ACADEMIC

PRACTICE
TEST 1

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 Academic Practice Test 1
Listening

Listening Section 1
Questions 1-10

Questions 1-5 Questions 6–10

Choose the correct letter A, B or C Fill in the gaps below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each

Example: Where does the woman want to go?
answer.
A. Brompton
B. Bromsgrove
C. Billington STATION CAFE MENU

Tasty Food!
1. What is the reason for her journey?
Chicken & 6.________ Sandwich £2.55
A. To have a day out
B. To attend a wedding BLT Sandwich £2.80
C. To go to a music concert Lamb and Potato 7. ______ £3.20

2. How often do the trains run on Saturdays? 8. _________Wrap £2.60

A. Once an hour
B. Twice an hour Hot Drinks!
C. Once every two hours
Tea £1.40
3. What time is the next train to Brompton? Coffee £1.60
A. 10:33 9._________ £1.60
B. 10:23
C. 10:15
**NEW!**
4. Which platform will the train leave from?
A. Platform 2 10.________DEAL: £3.50
B. Platform 3
C. Platform 4

5. How long will the train be delayed by?

A. 35 minutes
B. 25 minutes
C. 17 minutes

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 Academic Practice Test 1
Listening

Section 2 - Questions 11-20 18. What’s the first thing to do if you see a crime
happening?
A. Wait for the police
Questions 11-20 B. Make sure you’re safe
Choose the correct letter A, B or C C. Write down what you’ve seen

19. Why shouldn’t you try to stop a crime

11. In which century was the painting created? yourself?
A. 16th A. Criminals may have a weapon
B. 17th B. You may harm the criminals
C. 20th C. You may disturb evidence

12. Where was the museum that the painting was 20. What police number should you call for non-
stolen from? emergencies?
A. On Broad Street A. 121
B. On High Street B. 101
C. On Government Road C. 112

13. How did the thief get into the museum?

A. Through the front entrance
B. Through the window
C. Through the emergency exit

14. Who saw the suspect on Tuesday night?

A. The museum security worker
B. The police
C. Someone passing the museum

15. Where was the suspect arrested?

A. At the museum
B. In Essex
C. In London

16. Where do police suspect the painting will be

bought?
A. Germany
B. The U.K.
C. The U.S.A

17. What has been the recent trend regarding art

crime?
A. It has been increasing
B. It has been the same as before
C. It has been going down

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 Academic Practice Test 1
Listening

Section 3 - Questions 21-30 Questions 26-30

Complete the notes below.

Questions 21-25 Write ONLY ONE WORD for each answer.

Choose the correct letter A, B or C

21. The main purpose of the meeting is to Dissertation* tips

A. introduce Lynn as the new essay supervisor. * A long essay produced in the final year of university

B. talk about the long essay project.

C. discuss how to write good assignments.
22. When Sue started writing university essays
her
A. own opinions were expressed very directly.
B. feedback was very positive.
C. position was not always very distinct.
23. James’ main issue at first was a tendency to
A. write too much.
B. be too emotional.
C. be too partial.
• Write things down, even 26. ________
ideas.
• It’s not necessary to 27. _________
everything first.
• 28. _________ is important for
improving the essay quality.
• Starting to 29. ________ earlier means
more time for extra research later.
• Make sure you know the locations of
30. __________.

24. Sue once had to be reminded to

A. divide the sections of her essay more clearly.
B. use capital letters for place names.
C. include images in her essay like pictures and
maps.

25. James once made the mistake of

A. not making notes for his essay.
B. starting his essay too late.
C. being late for his lesson.

4

Section 4 - Questions 31-40
Questions 31-35
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each
answer.
Exoplanets
Basic information:
• Exoplanets: planets that revolve around
distant stars.
• Almost 4000 found so far in approximately
3000 31. _______________.
• So far, mostly discovered in the
32._______________.
Finding and recording new planets:
• Large distances in space: the closest star
is around 4 33.___________ away from
us.
• Special technology sends
34._____________to the Earth.
• New planets added to an archive.
• Debate about how to categorise planets.
with a large 35._____________.
Academic Practice Test 1
Listening
Questions 36-40
Choose the correct letter A, B or C
36. Scientists are particularly focused on planets
A. where water exists.
B. with a suitable temperature.
C. which have signs of life.
37. 20% of stars similar to the sun have a planet
A. like the Earth.
B. with water.
C. with a cool surface environment.
38. The planet Kepler-452 b is ____________
than the Earth
A. larger, warmer and heavier
B. larger, cooler and lighter
C. smaller, warmer and lighter
39. The study of distant planets is exciting
because
A. it encourages the development of advanced
new equipment.
B. there is a large scope for new research.
C. a space trip to those planets is being planned.
40. The speaker believes that the search for new
planets is important because it
A. assists the development of new technology.
B. excites children’s interest in science.
C. may help us to find new forms of life.
5

Reading Passage 1
Questions 1-13
Crowded - life inside NASA’s new spacecraft
won’t be much fun
A and how we’re going to operate inside it,” Bowen
In 1959, when NASA’s original seven astronauts
first saw their tiny single-man Mercury space
capsule, they weren’t impressed. It appeared to
have no windows and few controls – the elite test
pilots complained that they would be little more
than ‘spam in a can’. This conflict between the
astronauts’ desire to fly a spaceship and the
engineers’ wish to simply get a man into orbit (and
back alive) are illustrated in the movie ‘The Right
Stuff’. With our silver-suited hero John Glenn
wanting to share his views with the waiting press,
the engineers concede portholes and proper
instrumentation.
B says. “I don’t think anyone finds it too spacious,
Almost 60 years on, an almost identical scenario
is playing out in Houston – albeit in slow motion.
Right now, astronauts are negotiating with
engineers over the final interior design and
controls for NASA’s new four-person Orion
spacecraft. First flown without a crew in 2014, it’s
due for launch with astronauts on board within the
next five years. Superficially, Orion looks much
like the Apollo spacecraft that carried a crew of
three astronauts to the Moon. Conical in shape,
with a heat shield protecting the lower circular
surface, the new spacecraft is a good deal larger
but – because it still has to fit at the top of a rocket
– not that much larger. And whereas Apollo
missions only lasted a few days, with a stroll on
the Moon to break up the journey, missions in
Orion are planned for a minimum of three weeks
and there’s no getting off.
C the best way to recover the astronauts and
“I don’t know if all four people will be able to
comfortably stretch out all their appendages at the
same time,” says project commander Bowen, who
has spent his career living and working in confined
environments. “But it’s been done before, I don’t
think it’s prohibitive – you’ve just got to make sure
you’re used to tight spaces.” As well as the crew
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Academic Practice Test 1
Reading
and controls, the engineers also need to cram in a
galley, recreation area and toilet. “There are
tweaks we can make, such as the seat
configuration. Once we get that aspect done we’ll
have a better understanding of the living quarters
says.
D
Although for long duration missions to Mars there
will almost certainly be an additional habitation
module, for the early Orion flights an area totaling
nine cubic metres (316 cubic feet) is all the
astronauts will have for working, sleeping,
exercising and relaxing. Imagine spending several
weeks with three work colleagues locked in a
small room with a toilet in space. “Somewhere
down the road we’ll get to our final design and
that’ll give us our settled chance to say how we
are going to live in it for weeks on end,” Bowen
but I haven’t heard anyone really complain about
living in those confines.”
E
As well as helping to figure out how everything fits
inside the spacecraft, astronauts are also involved
in testing procedures for launch. One of the big
criticisms of the Space Shuttle (except on the
early two-man flights), for instance, was the lack
of any escape system if the rocket blew up during
launch. This became horribly apparent
when Challenger broke apart shortly after take-off
in 1986.Orion will be launched on NASA’s new
giant SLS rocket. Like Apollo, Orion will have a
small escape rocket fitted above the capsule to
drag it away from a malfunctioning launcher.
F
Bowen’s submariner experience has been
particularly useful when it comes to working out
spacecraft once they return to Earth – potentially
one of the riskiest stages of any mission. Whereas
the Shuttle landed on a runway, Orion will splash
down in the ocean after entering the atmosphere
at some 11km/s (6.8mps) and descending under
parachutes. Bowen has recently overseen NASA’s

latest Orion recovery test off the California coast.
It’ll be an interesting ride even in a low sea state,”
he says. “I’ve had enough experience at sea to
see some of the crew members might get violently
ill – getting seasick is a real possibility.”
G In the spaces provided, write
Orion was conceived more than 10 years ago but
– with the newly defined NASA goal of returning to
the Moon – the programme is finally starting to
come together. With the SLS rocket also taking
shape, and with testing well advanced on both the
launcher and spacecraft, it’s a reasonable bet that
astronauts will take their maiden flight by 2025.
Questions 1-6
Read the text above. Then read questions 1-6.
Decide which of the following headings best
describe each paragraph.
Write your answers in the space provided.
There is ONE option that you do not need.
1. Similar design specifications (Orion – Apollo).
___
2. Trials of new ways to survive when major
incidents occur. ___
3. Astronauts threatening to tell all to journalists.
___
4. A recently declared mission aim for the
programme. ___
5. Getting the astronauts home again safe and
sound. ___
6. Lack of comfort & requirements for basic
facilities. ___
Academic Practice Test 1
Reading
Questions 7-13
Now read questions 7-13, and decide whether
the following statements agree with the
information given.
True (T) if the statement agrees with the information.
False (F) if the statement contradicts the information.
Not Given (NG) If there is no information on this.
7. John Glenn was captain of the original Apollo
space flights.___
8. Missions are planned for Orion for a maximum
of three weeks. ___
9. Changes to the layout of the seating are of
primary concern.___
10. There is a lot of moaning regarding the limited
space available.___
11. Astronauts are working closely with engineers
on plans to avoid launch accidents.___
12. The spacecraft will land back on land like an
ordinary plane.___
13. The first flight is penciled in for the middle of
the next decade.___
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 Academic Practice Test 1
Reading

Reading Passage 2 began to develop their factory in the village of

A village is Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of
Birmingham, England, best known for its
connections with the Cadbury family and
chocolate; including a dark chocolate bar branded
Bournville. Originally the area that was to become
Bournville consisted of a few scattered farms and
cottages, linked by winding country lanes. The
bluebell glades at Stock Wood near Bournville
were said to be a relic of the Forest of Arden and
there are Roman remains nearby. Though Selly
Manor and Minworth Greaves date back to the
14th century or earlier, they were each moved to
Bournville in the 20th century.
Having taken over their father’s expanding
business in 1861, George and Richard Cadbury
needed to move their cocoa and chocolate factory
from Bridge Street in central Birmingham to a
green field site to allow for expansion. Cadburys
were reliant on the canals for milk delivery, and on
the railways for cocoa deliveries from the ports of
London and Southampton. They therefore needed
a site which was undeveloped and had easy
access to both canal and rail. The proposed
development of the Birmingham West Suburban
Railway, would extend from central Birmingham
south along the path of the Worcester and
Birmingham Canal into the then green fields of
Southern Birmingham and the villages of northern
Worcestershire.
Bournville. Loyal and hard-working workers were
treated with great respect and relatively high
wages and good working conditions.
In 1893, George Cadbury bought 120 acres of
land close to the works and planned, at his own
expense, a model village. By 1900, the estate
included 313 cottages and houses set on 330
acres of land. These houses were traditional in
design, but with large gardens and modern
interiors, and 215 houses were designed by the
resident architect William Alexander Harvey.
These designs became the standard for many
other model village estates around Britain.
The Cadbury brothers were particularly concerned
with the health and fitness of their workforce,
incorporating park and leisure areas into the
Bournville village plans and encouraging
swimming, walking and indeed all forms of
outdoor sports. In the early 1920s, extensive open
lands were purchased and laid as football and
hockey pitches together with a grassed running.

In 1879, they moved their business 4 miles (6.4

km) to the south of Birmingham. The location was
chosen as it was regarded as cleaner, healthier
and more amenable to longer-term expansion
plans. Although rural, it was also already serviced
by the new railway station, which was located right
next to the canal. The Cadbury brothers named
the area Bournville after a local river named The
Bourn with ville being French for town; this set
Bournville apart from the local area. Then they

8

Questions 14-20
Read the text above on a Village is Bournville.
Then read questions 14-20 and complete the
sentences in the spaces below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for
each answer.
14. Before it became a town, Bournville was
scattered homes connected by ______________.
15. Bournville has a Blue Bell dale which is all that
remains of ___________________.
16. For milk deliveries, Cadburys relied on
_______________.
17. The river at Bournville is called
_______________.
18. In Bournville, the meaning of ‘ville’ is
_______________.
19. Cadbury workers were treated very well
because they were loyal ___________________.
20. 1n 1893, George Cadbury planned
_______________.
Questions 21-27
Now read questions 21 to 27.
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
21. How many cottages were in Bournville in
1900?
A. 330
B. 120
C. 313
D. 215
22. What did designs by William Harvey become?
A. Park and leisure areas
B. The standard for model villages
C. The Bournville village plans
D. A club house and changing rooms
Academic Practice Test 1
Reading
23. What did Cadburys purchase in 1920s?
A. Extensive open lands
B. Football and hockey pitches
C. A club house and changing rooms
D. A grassy running track
24. What is the source of the Lido’s healthy
waters?
A. The Pavilion itself
B. A natural mineral spring
C. Complaints about noise disturbance
D. The recently built Oak Farm Estate
25. Why is the cricket pitch famous?
A. It has junior and infants schools
B. It has a School of Art
C. It hosts events and dances
D. It was the picture on chocolate boxes
26. Since 1900 who has controlled development
of Bournville?
A. George Cadbury
B. The Cadbury Company
C. The Bournville Village Trust
D. The Bournville conservation areas
27. Today, Cadburys is ….
A. a popular residential area in Birmingham.
B. one of Birmingham’s main employers.
C. still making dark chocolate at Bournville.
D. an international influence on town planning.
9

Reading Passage 3
AirBnB - an online service for short-term
housing rentals
A poor social housing provision certainly play a part.
The explosive rise of short-stay Airbnb holiday
rentals may be shutting locals out of housing and
changing neighbourhoods across Europe, but
cities’ efforts to halt it are being stymied by EU
policies to promote the “sharing economy”,
campaigners say. “It’s pretty clear,” said Kenneth
Haar, author of UnfairBnB, a study published this
month by the Brussels-based campaign
group Corporate Europe Observatory. “Airbnb is
under a lot of pressure locally across Europe, and
they’re trying to use the top-down power of the EU
institutions to fight back.”
B E
While it might have started as a “community” of
amateur hosts offering spare rooms or temporarily
vacant homes to travellers, Airbnb had seen three
-digit growth in several European cities since 2014
and was now a big, powerful corporation with the
lobbying clout to match, Haar said. The platform
lists around 20,500 addresses in in Berlin, 18,500
in Barcelona, 61,000 in Paris and nearly 19,000 in
Amsterdam. Data scraped by the campaign
group, InsideAirbnb, suggests that in these and
other tourist hotspots, more than half – sometimes
as many as 85% – of listings are whole
apartments.
C F
Many of the properties are also rented out year-
round, removing tens of thousands of homes from
the residential rental market. Even in cities where
short-term lets are now restricted, about 30% of
Airbnb listings are available for three or more
months a year, the data indicates. In those where
they are not, such as Rome and Venice, the figure
exceeds 90%. “You can still find the pensioner
renting out her spare room for a bit of extra cash,”
Haar said. “But a very substantial proportion are
commercial operators, often with multiple listings,
making big bucks. It’s clearly having an impact on
locals’ access to affordable housing, and it’s pretty
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Academic Practice Test 1
Reading
hard to see it as a sharing economy.”
D
Airbnb denies its activities have a significant
impact on residential rents, and speculation and
But cities are increasingly taking action: after a
50% increase in unregulated tourist lets was
accompanied by a 40% hike in residential
rents, Palma de Mallorca last month voted to ban
almost all listings by Airbnb and similar platforms
such as HomeAway. In Paris, registration for short
-term lettings is now mandatory; Barcelona has
suspended all new short-term rental permits;
Amsterdam has cut its permitted short-term
lettings limit from two months a year to one; and
Berlin has brought back old laws and adapted
them to new circumstances.
But local attempts to protect residents’ access to
affordable housing and preserve the face of city-
centre neighbourhoods are being undermined,
campaigners say, by the EU’s determination to
see the “collaborative economy” as a key future
driver of innovation and job creation across the
bloc. “The commission seems almost hypnotised
by the prospect of a strong sharing economy, and
not really interested in its negative
consequences,” said Haar. “Commissioners talk
about ‘opportunities, not threats’. The parliament,
too, recently condemned cities’ attempts to restrict
lettings on online platforms.”
Since 50-odd platforms, led by Airbnb, urged the
commission two years ago to ensure “local laws
do not unnecessarily limit the development of the
collaborative economy to the detriment of
Europeans”, two key EU directives, on e-
commerce and services, had been clarified –
largely in the industry’s favour, Haar said. Airbnb
has welcomed the guidance, saying the
commission is trying to provide “clear, simple and
consistent” rules that “remove barriers to regular
people benefiting from innovations like Airbnb”.

G
Most worryingly for campaigners such as Haar, a
formal complaint against Barcelona, Berlin, Paris
and Brussels filed by the European Holiday Home
Association, of which Airbnb and HomeAway are
leading members, alleges “overzealous rules and
restrictions/bans” in violation of EU laws. If not
resolved by the commission and member states,
the complaint could end up at the European court
of justice.
Questions 28-32
Read the text above on Airbnb, an online
service for short-term housing rentals.
Then read questions 28-32, and decide
whether the following statements agree with
the information given.
In the spaces below, write
True (T) if the statement agrees with the information.
False (F) if the statement contradicts the information.
Not Given (NG) If there is no information on this.
28. “Unfairbnb” is a group based in Brussels.___
29. Airbnb may be aided by EU policies.___
30. Airbnb has become an influential
company.___
31. Airbnb has over 60,000 listings in
Barcelona.___
32. Airbnb is a good retirement investment.___
Academic Practice Test 1
Reading
Questions 33-40
Read the text above on Airbnb, an online
service for short-term housing rentals.
Then read questions 33-40 and complete the
sentences in the spaces below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/
OR A NUMBER for each answer.
33. Haar is concerned that Airbnb makes housing
less ____________________for citizens.
34. In Palma Mallorca, locals saw the price to hire
a flat rise by _________________ percent.
35. Of the cities mentioned, all have created new
laws to restrict Airbnb except ________________.
36. Unfortunately for cities’ efforts to stop Airbnb,
the EU sees it as promoting the
________________.
37. The number of companies that lobbied the
commission two years ago is roughly
________________.
38. The EU guidelines issued after the lobbying
effort were mostly in _____________________.
39. Airbnb and HomeAway claim that cities’
restrictions on their services
break_______________.
40. It is possible that the dispute may need to be
resolved by the European___________________.
11
 Academic Practice Test 1
Writing

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graphs below show the highest level of educational achievement of citizens of a certain
country in 2000 and 2017.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

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 Academic Practice Test 1
Writing

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people believe world poverty can be solved by the governments of rich countries
giving large amounts of money to the governments of poor countries.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experi-
ence.
Write at least 250 words.

_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________

13

Speaking PART 1
Initial questions about name, where you live,
work or study and other personal topics.
WORK:
− What job do you do?
− Do you enjoy your job? (Why/why not?)
− Do you think you will change careers in the
future?
STUDY:
− What subject are you studying?
− Do you enjoy your studies (Why/why not?)
− How will studying this subject help you in the
future?
LET’S TALK ABOUT CAKES
− Do you enjoy eating cakes? (Why/why not?)
− Are birthday cakes popular in your country?
(Why/why not?)
− Have you ever baked a cake? (Why/why
not?)
− Is baking cakes a tradition in your country?
(Why/why not?)
LET’S TALK ABOUT WEARING HATS
− When do people in your country wear hats?
− Do you like wearing hats? (Why/why not?)
− Is wearing hats more popular with older or
younger people? (Why/why not?)
− Are the hats people wear today different to
hats in the past? (Why/why not?)
14
Academic Practice Test 1
Speaking
Describe an activity you do to relax.
You should say:
− What the activity is
− When and where you do it
− Who you do this activity with
And explain why this activity helps you feel
relaxed.
Speaking PART 2
You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2
minutes. You have one minute to think about what
you're going to say. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.
Speaking PART 3
We have been talking about an activity you do to
relax.
Let’s discuss the topic more generally.
FREE-TIME ACTIVITIES
− Which free-time activities are most popular in
your country?
− How are free-time activities different among
older and younger people?
− Did people have more free time in the past?
HOBBIES
− What is the difference between hobbies and
leisure activities?
− What kinds of hobbies are enjoyed by men
and women in your culture?
− Do you think technology has led to a decline
in people pursuing hobbies?
− What is the importance of having a hobby for