemics of insects, fungi and bacteria that have mutated and overwhelmed the man-manipulated defences of genetically uniform crops. As I write, the grapevines in California’s Napa Valley, which are clonally propagated by cuttings, are being sucked dry by a new strain of aphid.

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This is why maintaining diversity in crops is at least as important as conserving biodiversity in natural ecosystems. It’s our only long-term insurance policy against such disasters.

Sudden pest ‘pandemics’ affecting monocultures of tree clones would be particularly damaging. Slow-growing forests occupy land that remains relatively undisturbed for decades. This accumulates a wider range of plant and animal species and has a much higher ecological value than land disturbed by annual cycles of intensive cropping.

While the sudden loss of an annual crop usually has little effect on wildlife, the consequences of a rapid decline of a species can be dramatic. It may be that someone, somewhere, is assessing the potential risks that micropropagation in forestry holds for wildlife, and that these will be balanced against commercial advantage. But somehow, I doubt it.

Question Answers Your AnswerFor questions 1 – 5, choose the 5 positive aspects of the micropropagation of plants mentioned in the article, from list A to H.

Positive Aspects Mentioned:

ALL interchangeable:

1 __________

2 __________

3 ___________

4 ___________

5 ___________

2 marks for each correct answer.

Choose the 5 positive aspects mentioned in the article from the list of 8 below.

A produces more abundant cropsB means that the public has rapid access to new plant varietiesC produces young plants which do not have diseasesD speeds up researchE offers higher profit margins for plant breedersF can aid the conservation of endangered plant speciesG results in easier working conditions for forestersH can produce plants which resist attack by certain pests

For questions 6 – 8, choose the 3 negative aspects of the micropropagation of plants mentioned in the article, from list A to F.

Negative Aspects Mentioned:

ALL interchangeable:

6 __________

7 __________

8 __________

2 marks for each correct answer

Choose the 3 negative aspects mentioned in the article from the list of 6 below.

A is not a practical possibility for some plantsB could lead to practices which reduce the variety of plants and animalsC creates crops which are vulnerable to wholesale destruction by pestsD is causing the market to become flooded with new speciesE may lead to a reduction in the workforceF may lead to the creation of forests which support no other living things

Taken, and slightly adapted from Hashemi L (1995) CAE Practice Tests 2. Cambridge: CUP. Pages 71 - 72.

Marks Obtained from Text 1:

Possible Total Actual Total16 (2 marks per correct answer)

9

Text 2

This task should take you about 20 minutes. Read the text and answer the questions which follow.

Characteristics of Open and Distance LearningA __________________________Open learning is generally seen as a goal of education, characterised by increasing flexibility of methodological and administrative practices in the interests of maximising the options and support available for students. Distance teaching is characterised by four things: 1) the need to individualise learning; 2) the use of a range of teaching and supervisory strategies which are not primarily face-to-face; 3) the need to determine, in advance of teaching, the activities, interactions and resources necessary to achieve the purposes of a course unit or subject, and 4) an openness to the educational possibilities afforded by developments in computer and communications technologies.

B ________________________________The major educational distinction between on-campus and distance teaching is the reliance on group-based strategies in the former and the obligation to individualise instruction in the latter. These individualised strategies also need to be supported by a compatible administrative system. For academics whose experience is primarily of study on-campus, there is some challenge in distance education, because the assumptions which underpin individualised learning may be quite different from those with which they are familiar. The Distance Education Centre provides support to academics who are teaching students at a distance with the aim of helping them understand the different demands of this kind of teaching.

C ________________________________Major differences between the teaching modes result from the following factors: The logistics of communication The degree to which the lecturer is able to respond to student input The role of the peer-group influence Student access to learning resources The complexity of the administrative arrangements which support the programme of learning The extent to which the lecturer can influence the learning environment of the studentThe university believes that good teaching requires that these distinctive characteristics be recognised.

D ________________________________Perhaps the most critical element of this view of distance education is the reliance it places on students taking a greater degree of responsibility for their own learning than is generally the case for on-campus study. This expectation sits reasonably comfortably with elements of adult learning theories which encourage respect for students and their experience as well as the familiar patterns of higher degree study.

E ________________________________It is important to understand that there is a general movement in higher education towards the individualisation of learning generally. Old distinctions between internal and external enrolments will have less meaning over time as the range of resources and strategies in both on-campus and distance teaching are increasingly shared between these modes. While some administrative

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distinctions will necessarily prevail, the characteristics of good teaching will increasingly be those which allow individual students to pursue their studies in flexible and supportive ways.

This text was adapted slightly from Gibson C, Rusek W & Swan A (1996) IELTS Practice Now, University of South Australia, Adelaide: CALUSA. Page 98.

Text 2 Questions

In the box below is a list of headings for the 5 paragraphs in Text 2. For questions 1 – 5, choose the appropriate heading for each paragraph and write the corresponding number i – vii next to the appropriate Paragraph. Total marks: 13

These questions were adapted from Gibson C, Rusek W & Swan A (1996) IELTS Practice Now, University of South Australia, Adelaide: CALUSA. Pages 99 - 100.

Paragraphs: Headings Possible Headings

1. Paragraph A: __________________

2. Paragraph B: __________________

3. Paragraph C: __________________

4. Paragraph D: __________________

5. Paragraph E: __________________

1 mark for each correct answer.

i: Anticipated Changes in Course Delivery

ii: Factors Influencing the Difference Between On-Campus and Distance Teaching

iii: Problems Experienced by Academics

iv: Why Support is Important

v: How Academics Adjust to Distance Teaching

vi: Student Responsibility

vii: The Main Features of Teaching at a Distance

On the next page, the major characteristics of on-campus (OC) and Distance Learning (DL) are listed below, together with those features which are common to both modes (BM). Sort these characteristics, based on Text 2, into their groups by writing OC (on-campus); DL (Distance Learning) or BM (common to both modes) next to the 8 characteristics listed.

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Characteristics

6. There are opportunities for the exploitation of communication technologies ______________

7. The lecturer is able to treat the class as a group ________________

8. Academics may experience difficulty with a different mode of delivery ________________

9. The teaching methods are familiar ____________________

10. Administrative and support services need to consider students’ personal learningneeds _____________________

11. Students need to be independent learners _________________

12. Individual students are encouraged to pursue their studies in the ways which suit them best __________________

13. There is increasing flexibility in the way students are encouraged to achieve their goals ___________

1 mark for each correct answer

Marks Obtained from Text 2:

Possible Total Actual Total13 (see each question for marks allocated)

Marks Obtained in Part 2:

Possible Total Actual Total29 (18 = PASS)

12

Part 3 WritingTotal time: 70 minutes

Task 1You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present an argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.

Too much attention is given to headline–grabbing disasters like earthquakes and floods. Governments should concentrate their resources on educating people about the risks they face nearer to home, which can cost far more lives.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience to support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

You should write at least 250 words.

Taken from Sue O’Connel (2002) Focus on IELTS. Longman. Page 211

Task 2You should spend about 30 minutes on this task.

Below is a table which shows the causes of injury by age and their percentage contribution to total deaths during a 12-month period in Australia. Some of these injuries may be termed accidental and and some may not.

Describe the information in the table. You should write at least 150 words .

Injury Cause

Age Category

0- 14 15-39 40-64 65+ TotalMotor vehicle 40% 45% 29% 21% 34%Poisonings 1% 4% 2% 2% 2%Falls 3% 2% 6% 42% 11%Drownings 19% 3% 4% 2% 5%Suffocation/Asphyxiation

14% 1% 3% 2% 2%

Suicide - 26% 31% 17% 27%Homicide and Violence

5% 5% 4% 1% 4%

All other causes 16% 12% 20% 13% 14%Taken from Gibson C, Rusek W & Swan A (1996) IELTS Practice Now, University of South Australia, Adelaide: CALUSA. Page 123

Recommended Result from Part 3 (markers refer to general criteria sheet)Fail Pass

Unsatisfactory:FAIL

Satisfactory:PASS

Very Good:GOOD PASS

Excellent:Outstanding Pass

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