DIAGNOSTIC TEST B1+

Listening
1 DT Track 1  Listen to an announcement 2 DT Track 1  Listen again. Complete the
about a festival. Are the sentences true (T) notes with one word in each gap.
or false (F)? Earth Festival
1 The festival will interest people who want to The festival is in its (1)        year.
make their town a better place to live. The festival’s topic this year will be about
T/F (2)        .
2 The presentations at the festival won’t show You will learn about how you can (3)       
people how to stop making so much rubbish. more each day.
T/F
Sheila Sparks is a famous (4)        .
3 There are more activities to do at the festival
than last year. There will be games and (5)        in the
T/F Games Zone.
4 Scientists will talk about recycling and ask You can buy a (6)        drink which is not
people to think of some solutions to their too expensive.
problems. The festival costs £3 for (7)        .
T/F
5 Sheila Sparks is going to talk about recycling old
parts from her car.
T/F
6 Older people will demonstrate how to recycle
computers.
T/F

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Reading

So you want to be a journalist?

Josh Farley has some tips on how to be successful
If you love telling stories and you always want to know what’s happening, then journalism might be the profession
for you. I was always interested in writing and it was my ambition to be a reporter when I left school. However, it
wasn’t easy and it took many years of hard work to get the job I have today. Lots of people want to be journalists so
there’s plenty of competition.
Journalists do more than simply report the news. Their aim is to get people’s attention in order to make them
curious about what’s happening. This means that you have to know about a wide variety of subjects! Make an effort
to read a newspaper every day and watch different news programmes to find out what’s going on in the world. You
should also talk to the people you know about local news. You never know – one conversation with a neighbour or
shop assistant could be the beginning of your next story or the next big trend.
Journalists are also good at writing articles so you have to study and practise. Some people suggest keeping
a diary, but a blog is probably best and you can add pictures. You can use it to write a daily account of what’s
happening around you. When you read newspapers, you should think about the type of writing you see in the
reports and try to copy it in your blog.
A good journalist is always ready to report the latest news story. I carry a pen and notebook at all times and I
usually have a digital camera, although nowadays you have everything you need if you have a smartphone. You
can even record videos on them – just make sure you know how to use it! Your goal as a journalist is to report
responsibly. Make time to check your facts and be a reliable source of information.
I started as a reporter on my school newspaper and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to become a
journalist. It isn’t a paid job and the stories aren’t usually the most interesting. However, you have the opportunity to
learn a lot about the basics of how to write articles as well as how to work in a team. It’s a great way to find out if
you really want to be a journalist.

3 Read the article about a career in 4 A good journalist is always ready to report the
journalism. For each sentence, choose the latest news story.
option that matches the meaning. a) It’s important not to be late when you are a
1 Lots of people want to be journalists so there’s journalist.
plenty of competition. b) It’s important to be prepared when you are a
a) Journalists often report on lots of competitive journalist.
events. 5 You have the opportunity to learn a lot about the
b) Journalism is an interesting profession for basics of how to write articles.
many people, but there aren’t many jobs. a) It is essential to work on a school newspaper
2 Their aim is to get people’s attention in order to before you become a professional journalist.
make them curious about what’s happening. b) Writing for a school newspaper is excellent
a) Curious people will read the news stories the preparation for the more challenging
journalists have written. reporting jobs to come.
b) Journalists like to attract attention to
themselves and then do research on a story.
3 One conversation with a neighbour or shop
assistant could be the beginning of your next
story.
a) You don’t know where your next story is going
to come from.
b) The people you know will give you too many
ideas for news stories.

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4 Read the article again. Choose the best Use of English

answer, A, B or C.
5 Here are some sentences about shopping.
1 What does the writer say about becoming a Complete the second sentence so that it
journalist?
means the same as the first. Use no more
A He found it easy to get a job in journalism. than three words.
B He doesn’t think many people want to be 1 After seeing an advertisement for the new
journalists. supermarket, Fiona decided to go.
C He had wanted to be a journalist since he was Fiona              an advertisement
at school. for the new supermarket and then decided to go.
2 Why is it important to be interested in the events 2 I can’t wait to see the cooking demonstrations in
around you? the new supermarket.
A So that you have interesting news for your I’m looking              seeing the
readers. cooking demonstrations in the new supermarket.
B So that you can write about your neighbours. 3 No other supermarket in my city is as big as
C So that you can report local news. FreshCo.
3 What does the writer recommend doing to FreshCo is              supermarket
practise becoming a journalist? in my city.
A keeping a diary 4 Mr Green, the owner of FreshCo said, ’Can I help
B writing a blog you with anything?’
C taking pictures Mr Green asked us              help
us with anything.
4 What does the writer always have with him?
5 We had to have dinner at the supermarket
A a camera
restaurant because someone is painting our
B a smartphone kitchen.
C a pen and paper We couldn’t have dinner at home because
5 What is one of the problems with working on a we              kitchen painted.
school newspaper? 6 It was the best supermarket I had ever been to.
A You don’t get paid very much. I had never been to             
B The stories aren’t very exciting. supermarket before.
C You have to work in a team.

6 Read the text below and choose the correct word (A, B, C or D) for each gap.
Making pizzas healthy
Pizza is (1)     a popular kind of food. Many people would agree that it (2)     a very tasty meal.
(3)     there are a wide variety of pizzas to choose from, some people believe that pizza is not part of a
healthy diet. They argue it’s the kind of food we should cut down on because it’s too salty.
Homemade pizza isn’t as unhealthy though and it’s easy to make. (4)     I had known how easy, I would
have made it all the time when I was a kid. All you need to do is mix flour with water. Then roll it out and
(5)     it with cheese. After that, chop up a(n) (6)     of your favourite vegetables and meat and put
them on top. Some interesting ideas to try are spicy chicken and peppers. Finally, cook the pizza for 15
minutes and it’s done. Wait a few minutes. Last time, I burnt my tongue and I wished I (7)     let my pizza
cool down first!
1 A enough B such C so D too
2 A takes B has C does D makes
3 A However B Although C Despite D Instead
4 A Would B Were C Only D If
5 A cover B put C drop D stir
6 A ingredient B taste C mixture D blender
7 A was B have C were D had

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7 Read the text below and think of the word which best fits the gap. Use only one word in each gap.
The best athlete of all time?
Usain Bolt (1)        born on 21 August 1986 in Jamaica and is famous for being an extremely fast
runner.
As a child, he spent a lot of time playing cricket and football. All he thought (2)        was sport. At
school, he began to show (3)        fast he could be. He took (4)        in the annual national
primary competition and quickly became the school's fastest runner. At secondary school, he continued to do
other sports, but his cricket coach noticed his speed and told him to start running. Bolt won his first medal in
2001 (5)        he ran 200 metres in just under 22 seconds.
Since then, he (6)        won eight Olympic gold medals in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 m races in
three Olympic Games. Usain Bolt is seen by many people as one of the (7)        successful athletes of
all time.

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Writing
8 Write an answer to one of the questions. Write your answer in about 100 words.
1 You have received an email from an English-speaking friend.

To: Chris
Subject: How are you?

Hi Chris,
I’ve started a book club with some friends and we would like recommendations for books to read.
What types of books do you like reading? Which is your favourite book? Why? What book do you
recommend for our club? Please let me know!
Josh

Write your email answering all your friend’s questions.

2 Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.

Your story must begin with the sentence:
I had a real surprise when I opened the box.
Write your story.

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Speaking
9 Look at the photographs showing sports and free-time activities.
1 Describe the photo.
Student A: Look at the photo and describe it. (1 minute)

Student B: Look at the photo and describe it. (1 minute)

2 In pairs, take turns to answer the questions. Listen to your partner and respond to what they say. (4 minutes)
What sports or free-time activities do you do?
1
When and where do you do them?
2
Why is it important to do sports or free-time activities?
3

Total score

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