🎧 Listening — answers and scripts
Part 1 — Finding Sources in the Library
What you heard (the script):
1. Student: Excuse me, I need help finding sources for my essay on climate change.
2. Librarian: Of course, the main environmental science books are on the second floor.
3. Student: My essay is due on Friday 18 October, so I need sources quickly.
4. Librarian: You can use the online catalogue on the computers near the entrance.
5. Student: I need at least six academic articles, not just websites.
6. Librarian: The database called ScienceDirect has many recent articles about climate.
7. Student: Can I borrow books, or must I read them only here?
8. Librarian: Students can borrow up to eight books for three weeks at a time.
9. Librarian: Reference books with a red label must stay inside the library building.
10. Student: Is there a quiet study room I can book for the afternoon?
11. Librarian: Room 305 is free today, and you can book it for two hours.
12. Student: Thank you, I will start with the catalogue and then go upstairs.
1. Answer: second. The librarian says the books are on 'the second floor', so the answer is second.
2. Answer: A — On Friday 18 October. The student says 'My essay is due on Friday 18 October', so the first option is correct.Watch out: In three weeks tempts you because books can be borrowed for three weeks, but that is the borrowing time, not the essay date.
3. Answer: six. The student says 'I need at least six academic articles', so the answer is six.
4. Answer: C — Eight books. The librarian says students can borrow 'up to eight books', so the third option is correct.Watch out: Six books tempts you because the student needs six articles, but the borrowing limit is eight books.
5. Answer: 305. The librarian says 'Room 305 is free today', so the answer is 305.
Part 2 — How Honeybees Communicate
What you heard (the script):
1. Today I will explain how honeybees share information inside their hive.
2. A worker bee that finds flowers returns and performs a special dance.
3. This movement is called the waggle dance, because the bee moves its body sideways.
4. The dance tells other bees the direction and distance of the flowers.
5. If the flowers are close, the bee does a simple round dance instead.
6. The angle of the dance shows direction, using the sun as a guide.
7. A longer dance means the flowers are farther from the hive.
8. Bees can also share the smell of the flowers they have visited.
9. One bee may visit fifty flowers during a single trip from the hive.
10. A large hive can contain up to sixty thousand bees in summer.
11. The queen bee does not guide the workers to food; the dancers do.
12. Scientists study these dances to understand animal communication better.
1. Answer: B — The waggle dance. The lecturer calls the main dance 'the waggle dance', and a longer dance means flowers are farther away, so the second option is correct.Watch out: The round dance tempts you because it is also named, but the lecturer says it is used when flowers are close.
2. Answer: round. The lecturer says 'the bee does a simple round dance' when flowers are close, so the answer is round.
3. Answer: C — The direction to the flowers. The lecturer says 'The angle of the dance shows direction', so the third option is correct.Watch out: The distance tempts you because the dance as a whole gives direction and distance, but the angle itself shows direction.
4. Answer: fifty. The lecturer says 'One bee may visit fifty flowers', so the answer is fifty.
5. Answer: D — The dancing bees. The lecturer says 'The queen bee does not guide the workers to food; the dancers do', so the fourth option is correct.Watch out: The queen bee tempts you because she is the most important bee in the hive, but the lecturer clearly says she does not guide workers to food.
📖 Reading — answers
Text A — Coral Reefs in Danger
1. Answer: True. The passage says reefs are home to about a quarter of all marine species.From the text: “home to about a quarter of all marine species”
2. Answer: False. Bleaching happens when sea water becomes too warm, not too cold.From the text: “When sea water becomes too warm”
3. Answer: Not Given. The passage says algae make food and share some of it with the coral, but it says nothing at all about corals catching animals at night or getting all their food that way, so the information is not given.
4. Answer: B — They use sunlight to make food. The algae use sunlight to make food and share some of it with the coral.From the text: “which use sunlight to make food”Watch out: Building skeletons is done by the corals themselves, not by the algae.
5. Answer: C — They created protected areas where fishing is limited. Communities have created protected areas where fishing is limited.From the text: “created protected areas where fishing is limited”Watch out: Protected areas limit fishing; the passage does not say all swimming was banned.
6. Answer: A — They grow young corals and plant them on damaged reefs. Scientists grow young corals in underwater nurseries and plant them on damaged reefs.From the text: “growing young corals in underwater nurseries and planting them on damaged reefs”Watch out: Nurseries are underwater, and planting is the action described, not painting or feeding.
7. Answer: False. The passage says these projects are slow and expensive.From the text: “These projects are slow and expensive”
Text B — The Story of Glass
1. Answer: C — Early glass as a rare and precious material. Paragraph A describes the earliest glass as rare and valuable, used for jewellery and small containers.
2. Answer: D — Faster production in Roman times. Paragraph C describes the invention of glassblowing in Roman times, which made production faster and glass cheaper.
3. Answer: B — Glass in medieval buildings. Paragraph D is about coloured glass windows in medieval cathedrals.
4. Answer: E — Modern uses and recycling of glass. Paragraph E lists modern uses and notes that glass can be recycled again and again.
5. Answer: limestone. The mixture is sand, soda ash and limestone.From the text: “a mixture of sand, soda ash and limestone”
6. Answer: recycled. The passage says glass can be recycled again and again without losing quality.From the text: “Glass can be recycled again and again without losing quality”
✍️ Writing — model answers
Task 1 — a model answer
The table shows the percentage of people who use the internet every day in Finland, Spain and Brazil in 2015, 2020 and 2025. It compares daily internet use in the three countries over a ten-year period.
In 2015, Finland had the highest figure, at 68 percent. Spain was lower, at 55 percent, while Brazil had the lowest figure, at 42 percent. Finland was therefore 26 percentage points higher than Brazil in that year.
In 2020, daily internet use increased in all three countries. Finland rose to 82 percent and Spain rose to 71 percent. Brazil also increased, reaching 60 percent, but it remained in third place behind the other two countries.
By 2025, the figures were higher again. Finland reached 91 percent, Spain reached 85 percent and Brazil reached 76 percent. The gap between Finland and Brazil became smaller, falling from 26 percentage points in 2015 to 15 percentage points in 2025.
Overall, daily internet use grew in all three countries between 2015 and 2025. Finland had the highest percentage in every year, and Brazil had the lowest, but Brazil showed strong growth over the period.
Check your writing:
- Did I write about every country and every year?
- Did I use only percentages that are in the table?
- Did I compare the countries and describe the general trend?
Task 2 — a model answer
Some people say that in the future nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because everything will be available to read online. I disagree with this strong prediction, although I agree that online reading will continue to grow.
Online reading has clear advantages. It is fast, simple and easy to carry. A reader can keep hundreds of books on one small phone or tablet and can search for a word in seconds. News websites also update stories during the day, while a printed newspaper can only give the news from the night before. For these reasons, many young people now read almost everything on a screen.
However, printed books and newspapers will not disappear completely. Many readers prefer the feeling of paper and find it easier to study from a printed book without messages and other distractions from the internet. Printed books are also useful in places with weak internet or no electricity, and they can be kept for many years without a battery or a password. Parents and schools also trust printed books for young children.
In addition, print has a special value. People buy printed books as gifts, collect special editions and enjoy bookshops as calm public places. Newspapers may become smaller and less common, but some readers will still pay for trusted printed news, especially at weekends.
In conclusion, I disagree that nobody will buy print in the future. Online reading will become the main way to read, but printed books and some newspapers will survive because they offer comfort, focus, quiet time and lasting value for many readers of all ages.
Check your writing:
- Did I give a clear position on this strong prediction?
- Did I write about both online reading and printed reading?
- Did I write at least 250 words in clear paragraphs?
🗣️ Speaking — model answers
Part 1
1. My hometown is a medium-sized city in the north of my country. It is famous for its green hills, tea gardens, and friendly people. The city is not very big, so I can walk to most places. I have lived there for most of my life, and I always feel calm when I return home.
2. I use a computer every day, both at work and at home. I write emails, read the news, and watch lessons online. Sometimes I spend too many hours in front of the screen, so I try to take short breaks. Computers are very useful, but I think we must use them in a healthy way.
3. I usually celebrate my birthday in a simple way with my close family. My mother cooks my favourite meal, and my sisters bring a small cake. We eat together, talk, and take a few photos. I do not like big, noisy parties. For me, a quiet evening with the people I love is perfect.
Part 2 — a good plan
- Name the book and say what kind of book it is.
- Say when and where you read it.
- Explain the main lesson in your own words.
- Give one example from your own life.
- Say why the book still matters to you now.
Part 2 — a model answer
I would like to talk about a simple book about daily habits that taught me something important. A friend gave it to me two years ago, when I felt tired and my days had no clear plan.
The book says that small steps, repeated every day, bring big changes over time. For example, reading ten pages a day or walking for twenty minutes can change your health and your mind after a few months. The ideas were simple, but the examples were clear and easy to follow.
After reading it, I started with one tiny habit: I made my bed and wrote three plans each morning. Soon, my days felt more organised, and I finished my work on time. Later, I added ten minutes of English study each evening, and after two months that small habit also became a normal, easy part of my day.
This book was important to me because it changed how I think about success. I learned that I do not need a perfect day. I just need small, good actions, done again and again.
Part 3
1. I think children read less than they did in the past. Today, phones and games take a lot of their time, and short videos are more exciting than a long book. However, many schools and parents still encourage reading, and some children love stories very much. If books are interesting and easy to find, children will read more. The habit often starts at home, with parents reading to them.
2. Reading is very important for success at school. Students who read often learn new words faster and understand lessons in every subject more easily. Reading also helps them write better answers and think more clearly. A student who reads for just twenty minutes a day can improve a lot in one year. For this reason, schools should give students time to read books they truly enjoy.