Centre Number Candidate Name
Candidate Number
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE ESOL EXAMINATIONS English for Speakers
of Other Languages
Cambridge ESOL Certificates in ESOL for WorkReading and
ListeningAdditional materials: Answer sheet
D141Sample Test
TIME
Approx. 110 minutes
Do not open this paper until you are told to do so. Write your
name, Centre number and candidate number at the top of this page.
Listening: About 50 minutes. As you listen, write your answers in
this Question Paper. When the listening test finishes, you have 5
minutes to copy your answers onto your answer sheet. 60 minutes.
Write your answers on your answer sheet.
Reading:
Write clearly in pencil, not pen.
FOR EXAMINERS USE
Listening Reading Overall This question paper consists of 29
printed pages and 3 blank pages.500/2178/3, 500/2177/1 UCLES
2008
50 60 110
[Turn over
BLANK PAGE
2
LISTENING
3
LISTENINGPART ONE Questions 1 10 1 You will hear 10 short
recordings. For questions 1 10, circle one letter A, B or C for the
correct answer. You will hear each recording twice. Which of the
products ordered are out of stock?
A
B
C
2
What is the first thing that the speaker usually does at work? A
B
C
4
3
Which is the companys best selling range?
A
B
C
4
Which piece of equipment needs to be repaired?
A
B
C
5
5
Where has the company sold most of its new products? A B
C
6
Which training courses does Claire decide to take? A B C quality
assurance production processes operations management
7
What is the mans opinion of Garveys? A B C They offer value for
money. They produce high quality goods. Their deliveries are
reliable.
6
8
What does the woman want her colleague to do? A B C demonstrate
how to operate some new equipment answer questions from new
employees write a user guide
9
Who is the shop assistant talking to? A B C her boss another
assistant a customer
10
What does the man do? A B C He's a trainer. He's a receptionist.
He's a student.
7
PART TWO Questions 11 22 You will hear three conversations. Fill
in the missing information in the numbered spaces, using one or two
words or a number. You will hear each conversation once only.
Conversation One Questions 11 14 Look at the form below. You
will hear a woman questioning a visitor at a trade fair for a
market survey.
Market Survey QuestionnaireCompany name: Product:
Agri-Techno
farm (11) James (12) (13)
Name of delegate: Position in company: Length of visit:
(14)
Conversation Two Questions 15 18 Look at the notes below. You
will hear a man giving some information to new hotel staff on their
first day at work. Notes for First Day The staff room is on the
(15) . floor Room F249. (16) . will be issued on Wednesday. Collect
(17) . from laundry at midday. There will be a test of the (18) .
at 3.30pm today.
8
Conversation Three Questions 19 22 Look at the note below. You
will hear a man leaving a message for his companys printing
department about changes needed on a print order. Message from:
Paul Kwok, Accounts Department (job reference (19) .)
Requirements:
Letterhead: Put correct (20) . Invoice Pro Forma: Include space
for writing in the (21) . Expenses forms: Add category for (22) .
(visitors)
9
PART THREE Section One Questions 23 27 You will hear five
trainee managers saying what they find difficult about their jobs.
As you listen, decide what each speaker finds difficult. Choose
your answer from the list A I, and write the correct letter in the
space provided. You will hear the five pieces once only.
Example: ...... I ....... A B 23 24 25 26 27 Person 1
................................. Person 2
................................. Person 3
................................. Person 4
................................. Person 5
................................. C D E F G H I telephoning writing
letters writing reports contributing in meetings giving
presentations socialising with customers taking minutes
interviewing writing memos
Section Two Questions 28 32 You will hear five speakers talking
about mistakes made by retail companies. As you listen, decide
which mistake each speaker refers to. Choose your answer from the
list A I, and write the correct letter in the space provided. You
will hear the five pieces once only. A B 28 29 30 31 32 Person 1
Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 C D E F Staff lacked training
in customer service. Space in the shop was wasted. A popular item
was discontinued. Sales assistants were not made familiar with
products. Deliveries of stock were inadequate. Too much money was
spent on display fittings.
Example: I
G Some items were stocked in a limited number of stores. H I
Nobody had responsibility for stock control. Items seemed
out-dated.
10
PART FOUR Section One Questions 33 38 33 You will hear two
friends, Matthew and Anthea, discussing a curriculum vitae (CV)
that Matthew has written. For questions 33 38, circle one letter A,
B or C for the correct answer. You will hear the conversation
twice. What does Anthea say about the length of CVs? A B C 34 CVs
should always be a maximum of two pages long. Shorter CVs tend to
please most employers. Length should depend on the type of job
people want.
According to Anthea, what should Matthew have included at the
top of his CV? A B C full contact details age and nationality
marital status
35
What does Matthew say he will do before he finalises his CV? A B
C find out about the work of an employer make his achievements
sound impressive give examples of responsibilities he had in his
last job
36
What information does Anthea suggest Matthew should add to his
CV? A B C the fact that he enjoys reading a club he belongs to the
foreign language he speaks
37
What does Anthea say Matthew should change about the
presentation of his CV? A B C He should use two columns. He should
reduce the font size. He should use bold type for headings.
38
What does Anthea offer to help Matthew with? A B C looking for
some useful websites choosing a suitable photograph checking
spelling and grammar
11
Section Two Questions 39 44 39 You will hear a supervisor,
called Belinda, talking to new recruits at AnswerCall, a call
centre. For questions 39 44, circle one letter A, B or C for the
correct answer. You will hear the talk twice. Jane Westwood decided
to set up AnswerCall because A B C 40 shed sometimes received poor
service on the phone herself. shed seen how phone calls needed to
be dealt with. shed been asked for help by a number of
companies.
The supervisor says AnswerCall helped one particular company
when A B C it was short-staffed due to illness. it wanted to close
for holidays. it had a lot of extra business.
41
AnswerCalls main clients are A B C health care providers.
catering firms. car manufacturers.
42
What does the supervisor think is the main reason for
AnswerCalls success? A B C It has a close relationship with
clients. Its callers are unaware its a call centre. Its staff have
a highly professional manner.
43
What will training for the recruits include? A B C dealing with
angry callers general customer service assessing callers needs
44
What does the supervisor say call centre staff often forget? A B
C to use simple language to be aware of body language to speak
loudly enough
12
Section Three Questions 45 50 45 You will hear Dan and Kasha,
two junior managers working for the shoe manufacturer, Kingston.
They are discussing a seminar Dan attended on quality control (QC)
issues. For questions 45 50, circle one letter A, B or C for the
correct answer. You will hear the discussion twice. What was the
first part of the seminar about? A B C 46 the differences between
quality assurance and quality control the importance of the
consultation process in quality control a general history of
quality control in their industry
Dan thinks the most interesting part of the seminar was on
evaluating A B C the raw materials. the production process. the
finished products.
47
Kasha thinks the current quality control systems at Kingston are
A B C too expensive. carried out too late. too difficult to
follow.
48
Dan thinks that Kingstons existing quality control processes A B
C do not fit in with modern production techniques. send a negative
message to clients. affect employee morale.
49
What does Kingston plan to do to improve its QC systems? A B C
specify who is in charge of each stage do a full cost/benefit
analysis present data in a more manageable way
50
Dan and Kasha agree that following on from this seminar,
Kingston should try to improve its A B C choice of managers. health
and safety record. internal communications.
That is the end of the Listening Section. You now have 5 minutes
to copy your answers onto your answer sheet.
13
READING and LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGEPART ONE Section One Questions 51
57 Look at the following messages and notices. For questions 51 57,
mark one letter A, B or C on your answer sheet.
Example: STORE CONTENTS IN A COOL PLACE OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT A
B C The contents should be kept at a constant temperature. The
contents are sensitive to heat and light. The contents must be kept
frozen. 0 51To: George From: Clare
A
B
C
!
MESSAGE
Martin Promotions called about your order for 10,000 pens with
our logo. They could do 12,000 with a 7% discount. Do you want the
extra ones?
Clare is asking George A B C 52 AST, a major employer in
Buckinghamshire, have announced they are to axe a minimum of 50
jobs in a downsizing programme designed to cut costs by at least 1m
over the next 12 months. Staff levels at AST are being cut in order
to A B C reduce costs to 1m. avoid further rises in costs. lower
costs in the coming year. how many pens he ordered. whether he
would like more pens. what discount on pens he arranged.
14
532007 latest available figures
SHARE OF MARKET72.8%
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
57.7% 40.9% 45.1% 43%
Tech Solutions Syscom13.9%
Midlands
North East
Greater London
The graph shows that in 2007 A B C Syscoms share of the market
was weakest in Greater London Syscom slightly outperformed Tech
Solutions in the North East. Syscoms greatest market share was in
the Midlands.
54 All sales hotline staff, please note For orders received
before 1pm Monday through Thursday, tell customers we guarantee
next day delivery. For those received after that time, explain that
we can deliver within two working days. If customers place an order
from Monday to Thursday in the morning, A B C they will receive
their order before 1pm. the goods will be delivered two days later.
they are assured of a delivery the following day.
15
55Paula The Regional Manager just rang from Liverpool airport.
Could the presentations be delayed until this afternoon because her
flight's held up by at least two hours? She apologises for the
inconvenience.
The Regional Manager wants to A B C explain her absence from the
start of the presentations. suggest that the presentations start
without her. change the starting time of the presentations.
56 Dear Ms Willhead Re: Premises Insurance Renewal We can
confirm renewal of your insurance and duly enclose the relevant
documentation for your safekeeping. We hope you will find
everything in order. Should you have any questions please do not
hesitate to contact us. What should Ms Willhead do now? A B C sign
and return the enclosed form put the documents in a secure place
call to confirm the arrangements
57 The Gold Line Tour Co Our staff may, at their discretion,
require any person to withdraw from any tour if they deem his acts
or conduct offensive or a nuisance to other passengers, and the
company shall have no further liability. A B C Gold Line may have
to change their tour staff and hope this does not upset customers.
Gold Line staff can ask people to leave the tour if their behaviour
is not acceptable. Gold Line would like to be informed when
customers disapprove of staff actions.
16
PART ONE Section Two Questions 58 63 58 Choose the word or
phrase which best completes each sentence. For questions 58 63,
mark one letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet. The housekeeping
team is responsible .. cleaning the hotel bedrooms. A B C D 59 by
for of to
When replying, please .. the above reference number. A B C D
refer reproduce quote mention
60
This storage cupboard is in a real mess - can somebody .. it out
today, please? A B C D work keep make sort
61
If the company decides to .. up food prices, some of our regular
customers will go and shop somewhere else. A B C D go put set
take
62
The average business won't .. a profit until it has operated for
a least a year. A B C D made make makes making
63
My job frequently involves having to work .. a lot of pressure.
A B C D below under beneath underneath 17
PART ONE Section Three Questions 64 69 Read the article below
about women who run their own business and answer questions 64 69
on the opposite page. For questions 64 69, mark one letter A, B or
C for the correct answer.
WOMEN RUNNING THEIR OWN BUSINESSAccording to recent research, a
third of new companies set up in Britain are run by women. Typical
examples are Lisa Simons, who started up her own highly successful
clothing shops in London with a loan of 15,000 from her bank, and
Kate Rogers, who set up Cellar Cafs five years ago and sold out to
a major restaurant chain this month, at a profit of 3 million.
There are many other examples. Surprise, a mail order company
selling unusual gifts, had a turnover of $4 million last year. The
company was started by Claire Fuller five years ago in a garage,
but later moved into premises in the centre of Coventry. Similarly,
Nina Taylor started her company, NC Books, in an old warehouse in
Bristol. A lawyer by training, she had no previous experience of
the retail trade but believes that this worked to her advantage.
Having no knowledge of the book trade, she says, allowed me to
bring fresh ideas into the business. Young women are also running
successful businesses, like Maria Fellows and Christine Craig, both
still in their early twenties. Together they set up Denlows
Recruitment Agency in an office in Liverpool less than two years
ago; the firm now has six offices and a staff of 38. Another young
woman, American-born Amy Bailey, could not find any good coffee
shops in England so set up Coffee Choice Company in 1994. Two years
ago a large American group bought the company, although Amy
continues to play a leading part in the business. There are many
reasons why women want to run their own businesses. One is that
they are increasingly confident that they are capable of doing
this. Another is that many no longer want to work for companies
which fail to offer satisfying careers. Womens businesses are often
more successful that those run by men, says Denise Johnson, of the
National Business Bank, because women are good at looking ahead and
seeing what will be best for a business they find it very
satisfying.
18
64
One third of new British businesses A B C are aimed at female
customers. are owned or managed by women. operate within the womens
clothing sector.
65
What does the second paragraph tell us about the company called
Surprise? A B C The company delivers its products by post. The
company has made a profit every year. The company operates from a
garage.
66
What did Nina Taylor think helped her when she started her
business? A B C having a good knowledge of the law being the owner
of a warehouse knowing nothing about how to sell books
67
According to the third paragraph, Denlows Recruitment Agency has
been a success because A B C it has been in business for over two
years. it has recruited 25 new employees. it has opened several new
offices.
68
Coffee Choice Company was established A B C to fill a gap in the
market. despite strong competition. with finance from the US.
69
According to the final paragraph, women are successful at
running their own businesses because they A B C enjoy learning new
skills. like making plans for the future. prefer working for small
companies.
19
PART ONE Section Four Questions 70 74 For questions 70 74, read
the text below and think of the word which best fits each space.
Write only one word for each space on your answer sheet.
Example: He is very interested (0) .. computers. Answer: 0
in
Dear Customer We are writing to ask you to take part in Johnsons
latest customer survey (70) .. that we can find out if you are
happy with our service. Wed also like your views on some new
developments at Johnsons. The survey data is being recorded (71) ..
NSB Research, an independent research agency. This will ensure that
all data is passed on to us at Johnsons anonymously we wont even
know which of our customers (72) .. taken part in the survey. The
questions are all online, short and straightforward, and should
only take about 15 minutes (73) .. total. Go to
www.NSBResearch.co.uk and click on Johnsons. All survey
participants will (74) .. entered into a draw to win 1,000 of
travel vouchers. The closing date for completion of the survey is
9th May.
20
READING and LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGEPart Two
21
PART TWO Section One Questions 75 81 Read the sentences below
and the descriptions on the opposite page of four different
courses. Which course does each sentence 75 81 refer to? For each
sentence, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.
Example: 0 This course will help you if you are new to managing
people
Answer: 0 A B C D
75
This course will give you a range of techniques to get teams of
large numbers of people working together effectively.
76
This course will enable you to take on greater levels of
responsibility.
77
This course will help you to take account of the individual
needs of team members.
78
This course will help you to assess how well the people who work
for you are doing their jobs.
79
This course will help you to organise tasks and deal with them
in a logical order.
80
This course will enable you to make sure work is completed on
time.
81
This course will introduce you to people who could be helpful to
you.
22
A This course is for team leaders with less than one year's
experience who wish to affirm that they are doing well and to
develop useful techniques. At this stage in your career, you want
to start taking responsibility for your future career development.
Attending this course will provide you with a greater understanding
of how to adapt your management style to the particular
requirements of each person in your team.
B This course is designed to support managers and leaders of big
teams needing a suite of performance management skills and an
effective approach to dealing with a wide variety of issues.
Different stages of team-building will be examined, including
avoiding failure in the performances of your team members and
performance measurement tools.
C This course is for people on their way to great things. You
will learn techniques to assist you to move beyond team management
and gain the confidence you need to undertake more important duties
within your organisation. You will also learn how to avoid the
three great errors of running businesses: not communicating, not
delegating, and not providing support. People you meet on this
course will be useful contacts in the future.
D This course is designed to address the needs of the modern
manager. Outsourced or inhouse, proposals, tenders and one-off
projects are an ever-greater part of the modern manager's life. We
will equip you with powerful techniques to help you reduce spend,
beat deadlines and plan for surprises. All projects need a
beginning, middle and end, and this course will show you the
essential components required in planning these.
23
PART TWO Section Two Questions 82 86 Read this article about an
expanding company. Choose the best word to fill each space from the
words below. For each question 82 86, mark one letter A, B, C or D
on your answer sheet.
Example: He wants you to (0) .. him the reason. 0 A speak B tell
C say D talk
Answer: 0 A B C D
Molly Maid Expansion Domestic cleaning specialist Molly Maid is
responding to a huge increase in demand for domestic services by
gearing up for a (82) .. expansion of their franchise network over
the next five years. Since the first Molly Maid UK franchise
started in Essex in 1986, the company has become (83) .. in most
parts of the country. And over the past decade, recruitment has
switched to other areas, although there are still many
opportunities in the south east. The new drive is powered by fresh
resources committed to the company since Canada-based Molly Maid
International (MMI) (84) .. its direct investment in the UK at the
end of 2002, when MMI (85) .. the UK Molly Maid franchise from
Agostpolar Group. Thanks to this, Molly Maid UK has undergone a
comprehensive (86) .., particularly in regard to enhanced
franchisee support services.
82 A main 83 A rooted 84 A rose 85 A acquired 86 A amendment
B significant B grounded B developed B attained B conversion
C chief C stood C increased C achieved C transformation
D principal D established D grew D collected D modification
24
PART TWO Section Three Questions 87 91 For questions 87 91, read
the text below and think of the word which best fits each space.
Write only one word for each space on your answer sheet.
Example: He is very interested (0) .. computers. Answer: 0
in
Writing a job profile for a recruitment ad When writing a job
profile, you need to be precise about what you want (87) .. order
to ensure that you get it. You must define the position vacant and
the ideal candidate very accurately. (88) .. you dont, you will
just attract the wrong people for the job. Before you write the
profile, establish a clear idea of the kind of person you need and
the actual work involved in the role. When listing skills
requirements, only list those related (89) .. the position.
Similarly, when stating previous experience requirements, think
about (90) .. much experience is strictly necessary for the
candidate to do the job well. You may ideally want your new
employee to be highly trained in all things, but avoid being
unrealistic and consider only the competencies (91) .. are actually
needed for the position offered.
25
PART TWO Section Four Questions 92 97 Choose the word or phrase
which best completes each sentence. For questions 92 97, mark one
letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.
92
My boss promised to .. on board the suggestions I made at the
meeting. A B C D take let hold set
93
The company has good industrial .. and disputes are rare. A B C
D workings affairs terms relations
94
Do you know how much time the boss is going to .. to each
performance review session? A B C D distribute allocate divide
share
26
95
More and more organisations are using the internet for the .. of
recruitment. A B C D rationale function purpose use
96
I don't think the business will succeed .. it innovates more
frequently. A B C D but despite even unless
97
Westburg plc got into trouble when they moved away from their ..
business. A B C D core basis heart essence
27
PART TWO Section Five Questions 98 103 Read the article below
about careers advice and answer questions 98 103 on the opposite
page. For questions 98 103, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your
answer sheet.
Keys to unlock path of career fulfilmentIt used to be called
vocational guidance. Then it became careers advice and counselling.
Since the late 1920s there have been various tests to help guide
bewildered and guileless school leavers into job categories suited
to their interests and abilities. Hence extroverts have been
advised, wisely, to go into sales and marketing, where they thrive
on the variability, people-contact and air of optimism. Introverts
on the other hand find the quiet work of accounts, stores and
engineering, where they can work alone in a less peopleorientated,
frenetic atmosphere, more to their taste. But good careers advisors
need to look at other factors when giving advice. For example,
career counselling is flawed if it fails to allow for the
possibility of people adapting to, and changing, their jobs once
they are in them. Most organisations attempt through various
explicit (induction, mentoring, training, appraisal) and implicit
(reliance on observation) techniques to mould behaviour into an
acceptable pattern. This means that attitudes and even aptitudes of
employees may be changed over the first year of employment,
sometimes, but not always, in the direction desired by the
organisation. Thus a fit may easily and quickly develop into a
misfit and vice versa. Individuals also change their jobs (without
leaving them). They rearrange furniture, use space and technology
differently and personalise different aspects of the job. They can
negotiate with colleagues, earn special privileges and use other
means to improve their role and output. In this sense, very soon
they are doing the job differently from their predecessors, and
possibly from the way recommended by the company. However, both
adaptation of personal work-style and attempts to change the way of
doing the job are more likely to lead to a higher level of fit,
because the changes are usually all attempts to increase fit. And
jobs themselves change. Organisational restructuring, the
development of new technology, changes in the market, and so on all
mean that jobs evolve fairly fast. Because of the speed of
technology, all jobs are in a state of flux. Job analysis is
therefore less relevant to careers advice. Counsellors analysis has
to focus instead on personal potential rather than current
knowledge or skill. And the features of such analysis are potential
speed and thoroughness in the acquisition of new knowledge and
skills. The areas that are probably most predictive of these are
intelligence and personality. Intelligence is probably the best
predictor of speed of learning. Often, intelligent people are
curious and self-confident and hence happy to tackle new tasks.
Intelligent people are better and quicker at analysing both logical
and deductive and creative problems. Probably the most important
personality dimensions are conscientiousness and neuroticism.
Conscientious people soon get a good reputation which serves them
in good stead. Coupled with ability, this trait is a sure-fire
career winner. On the other hand neuroticism is a deep and abiding
handicap. It is not easy to cure and can have a lasting effect on a
career. The neurotic is unhappy and tends to be dissatisfied,
stressed and complaining in all jobs they have. The consistency of
their behaviour leads them to develop a poor reputation which of
course can be self-fulfilling. Success in the job in 2020 can be
assessed now. We have little idea what the world of work will be
like but advisors can do a reasonable job in assessing the
potential of the individual within it because they know the
predictors of success. And it is these predictors that counsellors
need to attend to if they are to give the best advice.
28
98
What does the writer say about careers advice in the first
paragraph? A B C D Those receiving it have sometimes disagreed with
it. It has favoured certain types of people over others. Some of
the standard advice given has been appropriate. It has acquired a
more appropriate title than it used to have.
99
What does the writer say about organisations in the second
paragraph? A B C D They can turn suitable employees into unsuitable
ones. Many of them have a low opinion of careers advisors. They are
unaware of the effect their methods have on new employees. Many of
them are unclear as to what they expect from new employees.
100
The writer says that when individuals make changes to their
jobs, A B C D they usually concentrate on their physical working
conditions. they generally have the best of intentions. they are
often reprimanded as a consequence. they frequently pretend they
are not doing this.
101
The writers main point in the fourth paragraph is that A B C D
people have become less sure about which career would suit them.
people no longer want to stay in the same job for a long time. the
speed of change in the world of work has caused confusion. careers
advice should no longer be based on the fixed nature of specific
jobs.
102
The writer contrasts conscientious people with neurotic people
with regard to A B C D the kind of advice that can be given. their
chances of finding employment. the impression they give to other
people. their willingness to take advice.
103
What is the writers general view on careers advice in the
article as a whole? A B C D It has had to allow for the fact that
people now have higher aspirations. Whether it is useful or not has
become harder to assess. Predicting future developments has become
a prime ingredient. It has become much less relevant in todays
world of work.
29
PART TWO Section Six Questions 104 110 A colleague has given you
this text for the company's intranet for you to check. In some
lines there is one wrong word. If there is a wrong word, write the
correct word on your answer sheet. If there is no mistake, put a
tick (") on your answer sheet. Example: Please note that there has
been a increase in the prices of some goods in the new catalogue 0
00
an "
HOW TO USE COMPUTERS SAFELY 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 More
than 90% of jobs now requiring IT skills, a fact that has made the
appropriate and safe use of technology a majority business issue
for every employer, irrespective by size or sector. There are some
simple ways for employees to adapt and modify the computers they
use and so protect their health. Help your eyes by ensuring that
the font size and screen brightly are best suited to your
particular needs. Also, make sure your screen and keyboard are for
the right height and angle to avoid the risk of sitting awkwardly.
Keep your wrists and fingers relaxation at all times, taking
frequent breaks and doing exercises to prevent injury.
30
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