test your skills Section E Practice test – Readingrockettraining.co.uk/uploads/140626032152Edexcel L1 Section E2... · EdExcEl Functional SkillS pilot English level 1 test your

EdExcEl Functional SkillS pilot

English level 1test your skills

Section E

Practice test – Reading

1 test your skills

© Pearson Education 2009 Functional English Level 1 • Section E Test • page 1 Draft for Pilot

FS-Eng-L1-SecE-TEST-READING.indd 1 4/30/09 4:48:28 PM

Use the practice test below to see how well you have mastered the skills you need for Functional English, Unit 2 – Reading.

ReadingQuestions in this test assess your reading skills.

You should spend about 10 minutes on Questions 1 to 4.

Read Text A and answer Questions 1 to 4.

A Test your skills

Crime can affect people in many different ways. Many people are surprised how upset and mixed up they

feel after being a victim of crime. People around you such as friends, partners and children will also be affected. They may feel similar emotions to yours, as well as concern for you. But many people fi nd that others around them expect them to ‘get over it.’ This is not always helpful if what you really want to do is talk about how you feel.

How you react to a crime will also depend on:

• the type of crime

• whether you know the person who committed the crime

• the support you get from your family, friends, the police and other people you come into contact with

• things that have happened to you in the past – such as other hurtful events.

The effects can last for a long time. Even if other people do not think of the crime as very serious, you may still fi nd you have a strong reaction. For example, a burglary can affect your life just as badly as an assault, even though nobody may have been physically hurt during the burglary.

One of the things that can make crime hard to cope with is knowing that it was done on purpose. Unlike an accident or illness, where no-one means to hurt anyone, people who commit a crime have done it indending to cause harm. If you are the victim, this can make you feel very powerless. This can be even harder to deal with if the crime keeps happening which is often true with domestic violence or racial harassment.

TEXT A



Practice test EPractice test E


For Questions 1 to 4, choose one answer (A, B, C or D) and put a cross in the box ( 7 ).

Question 1 The best heading for Text A would be:

A. Why people commit crimes.

B. What to do if you are burgled.

C. How crime can affect you.

D. How to help a victim of crime.

(Total: 1 mark)

Question 2 According to Text A, the way you react to a crime will be influenced by whether:

A. anyone is physically injured

B. other people support you afterwards

C. the person committing the crime is caught

D. other people think the crime is serious.

(Total: 1 mark)

Question 3 According to Text A, which of these can be said about the effects of crime?

A. They can affect you badly.

B. They always affect people in the same way.

C. You can soon get over them.

D. They can make you stronger.

(Total: 1 mark)

Question 4 Which of these ideas is suggested by Text A?

A. Crime only affects the victim.

B. It is harder to deal with if the same crime happens more than once.

C. It is best not to talk about your feelings.

D. There should be harsher sentences for violent crimes.

(Total: 1 mark)



Read Text B, an article written by a teenage journalist, and answer Questions 5 and 6.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 5 and 6.

ASBOs - More harm than good

For anyone who doesn’t know, ASBO is short for Anti-Social Behaviour Order. According to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998,

ASBOs are issued for “behaviour which causes harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people who are not in the same household as the person the order is against.”

Graffi ti, abusive behaviour and dealing drugs are some of the things that I think of as ‘anti-social behaviour’, but you can be given an ASBO for something as ordinary as hanging around a street wearing a hoody! Personally, I don’t think this is fair; no one would think twice if it was a group of adults standing in the street – no matter what clothes they are wearing.

I recently read that a 12-year-old boy could not go to school because his ASBO stopped him from going into that area. Surely he would be much more likely to get involved in ‘anti-social behaviour’ if he has nothing to do all day, rather than being in school and getting an education.

ASBOs have been described as ‘fast tracking’ people as young as ten into the criminal justice system. Some children’s groups point out that newspapers can ‘name and shame’ those who get ASBOs when usually under-18s have the right to privacy under the law.

Some young people regard their ASBO as a sort of ‘badge of honour,’ that makes them look tough. In fact, in some areas people say that friends of ASBO holders were even feeling left out and trying their best to get an ASBO to be the same! In my view, ASBOs can’t be a good thing if they are actually motivating young people to behave badly, just to fi t in.

TEXT B


Practice test EPractice test E


Question 5 a Basing your answer on the information in Text B, give four examples of

what is thought of as anti-social behaviour.

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(4)b What arguments does the writer of Text B make against ASBOs?

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(4)

c Give two examples of ways in which the writer of Text B tries to persuade us to her point of view.

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(2)

(Total 10 marks)


Question 6After reading the article in Text B, do you agree with the writer’s views on ASBOs?

Yes No

Give two reasons for your answer.

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(Total 2 marks)(Total for Reading: 16 marks)



Answers


Q1 – 4 (Multiple choice) 1 mark for each correct answer

Question Answer Standard which is being tested

1 C Identify the main points and ideas

2 B Understand texts in detail

3 A Identify the main points and ideas

4 B Understand texts in detail

5 a Examples of anti-social behaviour: behaviour which ‘causes harassment, alarm or distress’; writing or spraying graffiti; abusive behaviour; drug-dealing; standing around wearing a hoody.

Up to 4 marks, 1 mark for each correct answer.(Tests ability to identify the main points and ideas.)

b Arguments against ASBOs: they unfairly target young people; they prevent people from doing useful things (like going to school) as well as causing a nuisance; they needlessly cause people to be regarded as criminals; they glamorise bad behaviour rather than preventing it.

4 marks for an explanation showing clear understanding of a range of views. 3 marks for an explanation that shows understanding but may occasionally be unclear or inaccurate or lacking detail.2 marks for an answer showing understanding but with significant omissions or inaccuracies.1 mark for a limited response making at least one valid point. (Tests understanding of text in detail.)

c Possible examples: (1) The writer states ‘I don’t think this is fair’ and illustrates her point by making a comparison with how adults would be treated in a similar situation. (2) Her use of the word ‘surely’ calls on the reader to accept her point of view that being deprived of his education is not helping the 12-year-old boy with an ASBO. (3) She implies that other people share her views, e.g. ‘ASBOs have been described’; ‘many children’s groups’. (4) The exclamation mark in the last paragraph stresses that the punishment is not having the intended effect.

Up to 2 marks, 1 mark for each acceptable example. (Tests ability to identify how ideas are presented.)

6 Possible reasons for agreeing with the writer: they are unfair; they don’t help the offender to improve their behaviour; they make children seem like criminals; they cause some people to offend simply to be like everyone else.

Possible reasons for disagreeing with the writer: anti-social behaviour (including wearing a hoody) does cause people distress; graffiti, abusive behaviour and drug-dealing do take place on our streets; people who behave badly deserve to be “named and shamed”; only a minority of people would behave badly just to get an ASBO.

2 marks if you explain clearly why you agree or disagree.1 mark if you make some relevant comments but your explanation is unclear. (Tests ability to read and understand and take appropriate action.)



The practice test gives you a chance to test how well you have mastered all the Reading skills for Functional English. When you have marked your answers, measure your own score against the target score on the grid below to see where you need more practice. Then look again at the relevant sections in the learner materials.

Reading

Skills covered Q. no. Max. mark

Target score

Test score

If you need more practice, look again at these units

Finding main points and ideas 1, 3, 5a 6 5 or 6 A2, A4, B1

Noticing how main points and ideas are presented

5c 2 2 A6, A7, B2

Understanding texts in detail 2, 4, 5b 6 5 or 6 A1, A3, A5, A8, B3

Reading a text and taking appropriate action

6 2 2 B4

All Reading skills 16 14+


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test your skills Section E Practice test – Readingrockettraining.co.uk/uploads/140626032152Edexcel L1 Section E2... · EdExcEl Functional SkillS pilot English level 1 test your