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TheFirstCertificate inEnglishisanintermediate level examination which isheldthreetimesayearinMarch,June and December.Therearefive papersinthe examandeach paperreceivesanequalweighting of 20 percent ofthe marks.Papersare: Paper1 Paper2 Paper3 Paper4 Paper5 Reading Writing Useof English Listening Speaking
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes 40 minutes (approximately) 14 minutes (for each pair of students)
The examination
ta
real-life
the
set tasks
. For
a separate answer sheet.
havetowrite
your answerson
Formats Part 1:matching headingsorsummarysentencesto the paragraphsinatext. Part2:answering multiple-choice questions. Part 3:choosingwhich sentenceorparagraphfits into gapsinatext. Part4:decidingwhich of4-6 shorttextscontains giveninformation orideas. Part 1:usinggiveninformation 120-180 words. to write aletterof
Writing Part 1:one compulsorytask Part2:onetask from achoiceof four Useof English four texts, 65questions
Part2:producing one pieceofwriting of 120-180 words, from achoiceoffive. Eitheraninformalletter, astory,areport, anarticleoracomposition. Part1:multiple-choicedoze.Choosingwhichword from achoiceoffourfitsineachof 15gapsinthetext. Part2:opencloze.Writingthemissingwordineachof 15gapsinatext. Part3:key-wordtransformations.Usingthekeyword tocompleteanewsentencewhichmeansthesameas theonegiven. Part4:proof-reading.Findingtheextrawordsthatdo notbelonginatext. Part5:wordbuildingdoze.Changingtheformofthe wordgiven50that itfitsintothegapsinatext. Part 1:eight shorttextseachwithone multiplechoicequest.ion. Part2:long textwith ten gap-fili questions. Part3:fiveshorttextsto matchto oneofsixprompts. Part4:long textwith sevenquestions.Either multiple-choice, true/false orthree-way matching. Part 1:the examineraskseachstudent questions. Part2:comparing andcontrasting two pictures.Each student hasto speakfor 1minute. Part3:interactivetask.Studentsdiscusssomething together usingavisualprompt. Part4:discussion.Theexaminerasksquestions relatedtothe theme of Part3.
Part 1:selectingfrom andcomparing giveninformation to producea transactional letter. Part 2:writing for aspecificreader,using appropriate layoutand register. Part 1:vocabulary. Part2:grammar andvocabulary. Part3:grammatical accuracyand vocabulary. Part4:grammatical accuracy. Part 5:vocabulary.
Part 1:understanding gistmeaning. Part2:understandingspecificinformation. Part 3:understanding gist meaning. Part4:understanding attitude and opinion aswell asboth specific information andgistmeaning. Part 1:giving personalinformation. Part2:giving information and expressIngoplnlons. Part3:exchangingideasandopinions and reactingtothem. Part4:expressingandjustifying opinions and ideas.
ExamOverview
Test1 4
4 12 14 19 23
Practice
Paper Paper2Writing Paper3 Useof English Paper4 Listening Paper5Speaking
PracticeTest5
Paper1Reading Paper2Writing Paper3 Useof English Paper4 Listening Paper5Speaking
79
79 86 88 93 96
1Reading
2
1Reading
Practice Test
Paper Paper2Writing Paper3 Useof English Paper4 Listening Paper5Speaking
24
24 32 34 39 42
PracticeTest 6
Paper1Reading Paper2Writing Paper3 Useof English Paper4 Listening Paper5Speaking
97
97 104 106 111 114
Test3
1Reading
practice
Paper Paper2Writing Paper3Useof English Paper4Listening Paper5Speaking
43
43 50 52 57 60
PracticeTest7
Paper1Reading Paper2Writing Paper3UseofEnglish Paper4Listening Paper5Speaking
115
115 122 124 129 132
Test4
1Reading
Practice
Paper Paper2Writing Paper3 Useof English Paper4 Listening Paper5Speaking
61
61 68 70 75 78
PracticeTest8
Paper1Reading Paper2Writing Paper3 Useof English Paper4 Listening Paper5Speaking Visuais for Paper 5 OMR Answer Sheets Answer Key Tapescripts FirstCertificate Examination: Top 20 Questions
133
133 140 142 147 150
The
Reading
(1 15minutes) hour I
generaiiy believed that the ancient Polyneslans were the first to surf and to introduce surfing to the Rawaiian islands in the central Pacific Ocean. In fact, early records show that surfing wasat itshelght in the late eighteenth century. During the next century the sport declined, but bythe beginning of the twentieth century its popularity had increased again and it graduaiiy became an established water sport.
j1T 1
You ;'kIi
are going to read an article about surfing. Choose the most suitable heading from the
list A-I for each part (1-7) of the article. There isone extra heading which you do not need to use. There isan example at the beginning (O). Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.
who wasdetermined to cre people warm in the waters the sametime would allow movement.
51
A B C D E F G H I
Warnings
ignored
Future challenge Scientists' involvement Wetsuits on a mountain Ideal surfing conditions One man's influence Origins of surfing Scientific breakthrough Dangers of surfing
I
Rawaii hasthe best surf in the world but the beachesare among the most dangerous, partly becausethey are overcrowded. During October eachyear there arehuge sweiis in which the waves canbe almost twenty metres high. These wavesthen move to the southem hemisphere in Apri!.
He
211
which
surfer
Strip
Read
thetext
II a
getssucked into the centre of one of these
I6 I
Tip
waves andthen flung anto the shore asthe wave breaks, quickly forgeneral understanding. worry the eachparagraph the force canbelife-threatening. And if the weight of the water doesnot make them unconscious, then the wave candrag them under water long enough for them to drown.
. ..
.
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bestsummarisesthe
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To most people, atwenty-metre high waveisNature's But there way of saying: stay away. H's the oceanic equivalent of a
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HeadingA:What
HeadingD:'Mountain'is not mentionedInthetex! butthereisareferencetosomething takes placeonamountain.Don't bedeceivedbyMount Everest! HeadingH: Whatisa'breakthrough'?
tha!
lion's roar: get closer and you will bekiiied. aresamesurfers the most attractive features of the sport.
41-
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historyojsurfing
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You are going to read an article about a woman who runs a company called Peanuts. For Questions 8-15, choose the correct answer A, B, Cor D. Mark your answers ot n he
.
.
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providearangeoffood
because
Hungry pOpstars
Read carefully. Youdo notnecessarily needto understand everyword.The questions follow the orderofthetexl. words Inthequestlon,
people are very fussy about what they eat people are used to eating in restaurants. there issuch a wide variety of preferences. there issuch a demand lor special menus.
B therearenofanshangingaround. whosejobitis lookafterpopstarsandpopgroupswhentheygoontour. Valerie e.g.Valerie hasto C theirmanagerslussoverthem. provideQfl.llg~f to fggf!. Thentrytofind D thebandsenjoyeatingtogether. Sheisthepersonwhofeedsthestarsandshe'sbeendoingit the partofthetext forthepasttenyears. thestarsareplayingat which contalns the
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10 WhydoesValeriehaveto A B attheoptlons C D
keepasupplyol
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When afestiva] Valerie mayhaveto cookfor upto a thousandpeoplewhich includesal! the crewandthepeoplewhoworkbackstage. Sheerectsamarquee- ahugetent- and the food is servedbuffet stylefrom a eentralservingarea.Shehastocaterfor differenttastes,se)therearenormal!yfour ormorechoicesofmenu.Shealsohasto lookafterpeoplewhomaybeonaspecial dietor somesingerswhodon'teatdairy foodbeforeaconcerl.
A lot of peoplein thebandsarequite young and they're not used to very expensivcfood,soValeriepreparesplain foodunlessabandsendshera'rider'.This is a list of specialrcquirements.When peoplearetired,unwel!orhomesiekthey liketohavefamiliar'comfor!'foodsashe She drives an enormoustruck fuli of keepsa stoekof people'srequirements 43 kitchenequipmentandhiresatleastthree justincase.AsaresuHofallthis,Valerie walk-inrefrigerators,adishwashingunit saysshehasbecomeanexpertshopper and portable cabins which act as andinlessthananhourinasupermarket storeroomsandoffice. shecanspendflOOO. Al! the bandshaveto queueup to be servedandeveryonehasto haveameal tickel.Thestarsareusuallymorerelaxed when they are eating as no one is botheringthemfor autographs,although Valeriesaysthatsometimesthesecurity menandthe stars'managersare more troublethanthestarsthemselves. Therearecertainthingswhichshealways hastokeepinstoeklike herbalteasand her own particular mixture of honey, lemanandgingerwhichsingerslike to A lotofbandswon'teatbeforeacancert becausethey'retoonervous,saValerie andherstaffcanendupworkingverylong hours as they have to be around to providewhatpeoplewantattwaorthree in themoming. One thing Valerie has notieedisthatthemoremadabandison stage,the more normaithey are when theyareoffil. Shesayssheisamazedat the changein behaviaur. A really wild singereantumouttobereallyquietand politeoffstage.
12 What does'justincase'inline43referto? A Valerie'ssupplyol moreexpensivelood B Valerie'slistof 'riders'lrom thedillerent bands C Valerie'ssupplyol specialfood lorvariouspeople D Valerie'sunderstandingof peopleleelingsick
13
Question9: 'less nervous' Isanother way ofsaying'more relaxed' Question11:Whichword inthetextdescribes foodthat 15'simpie'? Question12:Doyou needto refet ro something earller orlater Inthetext? Question15:What amazesValerleaboutthe bands7
Why do you think Valerie has become an 'expert sho A B C D Shehas a lot ol money to spend each week. She has learnt to find what individuals want She hasto buy asmuch aspossible lor f1 000. Shehas to shop very quickly in a supermarket
14 Whyisabandlikelyto A B C D
15
behungryafterplaying?
What does Valerie think about the singers? A B C D They are completely crazy on and 011stage. They behave diflerently on and 011stage. They are lessrude when they are 011stage. They are normally more noisy on stage.
TEST
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confidencetheylearnaboutinternationalissues.
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actorstalkabouttheirprofession. You donotneedto readamagazinearticleinwhichfour through ead ForQuestions22-35 choosefromtheactorsA-D, Thepeoplemaybechosenmorethan ance.Thereisanexarnpleatthebeginning(O). Markyouranswersonthe separate answer sheet.
beforegoingonstage?
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thinkstheactingprocessisquitecharrningandattractive? gto
AN ACTOR'S WORLD
A JakeArmstrong 'l haveaterribleproblemreadingthroughscripts,' admitsJakeArmstrong.'l findmostofthemvery boring,althoughanceinawhileascriptwillrealIy appealtomeandl amimmediatelyattractedtothe characterthedirectorhasaskedmetoconsider.' JakeArmstrongwasalwaysgoingtoendupdoing somethingdramatic.Hisfatherandmotherareboth actors,andalthoughneitherofthempushedhiminto theprofession,hefeelshiscareerpathwasinevitableas hesaw50muchtheatrewhenhewasachiid.'l would waitbackstageuntil itwastimetogohomeattheend ofaneveningperformance.Imetthemostfantastie people.Asachildyoudon'tappreciatefarneandl thoughtalItheseextraordinarypeoplewererealIy norma1.Buttherewassomethingfascinatingaboutthe wholehusiness,whypeopledressupasdifferentpeople andpretendtobeotherpersonalities.Unlikemy parents,however,l ammoreinterestedinfilmwark. Thethingaboutfilmingisthatyouhangaroundfor hourschattingawaytopeople,thensuddenlyyou'vegot toturniton.lhadtolearnveryquicklyhowtotone downfortheeamera,nottooveract,whereasonstage inthetheatreit'stheexactopposite.' B LauraDyson 'I thinkI'm veryluekytohavebeennoticedsaearlyin mycareer.Whenl wasatdramaschoolIusedtofeeI quitedesperatemeetingupwithfriendswhohad alreadygraduatedandwhowereontofwork.Iwould listentothemtalkingaboutthetemporaryjobsthey
EmmyMasonwasdetermined ithasnotbeenaneasyridetost achievedthekindofrecognitio onlydreamabout.'Mybigbrea accident.Iwasanunderstudya formonthsonend.l! wassuc linesandvetknowingthatyouw theminfrontofanaudience.Do thollgh.Iwasgladtobeearning leastlgottoseethefamousnam onedaytheleadingladywentd afternoonlwastoldlwouldbeo Therewasn'ttimetobefrighten therehearsalssoIknewthemo wasit.Thecritieslovedmyperf beenoutofworksinee.' D LukeDemain
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Imagine theotherend. The0resund Bridge,oneofthe(1)..." bridgesintheworld,(2)..." safaraheadintothe (3)..." thatyoucan'teventellwheretheblueofthewater(4)"... theblueof thesky. The0resund Bridgeisanamazingexampleof modernengineeringdesignthat(5) the
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B 1 Alongest B 2 A travels B 3 A space B 4 A comes B 5 A links B 6 A done B 7 A splitting B 8 A down 9 A performance B B 10 A helps B 11 A scheme B 12 A down B 13 A commonly B 14 A save B 15 A good
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