Task 1
Task 1. Match each message (1-5) and its meaning (A-F). There is one letter that you do not need. There is an example at the beginning (0→G).
Task 2
Task 2. You will read five emails. For each question (6-10), choose the correct answer (A, B or C).
Five emails
6. Hi Jenny,
When you get to London, there are plenty of things to visit. I’d recommend the Tower of London and while you’re there, don’t miss the Crown Jewels exhibition. It’ll be a nice change from all the military stuff and stories of former prisoners. I bought an excellent crown replica in their souvenir shop. And I think you can even say hello to the guards at the Jewel House.
Jack
7. Dear Mark,
I had a fantastic time at the music festival. You know how much I love live performances, especially the atmosphere and the energy. What I found satisfying this time was how many bands were adding elements from other music styles. There was some trouble with the sound system during a few sets, though, which was quite disappointing considering the quality of music performed.
Alex
8. Hi David!
Too bad you missed the game last night. It was so fierce! Being so close to the pitch gave me a really good view – I could even see the expressions on the players’ faces. I understand you couldn’t make it, but it was worth every penny. We were hoping for a special offer for buying in advance, but we didn’t mind paying full price.
Emma
9. Hi,
I’m postponing our girls’ movie night. I know it took a lot of effort to agree on the movie and make sure everyone was free. However, my cousin Jake was voted Manager of the Year and won an all-expenses-paid city break. You know Stella has been dating him and he asked her to be his plus one. I told her we would wait.
Mia
10. Hey,
What do you think of Lisa, the new girl in our group? She seems to be focused on her work. I can’t tell how dedicated she is, though. I tried some small talk with her the other day, but she was completely indifferent. Even made me feel a bit anxious. It’s hard to get to know her because she doesn’t talk much. But I think she’ll open up eventually.
Max
Task 3
Task 3. Read Sitcoms. For each question (11-15), choose the correct answer (A, B or C).
Sitcoms
The first sitcoms were once-a-week programmes, running at the same time. Performed live, the full week was needed for technical details and for memorising scripts. No matter what problems appeared in a single episode, they were always solved by the end of it so any viewer missing an episode could follow the rest.
In the 1950s ‘The Honeymooners’, one of the most beloved sitcoms in TV history, set the rules for the future. Since early cameras were quite large and difficult to move, the first sitcoms were shot on a single stage. ‘The Honeymooners’ was mostly set in a kitchen. At the kitchen table everyone had a place to gather and a reason to be there. ‘I Love Lucy’ exchanged the kitchen for the living room, and the sitcom tradition of the sofa was born. It was the first to be filmed before live studio audiences and later included multiple sets. Even decades later popular shows like ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘The Cosby Show’ didn’t manage to match the number of sets ‘Lucy’ used in the 1950s.
Advances in special effects introduced fantastical elements to 1960s programmes. Witches, genies and strange characters like in ‘The Addams Family’ were popular. To replace live audiences they added recorded laugh tracks to the jokes. The 1970s sitcoms introduced real-world events into their storylines, addressing social issues with humour. Studio audiences became the norm again.
Stand-up comedians getting their own shows dominated the 1980s. During the 1990s, cartoon sitcoms rose in popularity, led by ‘The Simpsons’. Laugh tracks and studio audiences were abandoned in the 2000s, as filmed programmes including ‘Scrubs’ and ‘The Office’ gained fame. Many of these shows used on-location filming, focusing on camera work and editing, rather than scripted laughter, to improve the writing.
Task 4
Task 4. Read Students and Self-Confidence. For each question (16-20), choose the answer (A-F) that best completes the sentence. There is one letter that you do not need. There is an example at the beginning (0→G).
Students and Self-Confidence
There are many factors that can lead to low self-confidence. Fitting in with others (0) _. Students, for example, can experience low self-confidence (16) _. As a society we are surrounded by unrealistic concepts of what we ‘should’ look like, and it’s easy to feel we’re not the ‘ideal’ type compared to others. A student’s confidence can often be destroyed when they don’t see in the mirror the body (17) _. This is especially true in adolescent years.
Students may also suffer from low self-confidence (18) _, or they may set unrealistic expectations for themselves and strive to get perfect grades for every assignment. While it is great to have a desire to do well, students need to realise that they are not superhuman. It is important that students identify and accept their limitations as well as that teachers focus on other skills or positive qualities (19) _. Pointing out great character traits that students possess can help them feel (20) _. This is beneficial in helping every student develop into a well-rounded, responsible citizen and a healthy contented adult.
Task 5
Task 5. Read Fairies. For each question (21-25), choose the answer (A, B or C) that best completes the sentence. There is an example at the beginning (0→C).
Fairies
Who was not fascinated by tales of fairies in their childhood? The true nature of fairies remains an enigma, a blend of myth and imagination, but their stories (0) _ captivate our hearts and minds.
The mystery surrounding the Cottingley fairies lived on for more than 60 years. It was a series of photographs taken by two young cousins, Elsie and Frances, in Cottingley, England, in 1917. Cottingley stream was a favourite spot of the two cousins, (21) _ regularly got into trouble for returning home untidy after playing in and around the stream.
When (22) _ for getting wet, they said they went there “to see the fairies”. That excuse was so thin that Elsie borrowed her father’s camera and went in search of proof. The girls were back within the hour, with several photos which showed them interacting with small creatures (23) _ fairies. The girls claimed to have captured images of actual fairies in their garden, which gained widespread attention.
However, suspicion grew (24) _ time. Elsie’s father, Arthur, knew the girls had been up to something: he just wasn’t sure how they’d done it.
The most likely explanation seemed to be that they’d used cut-out figures. Arthur’s instincts were right, (25) _ it would be decades before that was confirmed. His hunch was correct.
Task 6
Task 6. Read Flowing Goddess. For each question (26-30), choose the answer (A-I) that best completes the sentence. There are four letters that you do not need. There is an example at the beginning (0→J).
Flowing Goddess
For (0) _ people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Neretva River stands (26) _ as the most beautiful river in a land that is known (27) _ its magnificent rivers. Named by the Celts as ‘Nera Etwa’, meaning ‘Flowing Goddess’, this green gem is the coldest river in the world, with summer water temperatures averaging no higher than 7°C.
The emerald-green colour of the Neretva River comes (28) _ several factors. It flows through limestone and dolomite rocks that release minerals reflecting green light, intensifying its colour. Water plants containing chlorophyll (29) _ its bright green appearance, while the clarity and depth of the water play a big role in how light interacts with its surface.
The river is cold because it flows from the Dinaric Alps, fed by cold mountain springs and melted snow. The mountains and trees (30) _ its path help keep these lower temperatures by protecting the water from sunlight. The fast flow of the river, especially in its upper parts, reduces exposure to sun and air; this cools the river, helped by the fresh, cold water from its tributaries.
Task 7
Writing task: produce the required 80-100 word response in the format specified in the official paper.