1–4 PROGRESS TEST 1 | Higher B2

Listening
1 PT Track 1  You will hear people talking 2 PT Track 1  You will hear people talking in
in five different situations. Choose the five different situations. For questions 1–5,
statement which describes how the speaker choose the best answer (A, B or C).
feels. 1 You hear a boy discussing a problem with a
1 The boy is worried / angry. friend. What do they disagree about?
2 The boy is enthusiastic / uncertain. A what has happened to his phone
3 The girl is surprised / envious. B how his parents will react to the situation
4 The boy is relaxed / nervous. C whether he should report the crime
5 The girl was bored / sleepy. 2 You hear two friends talking about taking part in
a TV programme. How does the boy feel?
A enthusiastic about their chances of winning
B reluctant to apply
C certain that he doesn’t want to participate
3 You hear two friends talking about someone they
know. What do they think about him?
A He’s quite intelligent and outgoing.
B He’s clever, but he doesn’t talk very much.
C He’s very creative.
4 You hear part of an interview with someone who
has a learning disability called dyslexia. What
does he say about it?
A It isn’t related to intelligence.
B It only affects a person’s reading ability.
C It means you can’t read aloud easily.
5 You hear two friends talking about a film they
have just seen. What did they think of it?
A It was boring from start to finish.
B The acting was the best thing about it.
C It was worse than they expected.

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 1–4 PROGRESS TEST 1 | Higher B2

Reading

Write to Freedom
Caspar Walsh knows a lot about youth crime. He spent his own youth committing offences such as fraud and
robbery and was in and out of institutions for young offenders during his teens. At the age of 18, he decided that
he didn’t want to end up spending the rest of his life in prison. He turned away from the life he used to lead, finding
solace in writing about his experiences. Now over a decade later, he is dedicating his life to helping other young
people in a similar situation through a project which encourages self-expression through the written word and
through connecting with nature.
The Write to Freedom charity, which began in 2007, runs a ‘wilderness and writing’ course created by Caspar
during which young men in prison spend four weekends camping out in Dartmoor National Park. Caspar believes
that through spending time in nature, troubled youngsters will have the opportunity to reflect on their lives. Putting
their feelings down on paper will help this process. The hope is that, with the support of mentors to guide them,
they will be able to make positive changes to their lives. After completing the course, students can apply to become
mentors on the same project.
But how do angry young men react when they suddenly find themselves in the solitude of nature after spending
most of their lives in an urban environment? Fear and mistrust are often the first feelings. Some of them want to
challenge the new set of rules that they aren’t used to, refusing to switch off their mobile phones, for example,
when asked to. However, after spending the weekend walking in the fresh air, making fires, and sleeping under
the stars, these feelings are usually replaced by more positive ones. While some participants simply appreciate
the chance to get away from prison life, others feel they acquire some useful life skills and learn more about
themselves during the course.
Writing is an unfamiliar activity for the students, many of whom have limited literacy skills as a result of truancy
and a general lack of interest in school. However, they are often surprised to find that once they start writing,
whether about themselves, their own dreams, or fictional stories, they find it enjoyable and empowering. Putting
their ideas and thoughts down on paper gives them the feeling that they are capable of achieving their aims.
Organisations like Write to Freedom are growing in number, but many more are needed. Apart from the huge
financial cost of imprisoning a young person, which is about £55,000 a year in the UK, prison is often not the
answer for young offenders. In many cases, young people who have committed crimes are, with the right help
and guidance, capable of living productive lives in society. The Write to Freedom project is one small step towards
making that happen.

3 Find these words and phrases in the article above. Then choose a synonym (A–H) for each one.
1 wilderness      A the ability to read and write
2 reflect on      B situations
3 solitude      C giving confidence
4 unfamiliar      D think about
5 literacy      E being alone
6 truancy      F strange
7 empowering      G failure to attend school
8 cases      H wild, uninhabited area

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 1–4 PROGRESS TEST 1 | Higher
4 Read the article again. For questions 1–6,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D).
1 What happened to Caspar when he was 18?
A He changed his behaviour dramatically.
B He went back to his previous way of life.
C He became a professional author.
D He made contact with other young offenders.
2 What does ‘solace’ in paragraph 1 mean?
A forgiveness
B punishment
C success
D comfort
3 What do the prisoners learn in the ‘wilderness
and writing’ course?
A practical skills like making a fire
B literacy skills they never learnt in school
C social skills and how to cooperate with a
mentor
D how to live outside prison
4 Most of the people who take part in the course
A enjoy having time to concentrate on their
problems.
B don’t like being in unfamiliar situations.
C find it hard to change their attitude to
authority.
D feel they have benefited from it overall.
5 Which of the following best describes students’
attitudes towards writing?
A They don’t expect it to be so rewarding.
B They are reluctant to do it.
C They feel unable to express themselves.
D They struggle to come up with ideas.
6 The writer criticises prisons for
A paying their employees too highly.
B being inappropriate for certain kinds of
criminal.
C mistreating young inmates.
D failing to work with organisations that help
young offenders.
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B2
Use of English
5 Choose the correct word or phrase for
each gap.
The Honest Truth
After a report that a man (1)     suspiciously
in a car park, the police decided to investigate.
They found the man, who was accompanied by
his six-year-old son, and questioned him about
his reasons for being there. The man said he was
doing (2)     wrong, but his son disagreed and
informed the police that his father (3)     to
break into a car in order to steal it.
The boy led the police to a car with damaged
doors and told them that the damage had been
caused by his father trying to open the door with
a screwdriver. (4)     they heard this, the
police searched the man and found that he was
indeed carrying a screwdriver. They arrested the
man, but were (5)     that the boy
(6)     with the information. He was more
honest than his dad.
1 A behaved B had behaved
C has been behaving D was behaving
2 A nothing B anything
C not D none
3 A is trying B has tried
C had been trying D has been trying
4 A In case B As long as
C Provided D As soon as
5 A impressive B impressed
C impress D impressively
6 A had carried out B had come forward
C had gone D had come up
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 1–4 PROGRESS TEST 1 | Higher B2

6 Write a form of the word in capitals in each gap to complete the text.
Genetic Fingerprinting
DNA, which is found in all animal tissue, contains genetic (1)               INFORM
about the individual who produces it. The structure of DNA was discovered in 1953 by
the (2)              Watson and Crick. Their discovery led to the SCIENCE
(3)              of genetic fingerprinting, which is a very accurate way of DEVELOP
identifying (4)             . It works by comparing a sample from CRIME
the scene of a crime with a sample from a suspect. As we all have our own unique
genetic make-up, this method of (5)              has proved very IDENTITY
(6)             . Genetic fingerprinting is particularly useful when SUCCESS
there is some (7)              in establishing the true facts of a case. DIFFICULT

7 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Do not change
the word given. Use two to five words, including the word given.
1 I’ve never studied so hard before!
USED
I’m                  so hard!
2 You really should ask your mum and dad for more pocket money!
HIGH
It’s                  asked your mum and dad for more pocket money!
3 The film starts in five minutes.
A
We have only got                  the film starts.
4 Stella started to play the piano three years ago.
PLAYING
Stella has                  three years.
5 Why did you ignore my advice?
ATTENTION
Why didn’t you                  my advice?
6 Eleanor said she’d never read such a boring book!
THE
Eleanor said it was                  had ever read!
7 I wanted to keep playing football, but it was getting late.
TOO
It was                  keep playing football.

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 1–4 PROGRESS TEST 1 | 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 In your English class, you have been talking about learning. Now your English teacher has asked you to write
an essay.
Write your essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

‘Having a teacher is always the best way for students to learn.’ Do you agree?

Notes
Write about:

1 academic subjects (such as maths, sciences and languages)

2 practical subjects (such as cookery and art)
3             (your own idea)

Write your essay.

                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     

2 You see this notice in an English-language magazine for teenagers.

Articles Wanted!
We are planning a special feature on world languages and we need your help! What advice would you
give someone who wanted to learn your language? What is difficult about it and what is easy? How
could they make the quickest progress? The best articles will be published next month.

Write your article.

                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     

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 1–4 PROGRESS TEST 1 | Higher B2

Speaking
9 Interview: In pairs, ask and answer these questions.
1 How often do you go to the cinema?
2 What kind of films do you prefer?
3 Who’s your favourite actor?
4 Do you enjoy reading?
5 Tell me about a good book you’ve read.
6 Can you play an instrument?
7 What kind of music do you listen to?

Total score

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