1 – 12 END OF YEAR TEST | Higher B2

Listening
1 EOY Track 1  You will hear an interview
with Dr Brooks about the English language.
2 EOY Track 1  Listen again and complete the
Complete the extract with the words sentences with a word or short phrase.
you hear. Then choose a similar meaning 1 Dr Brooks says              
(a, b or c). shows literacy has probably not decreased.
1 ‘saying that        standards are falling, 2 According to Dr Brooks, using
mainly as a result of our increasing use of digital             forms of words
communications’ in text messages shows language ability.
a) ability to communicate 3 Dr Brooks believes that people who use
b) ability to spell abbreviations know how               .
c) ability to read and write 4 There was once a lot of              
2 ‘people have lost the ability to spell because of the effect of using words like ‘fridge’ and ‘exam’.
all the        they use’ 5              is an abbreviation
a) short forms of words which was used hundreds of years ago.
b) slang words 6 In the future, British English will probably
c) foreign words become              American
3 ‘people who write the word “later” with an English.
L followed by the number 8 and then R 7 Australian TV programmes have recently had
are        the correct spelling’ a/an              British English.
a) familiar with
b) unsure about
c) ignorant of
4 ‘… and now they’re used by
everyone       .’
a) in an insensitive way
b) in a thoughtful way
c) automatically
5 ‘the use of        such as ‘How’s it going?’
a) American words and phrases
b) American habits
c) American culture
6 ‘for giving us some fascinating        the
English language’
a) questions about
b) information about
c) rules about

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 1 – 12 END OF YEAR TEST | Higher
Reading
Four teenagers tell us about the places they would most like to visit and why.
A George
My dad is originally from the Greek island of Naxos,
but moved to New York, where I was born, when he
was 18. It was his descriptions of growing up in a
close-knit community surrounded by stunning scenery
that inspired my desire to go to Naxos. Not only are
there lots of beautiful beaches, but the warm climate
means you can swim in the sea nearly all year round.
The local people have a very relaxed lifestyle too,
staying up late at night and getting up late, which
would definitely suit me! It sounds like the kind of
place where you can lose track of time. As perfect as
it might sound, though, I suppose I might get fed up
with being in such a remote place after a while and
miss city life.
B Sophia
My friends love chilling out on a beach and getting
a suntan on holiday, but personally I find that really
tedious. What I want are the kind of experiences I’d
never have at home in England. That’s why Norway
appeals to me and, in particular, a town called Tromso,
which is a cold and windswept place two hundred
miles north of the Arctic Circle. I saw a nature
documentary about it recently and I’d really love to
visit it in January when temperatures are below zero
and there is hardly any sunlight. I’m not a huge fan of
the cold and the dark, but apparently this is the best
time for whale-watching. There are boat trips you can
do from a little island near Tromso which give you the
chance to get close to these awesome creatures. I
think the sight of them in their natural environment
would be truly spectacular.
3 Look at each statement and decide whether
or not the speaker suggests the statement.
1 George enjoys living in a city.
YES / NO
2 Sophia prefers cold places to hot places.
YES / NO
3 Hans is interested in doing what tourists
normally do.
YES / NO
4 Daphne likes crowded places.
YES / NO

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B2
C Hans
I’m saving up at the moment to go to Seoul, the
capital of South Korea. My love of Korean cinema has
given me an insight into Korean culture so I think I
would feel at home there. You get the impression that
the city is super modern because it’s dominated by
huge skyscrapers and shopping malls, but apparently
you can also find areas where traditional Korean
buildings have been preserved. It’s this diversity
which really appeals to me. Apart from sightseeing,
I’m looking forward to trying some of the street food,
which sounds delicious, and going shopping. Young
South Koreans are aware of all the latest trends and
since it’s a relatively cheap city, I’m determined to get
some bargains!
D Daphne
When most people think of Holland, they think of
Amsterdam, which I’m sure is a beautiful city if you
don’t mind the hordes of visitors it attracts. I’m drawn
towards less obvious destinations and given the
chance, the place I’d choose to visit is Rotterdam.
Rotterdam has been called the ‘city of the future’
because of its striking modern architecture. It’s also
a truly green city with unusual features such as a
floating park made from recycled rubbish which people
have thrown into the river! If you’re a keen surfer,
like I am, you’ll be impressed to learn that Rotterdam
has got the world’s only surfing centre to be built
in the middle of a city on a canal! The only potential
disadvantage about visiting Holland is that I don’t
speak Dutch, but fortunately English is widely spoken
there.
4 For questions 1–8, choose from the four
people (A–D). The people may be chosen
more than once.
Which person …
1 prefers to stay away from tourist traps?     
2 wants to visit a place that has two very different
architectural styles?     
3 has been influenced by someone who knows this
place well?     
4 foresees a possible problem if he/she went to
this place, but thinks it can be overcome?     
5 would welcome the opportunity to do something
unusual?     
6 is interested in tasting local specialities?     
7 wouldn’t be put off a place by harsh
conditions?     
8 does not expect this place to be ideal?     
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 1 – 12 END OF YEAR TEST | Higher B2

Use of English 7 Complete the second sentence so that it

has a similar meaning to the first. Do not
5 Write one word in each gap. change the word given. Use two to five
The Mystery of Everest words, including the word given.
Who were the first people (1)        climb 1 Although we had the air conditioning on, we
Mount Everest? Until recently, it were still too hot!
(2)        believed that Edmund Hillary
and Tenzing Norgay got to the top of the world’s DESPITE
highest mountain before anybody else. However, We were still too hot                 
the discovery of a body in 1999 about 600 metres air conditioning on!
below the summit has (3)        experts 2 We only realised our mistake much later.
question this. It was the body of George Mallory, UNTIL
who, with his partner, Andrew Irvine,
(4)        missing during their attempt to It was not                  we
climb Everest in 1924, nearly thirty years before realised our mistake.
Hillary and Norgay. Mallory and Irvine 3 I’d prefer you not to go out with your friends
disappeared after (5)        seen only a tonight.
few hundred metres below the summit, but it RATHER
isn’t known if they died before or after they
I’d                  go out with
reached the summit. The key to the mystery
your friends tonight.
seems to be in the camera Andrew Irvine,
(6)        body has never been found, was 4 Alice has been a teacher for years now.
carrying. If they reached the top of the mountain, QUALIFIED
they (7)        have taken photos to record Alice                  ago.
their achievement. If the camera is found and
5 If we don’t start using greener forms of transport,
shows this is the case, the history books will have
city centres will become even more polluted.
to be rewritten.
UNLESS
 The city centre will become even more polluted
                 greener forms
6 Write a form of the word in capitals in each of transport.
gap to complete the text. 6 It doesn’t make sense to go shopping if you’ve
A Day Trip to Space got no money!
A ground-breaking new POINT
(1)        will soon be giving INVENT There’s                  if you’ve
people the chance to go to space and got no money!
back in just a few hours! The ‘World
View’ company, which aims to make 
trips into space (2)        to ACCESS
everyone, has developed a space craft
pulled by a huge balloon that can take
passengers to heights of 30 kilometres
above the Earth! The space craft has
no engine – it simply floats in the air
– making the trip a very
(3)        experience. Since it RELAX
creates no air (4)       , it is POLLUTE
also an (5)        green way to EXTREME
travel. The pilot, who is a former
NASA astronaut, says the view of the
Earth from space is so
(6)        that it will change the IMPRESS
way people see the world. He is
hoping that it may even
(7)        relationships STRONG
between people from different
countries by showing them that we all
live on the same planet and are closer
to each other than we think.

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 1 – 12 END OF YEAR TEST | Higher B2

Writing
8 Write an answer to one of the following questions 1–2 below. Write your answer in 140–190 words
in an appropriate style.

1 You’ve received this email from your friend, Ella.

From: Ella
Subject: Music
Where do you listen to music? Can you tell me if you play an instrument or sing? Do you go to
concerts at school or in your city? Write and tell me!

Write your email.

                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     

2 You see this advert online.

Reviews Wanted!
Is there a shop you love in your town or city? It can be a clothes shop, a book shop or any other
kind of shop. Write a review of it, saying what you like about it, anything you don’t like about it
and if you would recommend it to other people. The best reviews will appear on our website!

Write your review.

                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     

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 1 – 12 END OF YEAR TEST | Higher B2

Speaking
9 Work in pairs. Here are some ideas for after-school clubs which might encourage students
to learn new skills. Talk to each other about why students might want to attend these clubs.
(2 minutes)

Art Film

What clubs could a

school offer?

Computer
Gymnastics Cookery
coding

Decide together which two clubs would be most enjoyable and interest the biggest number of
people. (1 minute)

Discuss the following questions in pairs. (4 minutes)

1 Do you think after-school clubs like these are useful? Why/why not?
2 What kind of things do students enjoy doing after school in your country? Why?
3 How important do you think it is for students to have hobbies?
4 What kind of things can you learn from doing a sport?
5 Do you prefer doing indoor or outdoor activities? Why?
6 If you had the chance, what new skill would you like to learn? Why?

Total score

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