اختبار آيلتس تجريبي.. Test A

اختبار آيلتس أكاديمي تجريبي كامل ومجاني من دليلك (Test A): القراءة (3 نصوص، 40 سؤالًا) والاستماع (4 أجزاء، 40 سؤالًا) والكتابة (مهمتان) والمحادثة (3 أجزاء). الإجابة الصحيحة والشرح تحت كل سؤال بضغطة على «اعرض الإجابة»، لمن يستعد للآيلتس ويريد يتدرّب ويراجع أخطاءه.

حل الأسئلة أولًا ثم افتح الإجابة، أو ابدأ الاختبار التفاعلي بالوقت ليُصحَّح تلقائيًا مع باند تقديري. أصوات الاستماع تعمل في الاختبار التفاعلي، ونصها هنا تحت كل جزء.

القراءة الأكاديمية.. Reading

3 نصوص و40 سؤالًا في 60 دقيقة.

ابدأ الاختبار التفاعلي بالوقت

Passage 1: The History of Lighthouses and Their Keepers

ALong before the invention of the tower as we now picture it, sailors navigating rocky coastlines depended on ordinary fires lit on hilltops or cliff edges to warn them away from danger. The earliest structure purpose-built for this task is usually credited to the Pharos of Alexandria, raised on the orders of Ptolemy II in the third century BC. Standing over one hundred metres high, with a mirror system said to reflect sunlight by day and a fire by night, it was later listed among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. However, isolated coastal fires predate the Pharos by centuries, and Alexandria's achievement lay in engineering scale rather than in the underlying idea. Contemporary accounts describe the Pharos surviving several earthquakes over the centuries before a final collapse in the fourteenth century, after which its remaining stone was reused in a nearby fortress.

BFor more than a thousand years after Alexandria's example, most coastal warning fires remained crude affairs, burning coal or wood in open braziers exposed to wind and rain, which made them unreliable in the very conditions sailors most needed them. It was only from the sixteenth century onward that European harbour authorities began building permanent stone towers with enclosed lanterns, replacing open flames with oil lamps set behind glass. Even so, the light produced by a single flame, however well sheltered, could be seen only a few kilometres out to sea, leaving vessels approaching from a distance with little advance warning of the coastline ahead. Sailors of the period often relied as much on local knowledge of currents and landmarks as on any fixed light, a combination that left navigation along poorly charted coasts a matter of considerable trust.

CThe single greatest advance in the technology came in 1822, when the French physicist Augustin Fresnel introduced a lens built from concentric rings of glass prisms rather than a single curved surface. By bending scattered light from a comparatively small flame into a narrow, powerful beam, the Fresnel lens allowed a modest lamp to be seen from thirty kilometres or more, a range no earlier design could approach. Within decades, the new lens had been adopted along coastlines worldwide, and it remains, in modified form, the optical principle behind many lighthouses that are still in service today. Fresnel's design also proved cheaper to manufacture at scale than the mirror arrangements it replaced, which further hastened its adoption by cash-strapped maritime authorities across Europe and beyond.

DThe improved range of the Fresnel lens did nothing to lighten the daily workload of the keeper, who typically lived on site with his family in cramped quarters attached to the tower. Each evening the lamp had to be lit and its wick trimmed to keep the flame steady; through the night, keepers took turns watching for ships in difficulty and recording weather conditions in a logbook. By morning, the lens itself required careful cleaning, since even a thin layer of salt residue on the glass could noticeably dim the beam. On remote rocks far from shore, supply boats might be unable to land for weeks at a time, so keepers also learned to be self-sufficient in nearly every practical skill. Many stations rotated two or three keepers on staggered shifts so that the light was never left unattended, and children raised on isolated rocks were sometimes taught by post rather than in a classroom.

EIsolation was only one of the hazards keepers faced; storms severe enough to sweep away outbuildings, and in a small number of documented cases the keepers themselves, were an accepted risk of the posting. Yet the lights they tended prevented immeasurably more harm than they suffered: coastal charts from the nineteenth century show shipwreck sites clustering thickly around headlands before a lighthouse was built there, and thinning out sharply once one began operating. Insurance records from major shipping companies of the period frequently cite the construction of a new light as the direct cause of a measurable drop in claims along that stretch of coast. Some governments went further, offering keepers a small bonus for every season completed without a reportable incident, an incentive that reflected just how highly the service was valued.

FThe profession that Fresnel's invention had made possible did not survive the century that followed it. Electric lamps, introduced from the 1880s, reduced the daily maintenance a light required, and by the second half of the twentieth century, automated systems capable of self-monitoring and remote reporting had made a resident keeper largely unnecessary. The last staffed lighthouse in the United States was automated in 1998, and most maritime nations completed the same transition within a decade either side of that date. Many towers now stand unstaffed but preserved, their keepers' cottages converted into small museums or holiday lets, sustaining an interest in the profession that the buildings themselves no longer require. A handful of nations have kept a token staffed light for ceremonial or training purposes, but these exceptions do little to alter the overall picture of a vanished profession.

brazier:
an open metal container used for burning coal or wood to produce fire or light
headland:
a narrow strip of land that projects out from a coastline into the sea

أسئلة النص 1

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information, FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

  1. 1The Pharos of Alexandria used its mirror system specifically to warn ships of storms approaching from the north.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NOT GIVEN

    "'with a mirror system said to reflect sunlight by day and a fire by night' (Paragraph A)"

    ليش صحيح: النص يذكر المرآة لكنه لا يذكر أبدًا غرضًا محددًا بتحذير من عواصف شمالية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست TRUE لعدم التأكيد، وليست FALSE لعدم وجود تناقض صريح.

  2. 2European harbour authorities began erecting permanent stone towers within a hundred years of the Pharos's construction.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    FALSE

    "'For more than a thousand years after Alexandria's example... It was only from the sixteenth century onward...' (Paragraph B)"

    ليش صحيح: النص يذكر أكثر من ألف سنة لا مئة سنة.. تناقض مباشر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست TRUE بسبب التناقض الصريح، وليست NOT GIVEN لأن المدة مذكورة بوضوح.

  3. 3The Fresnel lens increased the distance from which a lighthouse's beam could be seen.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    TRUE

    "'the Fresnel lens allowed a modest lamp to be seen from thirty kilometres or more, a range no earlier design could approach' (Paragraph C)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لحقيقة مؤكدة في النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست FALSE لعدم وجود تناقض، وليست NOT GIVEN لأن الحقيقة مذكورة صراحة.

  4. 4Keepers were required to complete formal training in lens cleaning before taking up a posting.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NOT GIVEN

    "'By morning, the lens itself required careful cleaning' (Paragraph D)"

    ليش صحيح: التنظيف مذكور كواجب يومي، لكن التدريب الرسمي المسبق غير مذكور إطلاقًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست TRUE لعدم ذكر التدريب، وليست FALSE لعدم وجود نفي صريح له.

  5. 5Historical shipwreck records show fewer wrecks near headlands once a lighthouse began operating there.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    TRUE

    "'shipwreck sites clustering thickly around headlands before a lighthouse was built there, and thinning out sharply once one began operating' (Paragraph E)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لحقيقة مؤكدة في النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست FALSE لعدم وجود تناقض، وليست NOT GIVEN لأن الحقيقة مذكورة صراحة.

  6. 6The last staffed lighthouse in the United States was automated during the nineteenth century.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    FALSE

    "'The last staffed lighthouse in the United States was automated in 1998' (Paragraph F)"

    ليش صحيح: 1998 يقع في القرن العشرين لا التاسع عشر.. تناقض مباشر في التاريخ.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست TRUE بسبب التناقض الصريح، وليست NOT GIVEN لأن التاريخ مذكور بوضوح.

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Ancient method: fires on headlands, later formalised in the Pharos, built for Ptolemy II

16th century: stone towers with enclosed lanterns, using (7) ________ lamps behind glass

1822: Fresnel designs a lens made of glass (8) ________

Result: beam visible from up to (9) ________ kilometres away

Keepers' duties: trimming the wick, cleaning (10) ________ residue off the lens, recording weather in a (11) ________

Risk factor: severe (12) ________ could destroy outbuildings and endanger keepers

1880s onward: electric lamps reduce the need for daily (13) ________

  1. 7Question 7

    اعرض الإجابة

    oil

    "'replacing open flames with oil lamps set behind glass' (Paragraph B)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة مأخوذة حرفيًا من النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: أي كلمة أخرى غير مذكورة في هذا السياق التاريخي وتخالف النص.

  2. 8Question 8

    اعرض الإجابة

    prisms

    "'a lens built from concentric rings of glass prisms' (Paragraph C)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لوصف تركيب عدسة فرينل.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات بديلة لا تحمل نفس الدقة العلمية المطلوبة.

  3. 9Question 9

    اعرض الإجابة

    thirty / 30

    "'seen from thirty kilometres or more' (Paragraph C)"

    ليش صحيح: الرقم مأخوذ حرفيًا من النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: أي رقم آخر غير مذكور ويناقض الحقيقة.

  4. 10Question 10

    اعرض الإجابة

    salt

    "'even a thin layer of salt residue on the glass' (Paragraph D)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لنوع الرواسب المذكورة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى غير مذكورة في هذا السياق.

  5. 11Question 11

    اعرض الإجابة

    logbook

    "'recording weather conditions in a logbook' (Paragraph D)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لأداة التسجيل المذكورة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات مشابهة بالمعنى لكنها غير مستخدمة حرفيًا في النص.

  6. 12Question 12

    اعرض الإجابة

    storms

    "'storms severe enough to sweep away outbuildings' (Paragraph E)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لعامل الخطر المذكور.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى غير مذكورة صراحة في هذا الموضع.

  7. 13Question 13

    اعرض الإجابة

    maintenance

    "'reduced the daily maintenance a light required' (Paragraph F)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة حرفيًا في النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى مشابهة بالمعنى ليست الكلمة الحرفية في النص.

Passage 2: How City Trees Cool Urban Heat Islands

ACities are consistently warmer than the countryside that surrounds them, sometimes by as much as seven degrees Celsius during the evening hours. This phenomenon, known as the urban heat island effect, arises because the concrete, asphalt and glass that make up a typical city absorb solar radiation during the day and release it slowly after sunset, long after rural soil and vegetation have cooled. The effect is worst on windless summer nights, when heat has nowhere to disperse, and it is increasingly blamed for a measurable rise in heat-related illness among city residents, particularly the elderly and those without access to air conditioning. Researchers first documented the effect systematically in the nineteenth century, though it has only become a pressing policy concern as summers have grown hotter and city populations have expanded into previously open land.

BAmong the tools available to planners, none has attracted more attention recently than the humble street tree. A mature tree cools its surroundings in two distinct ways: its canopy casts shade that prevents pavement and building surfaces from heating up in the first place, and its leaves release water vapour through a process called evapotranspiration, which draws heat from the surrounding air in much the same way that sweat cools skin. Researchers who have measured air temperature beneath dense canopy cover report reductions of two to four degrees Celsius compared with open pavement nearby, a difference large enough to be felt by anyone walking from one to the other on a summer afternoon. The cooling effect is strongest directly beneath a full canopy and fades gradually with distance from it, which is why planners increasingly favour continuous rows of street trees over isolated specimens scattered without a clear pattern.

CEncouraged by such findings, dozens of cities have announced ambitious canopy targets over the past decade, pledging to raise the proportion of their land covered by tree crowns to twenty, thirty or even forty percent within a generation. Advocates argue that the returns extend well beyond temperature: shaded streets encourage walking and cycling, buildings that receive less direct summer sun spend less on air conditioning, and neighbourhoods with visible greenery consistently report higher measures of resident wellbeing in municipal surveys. On paper, the case for treating trees as core infrastructure, on a par with drainage or street lighting, appears close to unanswerable. Several transport authorities have also begun factoring canopy cover into road-safety planning, on the theory that shaded pavements encourage more people to walk rather than drive short distances, indirectly reducing both congestion and vehicle emissions.

DThe difficulty lies in the gap between planting a tree and gaining its benefit. A newly planted sapling provides negligible shade and releases little water vapour; a canopy dense enough to measurably cool a street can take twenty to thirty years to develop, a timescale that outlasts most planning cycles and nearly all political terms of office. Underground, root systems compete with the water pipes, cables and foundations that already occupy city soil, so planting often proves far more expensive, and far more contested, than campaign pledges imply. Nor is canopy cover distributed evenly: wealthier districts in most cities studied have been found to carry substantially more tree cover than poorer ones, so the areas that would benefit most from cooling frequently receive the least of it. Maintenance adds a further recurring cost long after planting: pruning, pest control and replacing trees that fail to establish all draw on municipal budgets that face many competing demands, and a tree that dies within its first few years delivers none of the benefits its planting was meant to secure.

ENone of this amounts to an argument against planting; rather, it argues against treating trees as a complete solution in themselves. A city that relies on canopy targets alone while ignoring the pale, heat-absorbing surfaces beneath the trees is likely to be disappointed by how little its average temperature moves within any single mayoral term. The more persuasive planning documents now pair long-term tree planting with faster-acting measures such as reflective roofing and lighter road surfaces, treating the tree not as a stand-alone fix but as one component, admittedly a valuable one, of a wider design strategy against urban heat. Some critics have gone further still, arguing that celebratory tree-planting events attract more media attention than they deliver in measurable cooling, a mismatch that risks diverting funding away from less visible but faster-acting infrastructure work.

canopy:
the uppermost, spreading leafy layer of a tree or group of trees
evapotranspiration:
the combined process by which water is released into the atmosphere from soil, plants and other surfaces

أسئلة النص 2

Reading Passage 2 has five sections, A-E. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-vii, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

  • iA citywide plan built on trees alone
  • iiWhy cities retain heat after sunset
  • iiiTwo ways a tree cools the air around it
  • ivThe economic case against street trees
  • vThe ambitious targets cities are now setting
  • viObstacles that slow the growth of urban canopy
  • viiBalancing quick fixes with slow-growing solutions

  1. 14Section A

    اعرض الإجابة

    ii.. Why cities retain heat after sunset

    "'arises because the concrete, asphalt and glass... absorb solar radiation during the day and release it slowly after sunset' (Section A)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تشرح سبب احتفاظ المدن بالحرارة بعد الغروب.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: i تخص خاتمة مضادة لموقف الكاتب؛ iii تخص آلية تبريد الأشجار (B)؛ باقي العناوين تخص فقرات لاحقة.

  2. 15Section B

    اعرض الإجابة

    iii.. Two ways a tree cools the air around it

    "'A mature tree cools its surroundings in two distinct ways' (Section B)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تشرح حرفيًا طريقتين تبرّد بهما الشجرة الهواء.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ii تخص سبب احتفاظ المدن بالحرارة (A)؛ باقي العناوين تخص فقرات لاحقة.

  3. 16Section C

    اعرض الإجابة

    v.. The ambitious targets cities are now setting

    "'dozens of cities have announced ambitious canopy targets' (Section C)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تصف أهدافًا طموحة تتبناها المدن حاليًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: iv تناقض محتوى الفقرة (تعرض فوائد لا حجة ضد الأشجار)؛ vi تخص عقبات (D)؛ باقي العناوين لا تطابق.

  4. 17Section D

    اعرض الإجابة

    vi.. Obstacles that slow the growth of urban canopy

    "'a canopy... can take twenty to thirty years to develop... Nor is canopy cover distributed evenly' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تسرد عقبات تبطئ نمو الغطاء الشجري.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: v تخص الأهداف الطموحة (C)؛ iv أعمّ وأكثر تطرفًا مما تقوله الفقرة فعليًا؛ باقي العناوين لا تطابق.

  5. 18Section E

    اعرض الإجابة

    vii.. Balancing quick fixes with slow-growing solutions

    "'pair long-term tree planting with faster-acting measures such as reflective roofing... not as a stand-alone fix but as one component' (Section E)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة توازن بين الحلول السريعة والبطيئة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: i تنفيها الفقرة صراحة؛ باقي العناوين تخص فقرات أخرى.

Complete the summary below. Choose the correct letter, A-G, from the box below. Write the correct letter in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.

  • Ashade
  • Bsunlight
  • Cimmediate
  • Ddelayed
  • Emature
  • Fyouthful
  • Ginfrastructure

Street trees cool the air around them in two ways: their canopy provides (19) ________, while their leaves lose water vapour through evapotranspiration.

However, the cooling benefit is not (20) ________: a young tree contributes very little, and a canopy takes several decades to become (21) ________ enough to have a noticeable effect.

Because tree roots must share space below ground with existing (22) ________, expanding a city's canopy is often more costly than initial plans suggest.

  1. 19Question 19

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. shade

    "'its canopy casts shade that prevents pavement and building surfaces from heating up' (Section B)"

    ليش صحيح: مطابقة معنوية مباشرة لما توفره مظلة الشجرة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: B (sunlight) عكس المعنى المطلوب؛ باقي الخيارات لا تصف ما توفره المظلة.

  2. 20Question 20

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. immediate

    "'A newly planted sapling provides negligible shade... a canopy... can take twenty to thirty years to develop' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: الفائدة ليست فورية لأن الشجرة الصغيرة لا تقدم شيئًا يُذكر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: D (delayed) يعطي معنى معاكسًا منطقيًا للجملة؛ باقي الخيارات لا تلائم السياق.

  3. 21Question 21

    اعرض الإجابة

    E.. mature

    "'a canopy dense enough to measurably cool a street can take twenty to thirty years to develop' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: الغطاء الشجري يحتاج أن يصبح ناضجًا كي يُحدث أثرًا ملحوظًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: F (youthful) عكس المعنى المطلوب؛ باقي الخيارات لا تصف حالة النضج.

  4. 22Question 22

    اعرض الإجابة

    G.. infrastructure

    "'root systems compete with the water pipes, cables and foundations that already occupy city soil' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: مصطلح تلخيصي مناسب للأنابيب والكابلات والأساسات.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: باقي الخيارات (A-F) تخص الظل والنضج فقط ولا علاقة لها بمشاركة المساحة تحت الأرض.

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

  1. 23According to the passage, municipal surveys have found that residents of greener neighbourhoods report

    1. A. lower rates of walking and cycling.
    2. B. higher levels of general wellbeing.
    3. C. lower air-conditioning costs only.
    4. D. no measurable difference in wellbeing.
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. higher levels of general wellbeing.

    "'neighbourhoods with visible greenery consistently report higher measures of resident wellbeing in municipal surveys' (Section C)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لما ذكرته الاستطلاعات البلدية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A يناقض النص؛ C يضيّق الفائدة دون مبرر نصي؛ D يناقض الجملة صراحة.

  2. 24The writer states that a canopy capable of measurably cooling a street usually needs

    1. A. less than ten years to develop.
    2. B. exactly one political term to mature.
    3. C. twenty to thirty years to develop.
    4. D. to be replanted every ten years.
    اعرض الإجابة

    C. twenty to thirty years to develop.

    "'a canopy dense enough to measurably cool a street can take twenty to thirty years to develop' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: رقم مطابق حرفيًا للنص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A يناقض الرقم المذكور؛ B تفسير غير دقيق للمدة؛ D معلومة غير مذكورة.

  3. 25Research cited in the passage shows that, in most cities studied, tree cover is

    1. A. equally distributed regardless of income.
    2. B. greater in wealthier districts.
    3. C. greater in poorer districts.
    4. D. too inconsistent to measure.
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. greater in wealthier districts.

    "'wealthier districts in most cities studied have been found to carry substantially more tree cover than poorer ones' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة للنتيجة المذكورة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A يناقض الجملة صراحة؛ C عكس الحقيقة المذكورة؛ D معلومة غير مذكورة.

  4. 26In the writer's view, the most effective approach to cooling cities combines tree planting with

    1. A. abandoning canopy targets altogether.
    2. B. reflective roofing and lighter road surfaces.
    3. C. reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
    4. D. subsidising air conditioning for residents.
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. reflective roofing and lighter road surfaces.

    "'pair long-term tree planting with faster-acting measures such as reflective roofing and lighter road surfaces' (Section E)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لموقف الكاتب الختامي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A يناقض موقف الكاتب؛ C وD معلومتان غير مذكورتين في النص.

Passage 3: The Psychology of Expertise: The Deliberate-Practice Debate

The claim that ten thousand hours of practice can turn anyone into an expert has become one of the most widely repeated ideas in modern popular science, cited in business seminars, sports coaching manuals and self-improvement books alike. Its origin lies in research conducted in the 1990s by the psychologist Anders Ericsson, who studied violin students at a Berlin music academy and found that, by the age of twenty, the very best performers had accumulated roughly ten thousand hours of practice, compared with far fewer hours logged by their less accomplished peers. The figure was subsequently popularised, and in the process considerably simplified, by writers who presented it as a near-guarantee: put in the hours, and mastery would follow, regardless of the field or the person attempting it. The idea proved especially attractive because it offered a democratic promise: talent, in this telling, mattered far less than the willingness to put in the requisite hours, a message many readers found more encouraging than being told that ability was simply fixed at birth.

Ericsson himself was careful to specify that raw hours of repetition were not what mattered; what he termed "deliberate practice" was a narrower and more demanding activity. It requires a task set just beyond the performer's current ability, continuous feedback on performance, and a willingness to remain in a state of discomfort rather than coast within an already-mastered routine. A pianist who plays the same favourite pieces for pleasure every evening, however many hours accumulate, is not engaged in deliberate practice in this sense; a pianist who isolates a single difficult passage, plays it slowly under a teacher's correction, and repeats it until the error disappears, is. The distinction matters because it is this narrower activity, not practice in general, that Ericsson's data actually links to expert performance. Ericsson also stressed that deliberate practice is mentally exhausting precisely because it targets weaknesses rather than strengths, which is why even highly motivated performers rarely sustain more than a few hours of it in a single day.

Subsequent studies within tightly rule-bound domains have tended to support the broad thrust of Ericsson's argument. Research on competitive chess players has found a strong relationship between the number of hours spent in serious, coached study of the game and eventual playing strength, and comparable patterns have been reported among classical musicians and competitive typists. In these fields, the rules of performance are stable and feedback on error is immediate and unambiguous, conditions Ericsson identified as essential for deliberate practice to take effect. A smaller study of professional golfers reported a similar pattern, linking hours of coached practice on specific shot types, rather than casual rounds played for enjoyment, to measurable gains in tournament performance.

Yet a body of research published in the years since has complicated the tidy version of the story that reached the public. A large-scale statistical review combining data from more than eighty separate studies found that deliberate practice accounted for a relatively modest share of the difference in performance between individuals overall, and that its explanatory power varied enormously between fields: it explained a much greater proportion of the gap among musicians than among professionals in unpredictable, fast-changing domains such as business management. Separately, studies of identical and non-identical twins raised in different environments have suggested that some capacity for sustained, effortful concentration may itself be partly heritable, meaning that the willingness to practise deliberately is not distributed equally to begin with, which complicates any simple claim that hours alone determine outcomes. The same review also noted that the relationship weakened further once researchers accounted for the age at which participants began training, suggesting that early exposure and accumulated practice are difficult to separate statistically.

None of this evidence overturns Ericsson's central finding so much as it narrows the conditions under which the finding holds. In domains with stable rules, clear feedback and an established curriculum, such as chess, classical music or gymnastics, deliberate practice remains the best predictor of ability that researchers have identified, and starting young appears to confer a lasting advantage precisely because it allows more such practice to accumulate before adulthood. In domains where the rules of success shift constantly, where feedback is delayed or ambiguous, and where chance events play a larger role, the ten-thousand-hour framework offers a far less reliable guide, and treating it as one risks encouraging false confidence that sufficient effort alone will close any gap in ability. Coaches working in fast-changing fields have responded by treating deliberate practice as one useful tool among several, rather than as a guaranteed formula, supplementing it with strategies aimed at adaptability and quick decision-making under uncertain conditions.

The lesson worth drawing, then, is not that practice is unimportant but that its promise has been oversold outside the narrow conditions under which Ericsson's original research was conducted. Ambition and effort remain necessary; on their own, in most fields, they are no longer a sufficient explanation for who becomes an expert and who does not.

deliberate practice:
structured, effortful practice involving a task just beyond current ability, continuous feedback and focused correction of errors
heritable:
capable of being passed on genetically from parent to offspring

أسئلة النص 3

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? Write YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer, NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer, NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

  1. 27The popular version of the ten-thousand-hour idea is a fair simplification of Ericsson's original research.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NO

    "'The figure was subsequently popularised, and in the process considerably simplified, by writers who presented it as a near-guarantee' (Paragraph 1)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب يصف النسخة الشائعة بأنها مبسّطة إلى حد كبير، ما يعارض وصفها بأنها تبسيط عادل.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست YES بسبب النقد الصريح؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأن الكاتب يعبّر عن موقفه بوضوح.

  2. 28A musician who repeats familiar, comfortable pieces every evening is engaged in deliberate practice.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NO

    "'A pianist who plays the same favourite pieces for pleasure every evening... is not engaged in deliberate practice in this sense' (Paragraph 2)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب ينفي صراحة أن هذا النوع من التكرار يُعتبر تدريبًا متعمدًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست YES بسبب النفي الصريح؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأن الموقف واضح تمامًا.

  3. 29Some individuals may have a naturally greater capacity than others for sustained, effortful concentration.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    YES

    "'some capacity for sustained, effortful concentration may itself be partly heritable' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب يعرض هذه الفكرة كنتيجة بحثية يقرّها ويستخدمها لدعم حجته.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست NO لأن الكاتب لا ينفيها؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأنها مذكورة ومؤكدة بوضوح.

  4. 30Deliberate practice predicts performance more reliably in fields with stable rules than in unpredictable ones.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    YES

    "'In domains with stable rules... deliberate practice remains the best predictor... In domains where the rules of success shift constantly... offers a far less reliable guide' (Paragraph 5)"

    ليش صحيح: مقارنة صريحة يقدمها الكاتب بين المجالين.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست NO لأن هذا رأي الكاتب المعلن؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأنه مفصّل بوضوح.

  5. 31Starting a skill at a young age offers no lasting advantage in fields such as chess or gymnastics.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NO

    "'starting young appears to confer a lasting advantage precisely because it allows more such practice to accumulate before adulthood' (Paragraph 5)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب يؤكد صراحة وجود ميزة دائمة للبدء المبكر، ما يناقض العبارة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست YES بسبب التناقض المباشر؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأن النقطة مذكورة بوضوح.

  6. 32The writer personally regards chess as a more rewarding field of study than classical music.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NOT GIVEN

    "الشطرنج والموسيقى الكلاسيكية مذكوران معًا كأمثلة (الفقرتان 3 و5) دون أي تفضيل شخصي معلن."

    ليش صحيح: نقطة ارتكاز مجاورة: كلا المجالين مذكوران بكثرة، لكن أي تفضيل شخصي غائب تمامًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست YES لعدم وجود تصريح بتفضيل؛ وليست NO لعدم وجود تصريح بعدم التفضيل أيضًا.

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below. Write the correct letter in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet.

  • Ain professions where success depends heavily on unpredictable external factors.
  • Bjust beyond the performer's current level of ability, with continuous feedback.
  • Croughly ten thousand hours of practice by early adulthood.
  • Dmay be partly inherited rather than distributed equally.
  • Ebecause most students lack access to a qualified teacher.
  • Fthan earlier popular accounts of the research had suggested.

  1. 33Ericsson's research on violinists found that the top students had accumulated

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. roughly ten thousand hours of practice by early adulthood.

    "'the very best performers had accumulated roughly ten thousand hours of practice' (Paragraph 1)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر مطابق حرفيًا للنص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/D/E/F لا تتعلق ببحث الكمان تحديدًا؛ B تصف شرط التدريب المتعمد لا نتيجة البحث.

  2. 34Deliberate practice, unlike ordinary repetition, requires a task that is set

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. just beyond the performer's current level of ability, with continuous feedback.

    "'It requires a task set just beyond the performer's current ability, continuous feedback on performance' (Paragraph 2)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر يطابق تعريف التدريب المتعمد.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: C تصف نتيجة بحث الكمان؛ E معلومة غير مذكورة؛ A/D/F لا تلائم معنى الجملة.

  3. 35A large statistical review found that deliberate practice explained a smaller share of individual performance differences

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. in professions where success depends heavily on unpredictable external factors.

    "'it explained a much greater proportion of the gap among musicians than among professionals in unpredictable, fast-changing domains such as business management' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: التفسير كان أضعف في المهن التي يعتمد نجاحها على عوامل خارجية غير متوقعة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: F فخ لغوي معلومة غير مذكورة؛ B/C/D/E لا تتعلق بنتيجة المراجعة الإحصائية.

  4. 36Twin studies suggest that the capacity for sustained, effortful concentration

    اعرض الإجابة

    D.. may be partly inherited rather than distributed equally.

    "'some capacity for sustained, effortful concentration may itself be partly heritable, meaning that the willingness to practise deliberately is not distributed equally' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر يطابق حرفيًا نتيجة دراسات التوائم.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A تصف نتيجة المراجعة الإحصائية؛ B/C/E/F لا تتعلق بموضوع الوراثة.

Complete the sentences below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

According to the writer, deliberate practice requires the performer to receive continuous (37) ________ on their performance.

A review of over eighty studies found that deliberate practice explained only a modest (38) ________ of the difference in performance between individuals.

Twin studies suggest that the capacity for effortful concentration may be partly (39) ________.

In fields with stable rules, starting a skill early appears to give a lasting (40) ________.

  1. 37Question 37

    اعرض الإجابة

    feedback

    "'continuous feedback on performance' (Paragraph 2)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المذكورة كشرط أساسي للتدريب المتعمد.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: أي كلمة أخرى ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في هذا الموضع.

  2. 38Question 38

    اعرض الإجابة

    share

    "'deliberate practice accounted for a relatively modest share of the difference in performance between individuals' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة لوصف نسبة التفسير الإحصائي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات بديلة ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في النص.

  3. 39Question 39

    اعرض الإجابة

    heritable

    "'may itself be partly heritable' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة لوصف احتمال الوراثة الجينية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: أي كلمة أخرى ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في هذا الموضع.

  4. 40Question 40

    اعرض الإجابة

    advantage

    "'starting young appears to confer a lasting advantage' (Paragraph 5)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة لوصف الميزة الدائمة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات بديلة ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في هذا الموضع.

الاستماع.. Listening

4 أجزاء و40 سؤالًا في 32 دقيقة تقريبًا. في الاختبار التفاعلي يُشغَّل الصوت مرة واحدة فقط.

ابدأ الاختبار التفاعلي بالوقت

Part 1

A customer phones York Wheels Cycling Tours to book a guided evening cycling tour.

Example.. Tour booked → Old Town Twilight Ride

Complete the form below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

York Wheels Cycling Tours.. Booking Form

Tour booked: Old Town Twilight Ride (Example)

Customer's first name: (1) ________

Surname: (2) ________

Contact number: (3) ________

Date of tour: (4) ________

Number of riders: (5) ________

Bike sizes needed: (6) ________

Meeting point: (7) ________

  1. 1Question 1

    اعرض الإجابة

    Michael

    "Sure, it's Michael."

    ليش صحيح: الاسم الأول مذكور بشكل واضح ومباشر مباشرة بعد سؤال الوكيلة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا يوجد خيارات أخرى في هذا السؤال (إكمال فراغ حر).

  2. 2Question 2

    اعرض الإجابة

    Kavanagh

    "It's, um, Kavanagh... K-A-V-A-N-A-G-H."

    ليش صحيح: الاسم يُهجّى حرفًا بحرف مع تأكيد الوكيلة عليه.. علامة الإجابة المضمونة حسب تكنيكة 12.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ يجب كتابة التهجئة الدقيقة كما سُمعت (Kavanagh وليس Kavanaugh).

  3. 3Question 3

    اعرض الإجابة

    07911 234567

    "it's oh-seven-nine-one-one, two-three-four, five-six-seven.. OK so that's 07911 234567?.. That's it."

    ليش صحيح: الرقم الثاني هو الرقم الصحيح والمؤكَّد من الطرفين.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: الرقم الأول (oh-seven-seven...) فخ تصحيح فوري.. العميل يوقفه بنفسه قبل إكماله فهو غير صالح.

  4. 4Question 4

    اعرض الإجابة

    Saturday 16th / Saturday the 16th

    "Thursday's ride has been moved... We've shifted it to Saturday the 16th instead."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو التاريخ النهائي بعد التصحيح.. فخ تغيير الرأي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: Thursday the 14th هو التاريخ الأول الذي تم إلغاؤه صراحة بسبب إغلاق الطريق.

  5. 5Question 5

    اعرض الإجابة

    two / 2

    "Just two of us.. me and my brother... Two riders, noted."

    ليش صحيح: مؤكَّد مرتين بشكل مباشر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  6. 6Question 6

    اعرض الإجابة

    medium and large / large and medium

    "he'll need a large... a medium should do it for me... one medium and one large, got that down."

    ليش صحيح: القياسان مذكوران ومؤكَّدان معًا في جملة الوكيلة الختامية؛ الترتيب بينهما غير مهم فيُقبل بأي ترتيب.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل غير هذين المقاسين؛ ذكر مقاس واحد فقط يكون إجابة ناقصة.

  7. 7Question 7

    اعرض الإجابة

    Abbey Visitor Centre / Abbey Visitor Center

    "meet us at the fountain outside the Abbey Visitor Centre.. meet at the Abbey Visitor Centre."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو المعلم الذي اتفق عليه الطرفان فعليًا، وهو ضمن حد الثلاث كلمات المسموح به بالضبط؛ تُقبل التهجئة البريطانية (Centre) والأمريكية (Center) لنفس الكلمة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (the fountain) وحده غامض وغير كافٍ لتحديد المكان، و(the Abbey Visitor Centre) أو (Abbey Visitor Centre fountain) يتجاوزان حد الثلاث كلمات.

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. 8What is the total price Michael will pay per person, including the photo package?

    1. A. £35
    2. B. £45
    3. C. £60
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. £45

    "the standard rate... is 35 pounds.. extra 10 pounds per rider.. that's the base price plus the camera package add-on for both of you, then.. the base-plus-camera option sounds perfect for us, we don't need all that."

    ليش صحيح: الرقم النهائي (45) غير مسموع في الصوت إطلاقًا.. يُحسب من جمع السعرين المذكورين صراحة (35 + 10 = 45)، وقد طلب العميل الباقة فعليًا وأكّد صراحة رفضه للباقة الأغلى؛ فخ حسابي حقيقي لأن أحدًا لا يذكر الرقم 45.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A (35) هو السعر الأساسي فقط دون باقة الصور؛ C (60) هو سعر باقة VIP المذكورة صراحة في الصوت لكن العميل يرفضها بوضوح.

  2. 9What will the company do if it rains lightly on the day of the tour?

    1. A. Postpone the tour to another date
    2. B. Give the customer a full refund
    3. C. Carry on with the ride and provide rain gear to riders
    اعرض الإجابة

    C. Carry on with the ride and provide rain gear to riders

    "run the tour anyway with ponchos provided.. most groups actually prefer to just push ahead... that's become our standard policy for light rain."

    ليش صحيح: هذه هي السياسة المعلنة صراحة للمطر الخفيف.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A وB مذكوران كخيارات متاحة لكن يُستبعدان لأن الوكيلة تحدد أن الخيار الفعلي المعتمد هو C؛ A تُستخدم فقط للمطر الغزير.

  3. 10How much deposit does the company ask customers to pay in advance?

    1. A. The full tour price
    2. B. £15
    3. C. No deposit is required
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. £15

    "We take 15 pounds now by card, and the rest is paid in cash on the day."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو مبلغ العربون الفعلي المطلوب من العميل.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A وC ممارسات تتبعها شركات أخرى وتم استبعادهما صراحة (but we found the small deposit works best for us).

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 1

Booking Agent (Hannah): Good morning, York Wheels Cycling Tours, this is Hannah speaking, how can I help you?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Oh, hi, um, yes.. I'd like to book one of your guided tours, please, if that's possible.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Of course! We've actually got a few different rides running this month. Which one were you thinking of?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): The one along the old town, um, the sunset one.. I saw it advertised as the "Old Town Twilight Ride."

Booking Agent (Hannah): Perfect, that's one of our most popular routes. Right, let me just pull up the booking form here… OK, could I take your name first, please?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Sure, it's Michael.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Lovely, and your surname?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): It's, um, Kavanagh.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Sorry, could you spell that for me?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Yeah, no problem.. it's K-A-V-A-N-A-G-H.

Booking Agent (Hannah): K-A-V-A-N-A-G-H… is that "A" as in apple at the end, not "U"?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): That's right, ends in A-G-H.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Great, got it.. Michael Kavanagh. And could I get a contact number, in case we need to reach you?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Yeah, it's oh-seven-seven... actually, hang on, let me give you my other one, the one I actually answer.. it's oh-seven-nine-one-one, two-three-four, five-six-seven.

Booking Agent (Hannah): OK so that's 07911 234567?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): That's it.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Great. Now, for the date.. we run that route on Thursdays and Saturdays. Did you have a preference?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Thursday would be great actually, so, um, let's say Thursday the 14th.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Right, so I'll pencil you in for Thursday the 14th... actually, hold on, sorry, I've just seen a note here.. Thursday's ride has been moved because of a road closure downtown. We've shifted it to Saturday the 16th instead. Would that work for you?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Oh.. yeah, Saturday's actually fine too, that works.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Brilliant, I'll put you down for Saturday the 16th, then. And how many people will be riding altogether?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Just two of us.. me and my brother.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Two riders, noted. Now I'll need to sort out bike sizes.. are you both around the same height?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Not really, he's pretty tall, over six foot, so he'll need a large. I'm more medium build, so a medium should do it for me.

Booking Agent (Hannah): OK, one medium and one large, got that down. And where would you like to meet the group?

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Wherever's easiest, honestly.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Most people meet us at the fountain outside the Abbey Visitor Centre.. that's usually the easiest landmark.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): That sounds perfect, let's do that.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Great, I've written "meet at the Abbey Visitor Centre."

Booking Agent (Hannah): Now, let's talk price. The standard rate for the twilight ride is 35 pounds per person.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): OK.

Booking Agent (Hannah): That includes the bike, helmet and the guide, but if you'd like the GoPro camera mount and photo package, that's an extra 10 pounds per rider.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Oh, yeah, we'd love that actually, we want photos.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Great, so that's the base price plus the camera package add-on for both of you, then.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Got it, so the base price plus the camera package.

Booking Agent (Hannah): We also do a full VIP package with a private guide and drone photos, but that one comes to 60 pounds per person.. probably more than you need for a twilight ride like this.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Oh, no, the base-plus-camera option sounds perfect for us, we don't need all that.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Now, just a couple of quick questions before I finish the booking. If it happens to rain on the day, we have three options. We can either reschedule you to the next available date, refund you in full, or run the tour anyway with ponchos provided.. most groups actually prefer to just push ahead in the rain with a poncho, it's part of the fun, so that's become our standard policy for light rain. For anything heavier we'd reschedule automatically.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): OK, sounds good.

Booking Agent (Hannah): And there's also a small deposit to hold your spot. We take 15 pounds now by card, and the rest is paid in cash on the day. Some companies ask for the full amount upfront, or take no deposit at all, but we found the small deposit works best for us.. it's just enough to make sure people show up.

Customer (Michael Kavanagh): Makes sense, I'll pay it now then.

Booking Agent (Hannah): Lovely, let me just take your card details…

Part 2

The manager of Riverside Community Sports Centre explains the renovated facilities and then announces the new class schedule.

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Riverside Community Sports Centre.. Renovation Notes

Swimming

Length increased from 25 m to (11) ________ metres

New (12) ________ facility added for children, separated by a glass wall

Gym

Expanded into the former (13) ________ court

New free-weights area: dumbbells now up to (14) ________ kilos

Courts

Both (15) ________ courts resurfaced

Old tennis court converted into a (16) ________ court

Café

Relocated to a space overlooking the (17) ________

  1. 11Question 11

    اعرض الإجابة

    thirty / 30

    "we've extended it from twenty-five metres to thirty metres, so it's now a proper thirty-metre pool."

    ليش صحيح: الطول الجديد مذكور صراحة ومكرر مرتين.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ 25 هو الطول القديم فقط.

  2. 12Question 12

    اعرض الإجابة

    learner / shallow learner

    "We've also added a shallow learner pool right next to it."

    ليش صحيح: (learner) هي التسمية الأساسية المستخدمة مباشرة لوصف المسبح الجديد للأطفال؛ (shallow) صفة مصاحبة مقبولة كجزء اختياري من الإجابة ضمن حد الكلمتين.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل أخرى؛ (shallow) وحدها بدون (learner) غير مقبولة لأنها لا تحدد نوع المسبح.

  3. 13Question 13

    اعرض الإجابة

    squash

    "We've knocked through into the old squash court next door."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو الملعب الذي تم ضمه لتوسعة الجيم.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل مذكورة لهذا التوسع بالذات.

  4. 14Question 14

    اعرض الإجابة

    fifty / 50

    "a full rack of dumbbells, up to fifty kilos now, whereas before we only went up to thirty."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو الوزن الأقصى الجديد.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (thirty) هو الوزن القديم قبل التوسعة.. فخ رقمي مباشر.

  5. 15Question 15

    اعرض الإجابة

    badminton

    "we've resurfaced both badminton courts."

    ليش صحيح: النوع المذكور صراحة للملاعب التي أُعيد رصفها.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  6. 16Question 16

    اعرض الإجابة

    multi-purpose

    "we converted the old tennis court into a multi-purpose court."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو الاسم المُعطى للملعب الجديد.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (tennis) هو الاستخدام القديم قبل التحويل، وليس الإجابة المطلوبة.

  7. 17Question 17

    اعرض الإجابة

    pool

    "it's got its own space overlooking the pool."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو المكان الذي أصبح المقهى يطل عليه بعد النقل.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (reception) هو الموقع القديم الذي انتقل منه المقهى، وليس موقعه الحالي.

Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

YogaMonday7 amPriya(18) ________
SpinWednesday6 pmMarcus£15
Junior SwimmingSaturday9 am(19) ________£6
PilatesSunday(20) ________Priya£12

  1. 18Question 18

    اعرض الإجابة

    ten pounds / £10

    "eight pounds per session.. actually, sorry, that's the old price, it's gone up slightly to ten pounds per session as of this month."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو السعر الحالي والمصحَّح بعد أن صحّح المدير نفسه فورًا.. فخ تغيير الرأي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (eight pounds) هو السعر القديم الذي صرّح المدير بأنه غير صحيح الآن.

  2. 19Question 19

    اعرض الإجابة

    Erica

    "taken by our head swim coach, Erica."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو اسم المدرّبة المسؤولة عن حصة السباحة للأطفال.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (Marcus) و(Priya) مدربان لحصص أخرى وليس لهذه الحصة.

  3. 20Question 20

    اعرض الإجابة

    5 pm / five pm

    "Pilates runs on Sundays at five pm."

    ليش صحيح: الوقت مسموع حرفيًا كما هو مطلوب وضمن حد كلمتين/رقم المسموح به.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ الأوقات الأخرى تخص حصصًا مختلفة؛ (five in the evening) غير مقبولة لتجاوزها حد الكلمتين.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 2

Centre Manager (David): Morning everyone, thanks for coming along today. I'm David, I'm the centre manager here at Riverside Community Sports Centre, and I just wanted to run you through everything that's changed since the renovation finished last month.

Centre Manager (David): So, let's start with the pool. It's actually been completely re-tiled, and we've extended it from twenty-five metres to thirty metres, so it's now a proper thirty-metre pool, which means we can run more lane-swimming sessions at once. We've also added a shallow learner pool right next to it, separated by a glass wall, so, um, parents can actually watch their kids without getting wet themselves, which people have loved.

Centre Manager (David): Now, the gym.. that's had probably the biggest change. We've knocked through into the old squash court next door and basically doubled the floor space. All the cardio machines are brand new, and, this is the bit people ask about most, we've added a proper free-weights area with a full rack of dumbbells, up to fifty kilos now, whereas before we only went up to thirty.

Centre Manager (David): Moving on to the courts.. we've resurfaced both badminton courts, and, actually, we converted the old tennis court into a multi-purpose court, so now it can be used for basketball, five-a-side football, or badminton, just by changing the markings. That's proved really popular with the after-school groups.

Centre Manager (David): One more thing before I move on to the schedule.. the café. It's been relocated. It used to be tucked away near reception, but now it's got its own space overlooking the pool, so you can actually sit and watch your kids swim while you have a coffee, which is nice.

Centre Manager (David): Right, now let's talk about the new class timetable, because that's changed quite a bit too.

Centre Manager (David): Right, we'll start with Yoga. That runs on Mondays at seven in the morning.. quite early, I know, but it suits people heading to work afterwards. It's taken by Priya, and it's currently, let me just check... eight pounds per session.. actually, sorry, that's the old price, it's gone up slightly to ten pounds per session as of this month.

Centre Manager (David): Next we've got Spin class, that's on Wednesdays at six in the evening, taken by Marcus, and that one's fifteen pounds per session.. it's a bit pricier because of the specialist bikes.

Centre Manager (David): Then there's Junior Swimming, for the kids, that runs Saturdays at nine in the morning, taken by our head swim coach, Erica, and that's six pounds per session, which includes use of all the kit.

Centre Manager (David): And finally, Pilates runs on Sundays at five pm, taken by Priya again, and that's twelve pounds per session.

Centre Manager (David): That's everything for today.. if anyone has questions about membership or the new pricing, please do come and see me at the desk afterwards.

Part 3

Two students, Tom and Grace, meet their tutor to finalise the methods for their research project on grocery-shopping habits.

What did the students decide about each research method below? Choose the correct letter, A, B or C, next to Questions 21–25. You may choose any letter more than once.

  • AWill be used in full, without piloting first
  • BWill be tested first as a pilot
  • CWill not be used

  1. 21Online questionnaire

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. Will be used in full, without piloting first

    "I think we should just go ahead and use it for the full survey... no need to test it first."

    ليش صحيح: كلا الطالبين يتفقان صراحة على استخدامه للاستبيان الكامل مباشرة دون تجربة أولية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: B مستبعد لأن Grace تنص صراحة (no need to test it first)؛ C غير منطقي لأنهما اتفقا على استخدامه فعليًا.

  2. 22In-store interviews

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. Will be tested first as a pilot

    "let's pilot that one on a smaller scale first.. so that's a pilot then, not the full study yet."

    ليش صحيح: القرار النهائي بعد التردد الأولي هو التجربة على نطاق صغير أولًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A مستبعد لأن الدكتورة توضح صراحة (not the full study yet)؛ C مستبعد لأنهما لم يقررا استبعادها بل تأجيل استخدامها الكامل فقط.

  3. 23Till receipt analysis

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. Will not be used

    "let's just drop it, it doesn't really fit our research question.. so receipts are out."

    ليش صحيح: القرار النهائي الصريح هو التخلي عن هذه الطريقة تمامًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A وB مستبعدان لأن Tom يغيّر رأيه من الإعجاب الأولي إلى الرفض الكامل.. فخ تغيير الرأي.

  4. 24Focus group

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. Will be used in full, without piloting first

    "let's commit to running one... let's put that in as one of our main methods."

    ليش صحيح: كلا الطالبين يلتزمان صراحة باستخدامها كإحدى الطرق الرئيسية رغم التردد الأولي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: B مستبعد لأنها وُصفت بـ(one of our main methods) وليس تجربة أولية؛ C مستبعد لأنهما يقرران المضي بها.

  5. 25Social media polls

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. Will not be used

    "we ended up deciding against it... we're not going ahead with that one at all."

    ليش صحيح: قرار صريح ونهائي باستبعادها تمامًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A وB مستبعدان لأن (not going ahead with that one at all) تنفي أي استخدام حتى كتجربة أولية.

Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

The students are aiming to collect at least (26) ________ responses to the questionnaire.

The pilot interviews will take place (27) ________.

The students will conduct their interviews outside (28) ________.

Grace predicts that (29) ________ will be the strongest influence on shoppers' choice of supermarket.

The students' ethics approval is being supervised by (30) ________.

  1. 26Question 26

    اعرض الإجابة

    200 / two hundred

    "We're aiming for at least 200 responses for the questionnaire."

    ليش صحيح: الرقم مذكور صراحة كهدف عدد الردود.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  2. 27Question 27

    اعرض الإجابة

    next week

    "We're planning to run the pilot interviews next week."

    ليش صحيح: التوقيت مذكور صراحة للمقابلات التجريبية تحديدًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (the following two weeks) تخص جمع البيانات الكامل، وليس التجربة الأولية.

  3. 28Question 28

    اعرض الإجابة

    Greenfield Market

    "We've got permission to work outside Greenfield Market, the big supermarket on the high street."

    ليش صحيح: اسم السوق مذكور صراحة كموقع إجراء المقابلات.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ (the high street) وصف عام للموقع وليس اسم المكان المطلوب.

  4. 29Question 29

    اعرض الإجابة

    convenience

    "We think convenience, so basically distance from home, will turn out to be the strongest factor, more than price."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو العامل الذي تتوقع Grace أنه الأقوى تأثيرًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (price)، (location)، (loyalty schemes) عوامل ضمن سؤال البحث وليست الفرضية المطلوبة.

  5. 30Question 30

    اعرض الإجابة

    Dr Fowler / Dr. Fowler / Fowler

    "That's Dr. Fowler in the research office, he's already reviewed our questionnaire draft."

    ليش صحيح: الاسم مذكور صراحة كمسؤول الموافقة الأخلاقية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 3

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): OK, so let's talk through your research project. You're looking at consumer shopping habits, is that right?

Student (Tom): Yes, specifically how people choose where to do their grocery shopping.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): Great topic. So what methods were you thinking of using to collect your data?

Student (Grace): Well, our first idea was an online questionnaire, sent out through, um, social media groups and email lists.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): OK, and how do you feel about that one?

Student (Tom): I mean, I'm pretty confident about it.. I think we should just go ahead and use it for the full survey, it's quick to set up and we can get a big sample.

Student (Grace): Yeah, I agree, let's use that one properly, no need to test it first.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): Sounds decided then. What else?

Student (Tom): We also talked about doing interviews in-store, actually stopping shoppers as they leave the supermarket.

Student (Grace): Hmm, I'm honestly not sure about that one. I worry people won't want to stop and talk when they're busy.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): That's a fair concern.

Student (Tom): Maybe we should just try it with a small group first, see how it goes, before committing to it properly.

Student (Grace): Yeah, actually, that makes sense.. let's pilot that one on a smaller scale first.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): OK, good, so that's a pilot then, not the full study yet. What about the till receipt analysis you mentioned in your proposal?

Student (Grace): Right, the idea was to ask shoppers to show us their receipts so we could see exactly what they bought.

Student (Tom): I did like that idea at first, but, actually, thinking about it more, I don't think it tells us anything about WHY people shop where they shop, only what they bought.

Student (Grace): Yeah, I'm with you on that one now.. let's just drop it, it doesn't really fit our research question.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): OK, so receipts are out. Anything else on your list?

Student (Tom): We were also considering a focus group, getting six or seven shoppers together to discuss their habits.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): And how confident are you about that one?

Student (Grace): I'll admit I was hesitant to start with, but after our last meeting I think we're both on board.. let's commit to running one, it should give us some really rich detail.

Student (Tom): Yeah, definitely, let's put that in as one of our main methods.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): Great, and finally you mentioned social media polls in your notes.

Student (Tom): Oh.. right, yeah, we did think about that, but, honestly, we ended up deciding against it. The responses are too short and people don't take them seriously.

Student (Grace): Yeah, we're not going ahead with that one at all.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): OK, that all sounds like a solid plan.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): Now let's think about the practical details.. sample size, timing, that kind of thing.

Student (Grace): We're aiming for at least 200 responses for the questionnaire, since that gives us a decent statistical sample.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): Good number. And what about your timeline?

Student (Tom): We're planning to run the pilot interviews next week, and then the full data collection the following two weeks after that.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): And where will you be doing the in-store interviews?

Student (Grace): We've got permission to work outside Greenfield Market, the big supermarket on the high street.. the manager was actually really supportive when we called.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): That's great access to have. Now, in terms of writing it up, what's your main research question again?

Student (Tom): We want to find out what most influences a shopper's choice of supermarket.. so things like price, location, or loyalty schemes.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): And do you have a hypothesis already?

Student (Grace): We think convenience, so basically distance from home, will turn out to be the strongest factor, more than price.

Tutor (Dr. Elliot): Interesting prediction.. we'll see if the data supports that. One last thing.. who's supervising your ethics approval?

Student (Tom): That's Dr. Fowler in the research office, he's already reviewed our questionnaire draft.

Part 4

A university lecturer introduces the practice, benefits, challenges and yearly management cycle of urban beekeeping.

Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  1. 31From approximately what year did urban beekeeping begin to increase?

    اعرض الإجابة

    2005

    "urban beekeeping, specifically, really only took off from around 2005 onwards."

    ليش صحيح: السنة مذكورة صراحة كنقطة انطلاق الزيادة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل رقمية أخرى مذكورة في هذا السياق.

  2. 32According to the lecturer, what do cities often have a wider variety of than farmland?

    اعرض الإجابة

    flowering plants

    "urban areas often have a wider variety of flowering plants across the seasons, whereas farmland might only flower briefly during one crop cycle."

    ليش صحيح: هذه هي المقارنة الصريحة بين المدن والأراضي الزراعية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ (crop cycle) جزء من الشرح وليس الإجابة نفسها.

  3. 33What is the common minimum distance urban hives must be kept from property boundaries?

    اعرض الإجابة

    two metres / 2 metres / two meters / 2 meters

    "some require a minimum distance from property boundaries.. commonly around two metres."

    ليش صحيح: المسافة مذكورة صراحة كحد أدنى شائع؛ تُقبل التهجئة البريطانية (metres) والأمريكية (meters) على حد سواء (standards/ielts/listening.md §6.6).

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل رقمية أخرى مذكورة لهذا الشرط.

  4. 34How often do urban beekeepers typically need to inspect their hives?

    اعرض الإجابة

    weekly

    "urban keepers usually need to inspect their hives more frequently.. often, weekly rather than fortnightly."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو المعدل الفعلي الموصى به.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (fortnightly) هو المعدل الأقل تكرارًا المستبعد صراحة بعبارة (rather than).

  5. 35What do some hotels and restaurants advertise on their menus as a result of keeping bees?

    اعرض الإجابة

    local honey

    "they can then advertise their own "local honey" on the menu, which customers respond well to."

    ليش صحيح: هذه هي العبارة الدقيقة المُعلن عنها في قوائم الطعام.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Urban Apiary.. Yearly Management Cycle

Early spring: (36) ________.. checking queen health and colony survival

Early summer: swarm prevention.. adding extra (37) ________ to the hive

Late summer: main activity is (38) ________

Autumn: (39) ________.. reducing hive entrance size

Case study city: (40) ________, supported by council-subsidised training programmes

  1. 36Question 36

    اعرض الإجابة

    hive inspection

    "In early spring, the main task is what's called a hive inspection, checking the health of the queen and making sure the colony survived winter."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو الاسم الرسمي للمهمة المذكورة صراحة لفصل الربيع المبكر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  2. 37Question 37

    اعرض الإجابة

    supers

    "adding extra boxes, called supers, to give the colony more space."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو المصطلح الدقيق المستخدم لهذه الصناديق الإضافية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (boxes) وحدها وصف عام؛ المصطلح التقني المطلوب هو (supers).

  3. 38Question 38

    اعرض الإجابة

    honey harvesting

    "By late summer, the main activity becomes honey harvesting, and this is usually when most urban beekeepers collect their yearly yield."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو النشاط الرئيسي المذكور صراحة لأواخر الصيف.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  4. 39Question 39

    اعرض الإجابة

    winter preparation

    "the final major task is what's called winter preparation, which involves reducing the hive entrance."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو الاسم الرسمي للمهمة المرتبطة بتقليص مدخل الخلية في الخريف.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  5. 40Question 40

    اعرض الإجابة

    Toronto

    "the city of Toronto is often cited as a leading example... the city council actively supports the practice through subsidised training programmes."

    ليش صحيح: المدينة مذكورة صراحة كدراسة الحالة المذكورة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ لم تُذكر أي مدينة أخرى كمثال في هذا السياق.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 4

Lecturer: Good afternoon, everyone. Today I want to talk about a topic that's become increasingly visible in our cities over the last two decades: urban beekeeping. That is, the practice of keeping honeybee colonies within city environments, often on rooftops, in gardens, or even on balconies.

Lecturer: Let's start with a bit of background. Beekeeping itself is obviously ancient, but URBAN beekeeping, specifically, really only took off from around 2005 onwards, when several major cities began relaxing regulations that had previously banned hives within city limits.

Lecturer: So, why do people keep bees in cities at all? Well, there are several benefits, and I'll go through the main ones. First, pollination.. urban bees significantly boost pollination for city gardens, parks, and even balcony vegetable patches, which increases yields for local growers. Second, there's a biodiversity benefit.. surprisingly, some studies have found that cities can actually support healthier bee populations than intensive farmland, because urban areas often have a wider variety of flowering plants across the seasons, whereas farmland might only flower briefly during one crop cycle. And third, there's an educational angle.. many urban apiaries run public workshops, and this has become a really valuable tool for teaching children and adults about ecology and food systems.

Lecturer: Now, of course, it's not all straightforward, and I want to spend some time on the challenges too. The first major challenge is space. Unlike rural beekeeping, urban keepers often only have a rooftop or a small yard, so hive placement has to be planned really carefully to avoid, for instance, bees flying directly across a neighbour's washing line or a busy pavement.

Lecturer: The second challenge is regulation. Even where urban beekeeping is now legal, most cities still require keepers to register their hives, and some require a minimum distance from property boundaries.. commonly around two metres, although this varies a lot by city.

Lecturer: Third, there's the issue of disease. Because urban hives are often more closely packed together than rural ones, disease and mites can spread between colonies more easily, so urban keepers usually need to inspect their hives more frequently.. often, weekly rather than fortnightly.

Lecturer: Fourth.. and this is one people don't always expect.. there's a marketing benefit. A number of hotels and restaurants have started keeping rooftop bees specifically because they can then advertise their own "local honey" on the menu, which customers respond well to.

Lecturer: Now let's look at how a typical urban apiary is managed across the year. In early spring, the main task is what's called a hive inspection, checking the health of the queen and making sure the colony survived winter. In early summer, keepers focus on swarm prevention, which usually means adding extra boxes, called supers, to give the colony more space so it doesn't feel overcrowded and split off. By late summer, the main activity becomes honey harvesting, and this is usually when most urban beekeepers collect their yearly yield. And then, going into autumn, the final major task is what's called winter preparation, which involves reducing the hive entrance and making sure the colony has enough stored honey to survive the colder months.

Lecturer: Finally, let's talk about a case study.. the city of Toronto is often cited as a leading example. Toronto now has several hundred registered urban hives, and the city council actively supports the practice through subsidised training programmes for new beekeepers.

Lecturer: That brings us to the end of today's lecture.. next week we'll look at large-scale commercial pollination services.

الكتابة.. Writing

مهمتان في 60 دقيقة: Task 1 (20 دقيقة، 150 كلمة على الأقل) وTask 2 (40 دقيقة، 250 كلمة على الأقل).

ابدأ الاختبار التفاعلي بالوقت

Writing Task 1

The chart below shows the average number of hours per week that men and women spent on unpaid household work in three countries in 1985, 2005 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Average weekly hours spent on unpaid household work, by gender, 1985-2025 (hours per week)
198520052025
Sweden - Women251914
Sweden - Men121415
Japan - Women302722
Japan - Men469
Brazil - Women282418
Brazil - Men6913
اعرض الإجابة النموذجية (Band 9)

The chart illustrates how many hours per week men and women in Sweden, Japan and Brazil devoted to unpaid domestic work across three points in time: 1985, 2005 and 2025. Overall, women's weekly contribution to household work declined steadily in every country over the forty-year period, whereas men's involvement rose correspondingly, narrowing the gender gap almost everywhere. Sweden stands out as the only country where the gap was effectively eliminated, while Japan retained by far the widest disparity of the three. In 1985, women in all three countries spent considerably more time on domestic chores than men, with Japanese women recording the highest figure at 30 hours, compared with 28 in Brazil and 25 in Sweden. Men's figures were far lower, ranging from just 4 hours in Japan to 12 in Sweden. Over the next two decades, women's hours fell in each country - most sharply in Sweden, which dropped by roughly a quarter, with more modest declines in Japan and Brazil - while men's hours climbed gradually. By 2025, the trends had converged furthest in Sweden, where men's weekly total (15 hours) had actually overtaken women's (14), reversing the 1985 pattern entirely. Brazil showed a similar, though less complete, convergence (18 versus 13 hours). Japan, by contrast, still showed a substantial imbalance, with women spending more than double the time men did on unpaid household work (22 against 9 hours), making it the country furthest from gender parity by the end of the period.

TA (Band 9): key features are fully covered and clearly highlighted - the response selects exactly the two data-licensed features (dominant convergence trend + country difference) and every comparative claim is supported using figures/data, staying inside the given data with no outside opinion. CC (Band 9): four functionally distinct paragraphs give clear progression throughout, with varied cohesive devices (whereas, while, by contrast) replacing mechanical sequencers. LR (Band 9): precise, varied trend vocabulary (declined steadily, narrowing, converged, reversing, substantial imbalance) used with sophisticated control and no propagated template slips. GRA (Band 9): tense matches the visual's time frame throughout (simple past for dated points, past perfect for the 2025 overtaking), with a wide range of structures - comparative and relative clauses, subordination - used with full flexibility and control.

قائمة الفحص للتقييم الذاتي
  • TAهل بدأت بفقرة overview منفصلة تلخص أبرز اتجاه وأبرز فرق بدون أرقام تفصيلية فيها؟
  • TAهل كل جملة مقارنة في تقريري مدعومة برقم فعلي من الرسم البياني؟
  • TAهل تجنبت ذكر أي رأي شخصي أو سبب من عندي غير موجود في الرسم؟
  • GRAهل استخدمت الزمن المناسب لكل فترة (ماضي بسيط للأحداث المكتملة، Past Perfect عند المقارنة بنقطة سابقة)؟
  • CCهل نوّعت أدوات الربط ولم أكرر نفس الكلمة (Firstly/So/Also) في كل فقرة؟
  • TAهل عدد كلماتي 150 كلمة على الأقل بدون حشو أو تكرار غير مفيد؟
  • TAهل وصفت فقط أبرز 2-3 عناصر بدلاً من سرد كل رقم في الجدول؟
  • LRهل نوّعت مفردات الاتجاه (fell/declined/dropped مقابل rose/climbed/increased) بدل تكرار نفس الفعل في كل جملة؟

Writing Task 2

Write about the following topic: Some people believe that employers should allow young employees to work fully remotely from their very first year in a job. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

اعرض الإجابة النموذجية (Band 9)

There is a growing view that new employees, including those in their first year, should be free to work entirely from home rather than attend an office. While remote arrangements undoubtedly offer flexibility, I disagree that full remote work suits employees who are just starting their careers, since early professional development depends heavily on the kind of informal, in-person learning that remote settings cannot easily replicate. The strongest argument in favour of immediate remote work is flexibility: employees can manage their time more freely, avoid long commutes, and often report higher day-to-day satisfaction. For an established professional with a clear grasp of workplace norms and an existing network of colleagues, these benefits are real and well documented. A senior consultant, for instance, can work productively from anywhere precisely because they already know how their organisation functions. However, employees in their first year have not yet acquired this implicit knowledge. Much of what a new hire needs to learn - how to read a manager's expectations, how decisions actually get made, which colleagues to approach for help - is transmitted informally, through overheard conversations, quick corridor questions and simply observing experienced staff at work. Research on early-career development consistently shows that mentorship and informal feedback happen far more naturally in shared physical spaces than in scheduled video calls. A graduate who joins a company remotely may complete their assigned tasks perfectly well, yet still miss the accumulated context that turns a competent employee into a confident one within an organisation's specific culture. There is also a professional-identity dimension: forming relationships with colleagues, being noticed for initiative, and building trust with a manager all happen more quickly face-to-face, and these relationships often determine early career opportunities such as promotions or challenging projects. In conclusion, although full remote work benefits experienced staff, I believe employers should require at least some in-person presence during an employee's first year, since this is when the informal learning that shapes a lasting career takes place.

TR (Band 9): the prompt is addressed and explored in depth, with a clear and fully developed position stated in the introduction and sustained throughout; ideas are relevant, fully extended and well supported with concrete mechanisms and examples (corridor questions, the graduate example, promotion opportunities), avoiding the Band-7 cap of over-generalisation. CC (Band 9): five single-function paragraphs give clear overall progression with genuine logical shifts marked by devices (However, There is also, In conclusion), avoiding the Band-6 cap of illogical paragraphing. LR (Band 9): sophisticated, precise vocabulary (well documented, implicit knowledge, professional-identity dimension) with no unvaried repetition of key nouns. GRA (Band 9): a wide range of complex structures - causal subordination, an embedded interrogative clause as verb object, adverbial causal emphasis - used with full flexibility and control and essentially error-free.

قائمة الفحص للتقييم الذاتي
  • TRهل ذكرت رأيي بوضوح في المقدمة وحافظت عليه بدون تناقض حتى الخاتمة؟
  • TRهل أجبت على السؤال بالكامل (to what extent) بدلاً من مجرد ذكر الموضوع؟
  • TRهل كل فكرة رئيسية مدعومة بمثال أو تفصيل حقيقي وليست جملة عامة فقط؟
  • CCهل بدأت كل فقرة بجملة موضوع (topic sentence) واضحة؟
  • LRهل تجنبت تكرار نفس الكلمة (مثل new employees) بدون بدائل؟
  • GRAهل استخدمت جملاً معقدة متنوعة (شرطية، وصلية) وليس فقط جملاً بسيطة متتالية؟
  • TRهل عدد كلماتي 250 كلمة على الأقل بدون نسخ عبارات من نص السؤال؟
  • CCهل خاتمتي تلخص موقفي بوضوح دون تكرار حرفي للمقدمة؟

المحادثة.. Speaking

3 أجزاء في 14 دقيقة تقريبًا.

ابدأ الاختبار التفاعلي بالوقت

Part 1 (4-5 min)

Let's talk about your neighbourhood.

  • What kind of neighbourhood do you live in?
  • Do you know many of your neighbours?
  • What do you like most about living there? (Why?)
  • Has your neighbourhood changed much recently?

Let's move on to talk about your free time in the evening.

  • What do you usually do in the evening?
  • Do you prefer to relax alone or with other people?
  • Is evening your favourite part of the day? (Why?)
  • Did you have a set evening routine as a child?

Part 2 (cue card)

Alright? Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don't worry if I stop you. I'll tell you when the time is up.

Describe a skill you learned as an adult.

  • when you started learning it
  • how you learned it
  • what was difficult about learning it

and explain how this skill has changed your life.

You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. · You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. · You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

Rounding-off questions

  • Do you plan to develop this skill further?
  • Would you recommend other adults learn it too?

Part 3

We've been talking about a skill you learned as an adult. I'd like to discuss with you one or two more general questions relating to this topic.

Let's consider first of all why adults choose to learn new skills. 1. Why do you think more adults are taking up new skills nowadays? 2. Is it harder to learn something new as an adult than as a child?

  • Why do you think more adults are taking up new skills nowadays?
  • Is it harder to learn something new as an adult than as a child?
  • Is that a recent development, do you think?
  • Why do you think it's harder for adults to learn something new than it is for children?
  • Do you think this will become even more common in the future?

Finally, let's talk about how people learn skills today. 3. Do you think online platforms have changed the way people learn new skills? 4. Will traditional classroom learning still matter in the future?

  • Do you think online platforms have changed the way people learn new skills?
  • Will traditional classroom learning still matter in the future?
  • What do you think of this way of learning compared to a classroom?
  • Can you tell me a little bit more about why classroom learning might still matter?
  • Do you think fewer people will need formal qualifications one day?
اعرض الإجابة النموذجية.. Part 2 (Band 6)

OK, so, um, the skill I want to talk about is cooking. I started learning it, um, about three years ago, when I moved to a new city for my job, and I didn't have my mother's food anymore, so I had to learn. I learned it mainly from YouTube videos, and also my roommate helped me sometimes, he showed me some basic things, like how to cut vegetables properly and, um, how to use the stove without burning everything immediately. It was difficult because, um, I burned a lot of food at the beginning, and I didn't know the correct amount of, like, spices and things like that, so it took a long time to get better. And also I didn't have much time because of work, so I had to practise on weekends mostly, and sometimes I would just, um, make the same dish three or four times until I got it right. This skill has changed my life because now I eat healthier food, and I don't spend so much money on restaurants, and also, um, I feel more independent, like I can take care of myself now. My friends also like when I cook for them, so it made my social life better too, I think, because now I can invite people to my house instead of always going out. Yeah, so that's basically how I learned to cook and why it's important for me now.

FC: keeps going and demonstrates a willingness to produce long turns, but coherence dips through repeated 'um' and the connective-spam pattern 'and also... and also... and also' (a Band-5-leaning FC marker per standards/ielts/speaking.md §4's synthesis) that Band 6 tolerates only because it rarely impedes communication. LR: word choice sometimes inappropriate ('things like that') but meaning is clear; paraphrase is not really tested since the candidate never needed to work around a gap. GRA: mix of short and complex forms with limited flexibility; clauses are strung together with 'and'/'so' rather than true subordination, errors rarely impede communication. P: chunking generally appropriate but rhythm affected by frequent filled pauses.

اعرض الإجابة النموذجية.. Part 2 (Band 8)

The skill I'd like to talk about is public speaking, which I picked up roughly two years ago after I was asked, quite suddenly, to present at a company conference. I'd never really had to speak in front of a large audience before, so I threw myself into it.. I joined a local Toastmasters group and started practising once a week, recording myself and picking apart every recording afterwards. What made it genuinely difficult wasn't the content, it was controlling my nerves; my voice would shake and I'd lose my train of thought the moment I looked up at the audience, so I had to consciously train myself to pause rather than panic whenever that happened. I still remember my very first attempt at that club.. I got about thirty seconds in, completely lost the thread, and just stood there in silence until someone kindly nodded at me to carry on, which was mortifying at the time but turned out to be exactly the kind of exposure I needed, because it forced me to accept that a stumble isn't actually the disaster it feels like in the moment. Learning to do that properly, I'd say, has reshaped my professional life quite significantly.. I've since been given more responsibility at work simply because people trust me to represent the team in front of clients and senior management, and beyond the office, I've become far more comfortable voicing my opinions in any group setting, which honestly used to terrify me. So it's not an exaggeration to say this one skill opened doors I wouldn't have had access to otherwise, and I'd genuinely encourage anyone who feels held back by nerves to just get up and try it, however uncomfortable it feels at first, because the discomfort really does fade with repetition.

FC: fluent, rare repetition/self-correction, coherent and relevant development across a single unbroken narrative arc (trigger, method, obstacle, outcome). LR: wide, ready, flexible use with skilful idiomatic items ('threw myself into it', 'picking apart every recording', 'opened doors'). GRA: wide range, flexible; majority of sentences error-free with dense accurate subordination. P: wide range implied by long unbroken clause chains and sustained rhythm across long utterances, consistent with the model's fuller sustained-2:00 length.

اعرض الإجابة النموذجية.. Part 3 (Band 8)

Examiner: Do you think it's harder to learn something new as an adult than as a child? Candidate: In some ways, yes.. adults tend to be far more self-conscious about failing in front of others, whereas children generally don't carry that fear, so they experiment more freely and pick things up faster in that sense. Examiner: Is that a recent development, do you think, or has it always been that way? Candidate: I'd say it's always been true to some extent, but I think it's become more visible now because adult learning has moved online, onto platforms where you can practise privately before ever being seen.. which almost proves the point that fear of judgement was the real barrier all along. Examiner: Do you think this will become even more common in the future? Candidate: I'd say so, yes.. as jobs and technology keep changing faster than they used to, I think people will need to keep picking up new skills throughout their whole career rather than just early on, so adult learning will probably become the norm rather than something unusual.

FC: hesitation occasionally content-related only; each turn is a fully extended, logically connected response rather than a bare opinion, and all three turns stay on the single adult-learning theme rather than jumping topic. LR: effective paraphrase ('self-conscious about failing' reframes the prompt) and precise exam-register collocations ('the real barrier all along', 'the norm rather than something unusual'). GRA: majority of sentences error-free with correct hedging modality ('I'd say', 'I'd say so') and comparative/conditional structures under time pressure. P: sustained rhythm and flexible stress/intonation implied across long, unbroken multi-clause turns.

قائمة الفحص للتقييم الذاتي
  • FCهل تحدثت بشكل متواصل بدون توقفات طويلة تبحث فيها عن كلمة؟
  • FCهل وقعت في «الربط الزائد».. تكرار and then... and then أو and also... and also بدل روابط متنوعة؟
  • LRهل استخدمت إعادة الصياغة عندما لم تعرف الكلمة الدقيقة، بدل التوقف الصامت؟
  • LRهل تجنبت الكلمات العامة جدا مثل things like that واستبدلتها بمفردات أدق؟
  • GRAهل جربت جملا مركبة (subordinate clauses) بدل جمل قصيرة متكررة فقط؟
  • GRAراجع كثافة الأخطاء في جملك المعقدة تحديدا.. الجمل البسيطة قد تكون صحيحة لكن الجمل المعقدة هي الفارق بين باند 5/6 و 7/8
  • Pهل قسّمت كلامك إلى وحدات معنى واضحة (chunking) بدل كلام متصل بلا فواصل نطقية؟
  • Pهل حافظت على إيقاع ثابت دون تسريع الكلام بشكل يفقده وضوحه؟