اختبار آيلتس تجريبي.. Test H

اختبار آيلتس أكاديمي تجريبي كامل ومجاني من دليلك (Test H): 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 Engineering of Roman Aqueducts

AFor its first several centuries, Rome relied for water on the Tiber, on shallow wells, and on a handful of springs within the city walls, sources that grew increasingly inadequate as the population expanded and the river itself became fouled by waste. The solution, first adopted in 312 BC, was the aqueduct: a channel that carried water by gravity alone from a distant, elevated source to the city, without pumps of any kind. The Aqua Appia, commissioned under the censorship of Appius Claudius Caecus, ran for roughly sixteen kilometres and lay almost entirely underground; its success established an engineering template that Roman surveyors and builders would repeat and refine for centuries afterwards.

BThe defining constraint of any aqueduct was gradient: water would only flow if the channel descended, however gently, along its entire length, and surveyors had to maintain that descent across dozens of kilometres of uneven terrain without the benefit of modern levelling instruments. Roman engineers achieved this using tools such as the chorobates, a long wooden bench fitted with a water-filled groove that revealed any deviation from true level, and the groma, a simple cross-staff used to plot straight lines and right angles. Where the land itself sloped correctly, the channel was cut directly into the ground or lined with masonry beneath the surface; only where a valley interrupted the route did builders resort to raised arcades of arches, and only where solid rock stood in the way did they tunnel through it rather than around it.

CPopular imagery of Roman aqueducts, dominated by monumental arched bridges such as the Pont du Gard, gives a misleading impression of how these systems were actually built. Across the network supplying Rome itself, engineers estimated that raised arcades carried only a small fraction of the total channel length, with the great majority running underground in covered trenches or rock-cut tunnels, both cheaper to build and far less vulnerable to sabotage, frost damage or enemy attack. The channel, known as the specus, was typically lined with a waterproof cement called opus signinum, a mixture of crushed pottery and lime that resisted the slow erosion of constantly flowing water. At intervals along the route, settling tanks allowed silt and debris to fall out of suspension before the water continued onward, and inspection shafts, sunk from the surface down to the buried channel, let maintenance crews enter without excavating the entire structure.

DOn reaching the city, water passed through a distribution tank known as the castellum divisorium, where it was divided among three broad categories of user according to a fixed order of priority. Public fountains and basins, freely accessible to any resident, received the first and most secure share, followed by public baths and other civic establishments; only the remainder, and only when supply allowed, was diverted to private households, which paid a fee calibrated to the diameter of the pipe drawing from the mains. This ordering reflected a deliberate civic principle: a wealthy household's private supply could legally be reduced or cut in times of shortage, but the public fountains, on which poorer citizens depended entirely, were never meant to run dry.

EMaintaining so extensive a network required a standing bureaucracy. From the reign of Augustus onward, a senior official titled the curator aquarum oversaw the aqueducts' upkeep, backed by a permanent workforce of several hundred slaves and freedmen trained in surveying, masonry and plumbing. The most detailed surviving account of this administration comes from Sextus Julius Frontinus, who held the post around AD 97 and wrote a technical treatise describing each aqueduct's course, capacity and legal status in exhaustive detail. Frontinus devoted considerable attention to a persistent problem: unauthorised tapping of the mains by private individuals seeking free water, a practice so widespread that he described entire sections of pipe riddled with illicit punctures, and he pressed for stricter enforcement against the plumbers who, he claimed, were often complicit in the theft they were paid to prevent.

FBy the early third century AD, eleven aqueducts converged on Rome, together capable of delivering a volume of water per resident that many modern cities would struggle to match. The system's decline followed the empire's own: sieges in the sixth century saw several channels deliberately cut to deprive the city of water, and without the administrative capacity to repair them, long stretches fell into disuse and their arches were gradually stripped for building stone. Not every aqueduct disappeared, however; sections of the Aqua Virgo were restored during the Renaissance and still feed fountains in central Rome today, a rare case of a two-thousand-year-old water system remaining in continuous, if intermittent, use. Modern engineers studying the surviving structures have noted how closely their gradient calculations approach what could be achieved without electronic instruments, a testament to a surveying tradition perfected long before the tools existed to make it easy.

specus:
the covered channel through which an aqueduct's water flowed
curator aquarum:
the Roman official responsible for overseeing the aqueduct system's maintenance

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 Aqua Appia was funded by contributions from wealthy private citizens.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NOT GIVEN

    "'The Aqua Appia, commissioned under the censorship of Appius Claudius Caecus, ran for roughly sixteen kilometres...' (Paragraph A)"

    ليش صحيح: النص يذكر من أمر ببناء القناة لكنه لا يذكر أبدًا مصدر التمويل أو مساهمات مواطنين أثرياء.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست TRUE لعدم وجود تأكيد لمصدر التمويل، وليست FALSE لعدم وجود نفي صريح له أيضًا.

  2. 2The Aqua Appia carried water without the use of any pumps.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    TRUE

    "'a channel that carried water by gravity alone... without pumps of any kind' (Paragraph A)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لحقيقة مؤكدة في النص.

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

  3. 3Roman surveyors used the chorobates to check whether a channel's gradient remained level.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    TRUE

    "'the chorobates, a long wooden bench fitted with a water-filled groove that revealed any deviation from true level' (Paragraph B)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لوظيفة الأداة كما وصفها النص.

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

  4. 4Raised stone arcades carried the greater part of the aqueduct network's total length.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    FALSE

    "'raised arcades carried only a small fraction of the total channel length, with the great majority running underground' (Paragraph C)"

    ليش صحيح: العبارة تدّعي أن الأقواس حملت الجزء الأكبر، بينما النص يقول صراحة إنها حملت جزءًا صغيرًا فقط.

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

  5. 5During a water shortage, private households received priority over public fountains.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    FALSE

    "'Public fountains and basins... received the first and most secure share... only the remainder... was diverted to private households' (Paragraph D)"

    ليش صحيح: العبارة تعكس ترتيب الأولوية الفعلي المذكور في النص.. الينابيع العامة كانت لها الأولوية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست TRUE بسبب التناقض المباشر في الترتيب، وليست NOT GIVEN لأن الترتيب مذكور بوضوح.

  6. 6Frontinus reported that illegal tapping of the aqueduct pipes was a widespread problem.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    TRUE

    "'unauthorised tapping of the mains by private individuals... a practice so widespread that he described entire sections of pipe riddled with illicit punctures' (Paragraph E)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لما وثّقه فرونتينوس عن انتشار المشكلة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست FALSE لعدم وجود تناقض، وليست NOT GIVEN لأن المشكلة موثقة بوضوح.

  7. 7Every aqueduct that once supplied Rome fell completely out of use after the fall of the empire.

    TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    FALSE

    "'Not every aqueduct disappeared, however; sections of the Aqua Virgo were restored... and still feed fountains in central Rome today' (Paragraph F)"

    ليش صحيح: النص ينفي صراحة أن كل القنوات اختفت.. قناة أكوا فيرجو استمرت جزئيًا حتى اليوم.

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

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

Rome's earliest sources: the Tiber, wells, and a few natural (8) ________ within the city walls

Surveying tool used to check that a channel's gradient stayed level: the (9) ________

Most of the aqueduct network ran underground rather than on raised (10) ________

The specus (channel) was lined with opus signinum, made from crushed pottery and (11) ________

At the castellum divisorium, public (12) ________ received the first and most secure share of water

Frontinus wrote a technical (13) ________ describing each aqueduct's course, capacity and legal status

  1. 8Question 8

    اعرض الإجابة

    springs

    "'a handful of springs within the city walls' (Paragraph A)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة مأخوذة حرفيًا من النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: أي كلمة أخرى (مثل wells) لا تطابق موضع الفراغ بالتحديد.

  2. 9Question 9

    اعرض الإجابة

    chorobates

    "'the chorobates, a long wooden bench...' (Paragraph B)"

    ليش صحيح: الاسم الدقيق للأداة المستخدمة للتحقق من استواء المنحدر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل groma، أداة مختلفة) غير مطابقة لهذا الغرض.

  3. 10Question 10

    اعرض الإجابة

    arcades

    "'raised arcades carried only a small fraction...' (Paragraph C)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة التي تصف البديل عن الأنفاق الأرضية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل bridges) غير مستخدمة حرفيًا في هذا الموضع.

  4. 11Question 11

    اعرض الإجابة

    lime

    "'opus signinum, a mixture of crushed pottery and lime' (Paragraph C)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة للمكوّن الثاني في خليط عزل المياه.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل cement) ليست الكلمة الحرفية المستخدمة في وصف الخليط.

  5. 12Question 12

    اعرض الإجابة

    fountains

    "'Public fountains and basins... received the first and most secure share' (Paragraph D)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة للمرفق الذي حصل على الأولوية القصوى.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل baths، المرتبة الثانية) لا تطابق الأولوية الأولى المطلوبة.

  6. 13Question 13

    اعرض الإجابة

    treatise

    "'wrote a technical treatise describing each aqueduct's course, capacity and legal status' (Paragraph E)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لنوع الوثيقة التي كتبها فرونتينوس.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل report أو book) ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في النص.

Passage 2: Bioluminescence in the Deep Ocean

ABelow roughly two hundred metres, sunlight fades to nothing, yet the deep ocean is far from dark: an estimated three-quarters or more of the species living there are capable of producing their own light, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence. The light is generated internally through a chemical reaction between a light-emitting molecule called luciferin and an enzyme, luciferase, that catalyses its oxidation; some species manufacture both compounds themselves, while others acquire luciferin from their diet or host light-producing bacteria in dedicated organs. Unlike the heat-generating light of an incandescent bulb, this chemical light is described as "cold light", because almost none of the energy released is lost as heat, an efficiency terrestrial lighting technology has only recently begun to approach. The phenomenon becomes more common with depth, and by the abyssal zone, several kilometres down, it is thought to be nearly universal among the animals that live there, from tiny crustaceans to fish several metres long.

BThe uses to which deep-sea animals put this light are strikingly varied. The anglerfish's dangling lure, tipped with light-producing bacteria, draws smaller prey within striking distance of its jaws, while other predators use sudden flashes to startle and disorient before attacking. A separate and, to early researchers, counter-intuitive use is camouflage: many mid-water animals produce a faint, even glow on their undersides that matches the dim light filtering down from the surface above, a technique called counter-illumination that erases the tell-tale silhouette a predator lurking below would otherwise see against the brighter water overhead. Because the surrounding light intensity shifts constantly with depth, cloud cover and time of day, animals relying on counter-illumination must continuously adjust the brightness of their glow to match it. Even camouflage of this kind carries a cost, since producing light continuously draws on an animal's limited energy reserves in an environment where food is often scarce.

CFor much of the twentieth century, popular accounts of bioluminescence emphasised its role in communication and mate attraction, an emphasis that recent research increasingly suggests was overstated. A growing body of observational and experimental evidence instead points to defence as the more fundamental driver of the trait's evolution. The "burglar alarm" hypothesis, now supported by direct video evidence from remotely operated vehicles, proposes that a sudden burst of light from a threatened animal serves less to blind its immediate attacker than to attract a larger, second predator, one drawn by the flash and likely to attack the first predator in turn. Communication does occur, most clearly in the synchronised flash patterns some deep-sea shrimp and fish use during mating, but such displays make up a comparatively small share of the documented instances of bioluminescent behaviour, and the writer would caution against treating them as bioluminescence's original or primary purpose.

DStudying bioluminescence in its natural setting has always been difficult, since the animals in question rarely survive capture and transport to the surface intact, and many stop glowing entirely once removed from the pressure and darkness of their native depth. Early researchers were confined largely to specimens hauled up in nets, from which little could be inferred about how or when a light display was actually used. The advent of crewed and, later, remotely operated submersibles transformed the field from the 1980s onward, allowing scientists to observe undisturbed behaviour directly and to record footage of interactions, such as predator-prey chases and burglar-alarm flashes, that no surface-based method could have captured. Even so, the sheer scale and darkness of the deep ocean mean that only a minute fraction of it has ever been directly observed, and estimates of how common particular behaviours are remain provisional. Submersible time remains expensive to fund, which limits how many research dives can be conducted in a given year and further slows the accumulation of reliable behavioural data.

EBeyond its intrinsic interest to marine biologists, bioluminescence has already proved commercially and scientifically valuable elsewhere. Green fluorescent protein, isolated originally from a bioluminescent jellyfish, is now a standard laboratory tool used to make specific proteins visible inside living cells, a contribution that earned its discoverers a Nobel Prize. Looking ahead, some researchers argue that patterns of bioluminescent activity could serve as a low-cost indicator of deep-sea ecosystem health, since a sudden change in the frequency or intensity of light displays in a given region might signal a disturbance before other monitoring methods would detect it. Conservationists have also begun raising concerns that artificial lighting from deep-sea mining operations, planned for several mineral-rich areas of the ocean floor, could disrupt bioluminescent signalling in ways that are, as yet, barely understood. Some biotechnology firms have also begun exploring bioluminescent compounds as a potential alternative to conventional chemical dyes in medical imaging, though this application remains at an early, largely experimental stage.

luciferin:
the light-emitting molecule involved in bioluminescent chemical reactions
counter-illumination:
a camouflage technique in which an animal produces light to match the brightness of the water above it

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 discovery already put to use far from the ocean
  • iiHow deep-sea creatures generate light without generating heat
  • iiiTwo contrasting uses of bioluminescence: attack and concealment
  • ivWhy studying deep-sea light in its natural setting took decades to advance
  • vA shift in scientific opinion about light's original evolutionary purpose
  • viThe chemical composition of laboratory dyes
  • viiA newly identified species of light-producing jellyfish

  1. 14Section A

    اعرض الإجابة

    ii.. How deep-sea creatures generate light without generating heat

    "'generated internally through a chemical reaction... cold light, because almost none of the energy released is lost as heat' (Section A)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تشرح كيفية إنتاج الكائنات للضوء كيميائيًا دون حرارة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: iii تخص استخدامات الضوء (B)؛ v تخص تحول الرأي العلمي (C)؛ باقي العناوين لا تطابق محتوى A.

  2. 15Section B

    اعرض الإجابة

    iii.. Two contrasting uses of bioluminescence: attack and concealment

    "'The anglerfish's dangling lure... draws smaller prey... counter-illumination' (Section B)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تعرض استخدامين متناقضين للضوء: الهجوم عبر الإغراء، والتمويه.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ii تخص آلية الإنتاج الكيميائي (A)؛ v تخص تحول الرأي (C)؛ باقي العناوين لا تطابق.

  3. 16Section C

    اعرض الإجابة

    v.. A shift in scientific opinion about light's original evolutionary purpose

    "'an emphasis that recent research increasingly suggests was overstated... points to defence as the more fundamental driver' (Section C)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تصف تحولًا في الرأي العلمي من التواصل إلى الدفاع.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: iii تخص استخدامات الضوء الأساسية في B؛ iv تخص صعوبات الدراسة (D)؛ باقي العناوين لا تطابق.

  4. 17Section D

    اعرض الإجابة

    iv.. Why studying deep-sea light in its natural setting took decades to advance

    "'Studying bioluminescence in its natural setting has always been difficult... The advent of... submersibles transformed the field' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تشرح سبب بطء تطور دراسة الضوء الحيوي لعقود.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: v تخص تحول الرأي العلمي (C)؛ i تخص تطبيقات خارج المحيط (E)؛ باقي العناوين لا تطابق.

  5. 18Section E

    اعرض الإجابة

    i.. A discovery already put to use far from the ocean

    "'Green fluorescent protein, isolated originally from a bioluminescent jellyfish, is now a standard laboratory tool' (Section E)"

    ليش صحيح: الفقرة تصف اكتشافًا من الضوء الحيوي استُخدم خارج المحيط تمامًا.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: vi عنوان مضلل عام غير مطابق لما ذُكر تحديدًا؛ 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.

  • Adraw
  • Bsilhouette
  • Cattract
  • Davoid
  • Ecamouflage
  • Fsecondary
  • Greflection

Deep-sea animals use light in several ways. Predators such as the anglerfish use it to (19) ________ prey, while other species avoid being seen by matching the faint light above them, a technique known as counter-illumination that removes their (20) ________ against brighter water.

Under the "burglar alarm" hypothesis, a startled animal flashes light not to blind its attacker but to (21) ________ a larger predator that may then attack the first predator.

Communication through synchronised flashing does occur, but the writer regards it as a (22) ________ purpose rather than bioluminescence's original one.

  1. 19Question 19

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. draw

    "'The anglerfish's dangling lure... draws smaller prey within striking distance' (Section B)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة draw مطابقة معنويًا وحرفيًا لفعل الإغراء لجذب الفريسة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: C (attract) تُستخدم لاحقًا في سياق مختلف؛ باقي الخيارات لا تصف فعل الجذب هذا.

  2. 20Question 20

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. silhouette

    "'erases the tell-tale silhouette a predator lurking below would otherwise see against the brighter water overhead' (Section B)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لوصف الشكل الظلي الذي تُخفيه التقنية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: E (camouflage) تصف التقنية ككل لا الشيء المحدد الذي تُخفيه؛ باقي الخيارات غير مرتبطة.

  3. 21Question 21

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. attract

    "'serves less to blind its immediate attacker than to attract a larger, second predator' (Section C)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لوصف جذب المفترس الثاني الأكبر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A (draw) استُخدمت سابقًا لجذب الفريسة لا المفترس؛ باقي الخيارات لا تناسب السياق.

  4. 22Question 22

    اعرض الإجابة

    F.. secondary

    "'would caution against treating them as bioluminescence's original or primary purpose' (Section C)"

    ليش صحيح: بما أن الكاتب يرفض اعتبار التواصل الوظيفة الأساسية، فالكلمة المناسبة هي secondary.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: باقي الخيارات (A،B،C،D،E،G) لا تصف الوظيفة النسبية للتواصل مقارنة بالدفاع.

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, most deep-sea species are able to

    1. A. survive capture and transport to the surface unharmed.
    2. B. produce light of their own accord.
    3. C. see clearly in total darkness without producing light.
    4. D. generate light using only bacteria they host permanently.
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. produce light of their own accord.

    "'an estimated three-quarters or more of the species living there are capable of producing their own light' (Section A)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة للنسبة المذكورة في النص.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A يناقض النص؛ C يناقض فكرة الفقرة بالكامل؛ D يضيّق الآلية دون مبرر نصي.

  2. 24The "burglar alarm" hypothesis, as described in the passage, is best supported by

    1. A. laboratory studies of luciferin structure.
    2. B. footage recorded by remotely operated vehicles.
    3. C. surveys of shrimp mating rituals.
    4. D. analysis of net-caught specimens.
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. footage recorded by remotely operated vehicles.

    "'now supported by direct video evidence from remotely operated vehicles' (Section C)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لمصدر الدعم العلمي للفرضية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/C/D معلومات غير مذكورة كدليل داعم لهذه الفرضية تحديدًا.

  3. 25The passage indicates that many bioluminescent animals stop glowing when

    1. A. they reach maturity.
    2. B. removed from the pressure and darkness of their native depth.
    3. C. exposed to artificial light from mining equipment.
    4. D. captured using remotely operated vehicles.
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. removed from the pressure and darkness of their native depth.

    "'many stop glowing entirely once removed from the pressure and darkness of their native depth' (Section D)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة للسبب المذكور.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/C/D معلومات غير مذكورة في هذا السياق.

  4. 26Green fluorescent protein, as discussed in the passage, was originally isolated from

    1. A. an anglerfish.
    2. B. deep-sea shrimp.
    3. C. a bioluminescent jellyfish.
    4. D. laboratory bacteria.
    اعرض الإجابة

    C. a bioluminescent jellyfish.

    "'Green fluorescent protein, isolated originally from a bioluminescent jellyfish' (Section E)"

    ليش صحيح: إعادة صياغة مباشرة لمصدر البروتين المذكور.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/B/D كائنات أخرى مذكورة في النص لكن ليست مصدر هذا البروتين.

Passage 3: Does Musical Training Sharpen the Mind? A Sceptic's View

Few claims about childhood education have travelled further than the idea that learning a musical instrument makes children generally smarter. The notion draws much of its popular force from the so-called "Mozart effect", a finding from the early 1990s that briefly listening to a Mozart sonata produced a temporary boost in a narrow spatial-reasoning task, a result that was wildly overstated in press coverage at the time and has since failed to replicate reliably even on its own narrow terms. Yet the broader claim it is often folded into, that sustained musical training reshapes general cognitive ability, has proved far more durable in public imagination, cited by school administrators defending music budgets and by parents justifying years of lesson fees alike. The appeal of the broader claim is easy to understand: it promises that a controllable, teachable activity can meaningfully raise a child's measured intelligence, a far more attractive proposition than being told that intelligence is largely fixed.

The evidential starting point for the broader claim is genuinely solid: children who take music lessons do, on average, score higher on tests of general intelligence, verbal ability and working memory than children who do not. The difficulty lies in what this correlation actually shows. Households that enrol children in years of private instrumental tuition differ systematically from those that do not, in household income, in parental educational attainment, and in the sheer amount of structured adult attention a child receives outside school. Children who show early promise or enthusiasm are also more likely to be kept in lessons for years rather than dropped after a few frustrating months, meaning that any comparison of "musicians" against "non-musicians" several years later is already comparing two groups that differed before a single note was played.

Where the picture is genuinely less contested is in what researchers term near transfer: gains in abilities closely related to the specific skills a musical instrument demands. Trained musicians reliably outperform non-musicians on tasks involving fine-grained auditory discrimination, precise timing and rhythm perception, and the fine motor control of the fingers, all faculties directly exercised during years of practice. Few researchers dispute these narrower findings, since the mechanism connecting cause to effect is transparent: repeatedly training a specific skill improves that skill and its close neighbours. These near-transfer gains, while real, are considerably narrower than the sweeping claims made in popular coverage of the research.

The more contentious claim concerns far transfer: whether the discipline of musical training also improves abilities with no obvious functional overlap with playing an instrument, such as general mathematical reasoning or reading comprehension. Several well-designed randomised controlled trials, in which children were assigned at random to either music lessons, an alternative engaging activity such as drama or a sports programme, or no additional activity at all, have found that once music lessons are compared against an equally engaging alternative rather than against doing nothing, any advantage on general cognitive measures shrinks to a level indistinguishable from chance. This comparison matters: a genuine transfer effect specific to music should survive being tested against another structured, enjoyable activity, and in the best-controlled trials to date, it largely has not.

A comprehensive meta-analysis pooling data from more than fifty separate studies, published in the past decade, reinforces this more cautious picture. Averaged across all included studies, musical training showed a small positive association with general cognitive measures; however, when the analysis was restricted to studies employing random assignment and an active control group, the association became statistically indistinguishable from zero. Tellingly, the largest reported effects came overwhelmingly from the oldest and most weakly controlled studies in the pool, a pattern methodologists regard as a classic warning sign that an apparent effect is an artefact of inadequate design rather than a genuine phenomenon that rigorous testing simply failed to detect. Such a pattern is common across many areas of psychological research, and reviewers increasingly treat it as a signal to weight recent, well-controlled studies far more heavily than older ones.

None of this should be read as an argument against music education, which offers children genuine skills, a demanding creative discipline and, for many, considerable personal enjoyment, all of which justify its place in a broad curriculum without any reference to spillover benefits elsewhere. What the evidence does not support is the marketing claim that a term of violin lessons will measurably raise a child's mathematics score or general intelligence. Schools and parents would do better to fund music for what it reliably delivers, musical skill itself and the narrow auditory and motor abilities closely tied to it, than to defend it with a transfer claim that better-controlled research has, so far, failed to substantiate. Framing the debate honestly, in the writer's view, serves music education better in the long run than a transfer claim that could eventually be debunked and used to justify budget cuts.

near transfer:
improvement in abilities closely related to the specific skill being trained
randomised controlled trial:
a study in which participants are assigned by chance to different groups to test a treatment's effect

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 "Mozart effect" has been shown to reliably replicate in later studies.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NO

    "'has since failed to replicate reliably even on its own narrow terms' (Paragraph 1)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب ينفي صراحة أن التأثير تكرر بشكل موثوق في دراسات لاحقة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست YES بسبب النفي الصريح؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأن الكاتب يوضح موقفه بشكل قاطع.

  2. 28Children who take music lessons score, on average, higher than non-musicians on tests of general intelligence.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    YES

    "'children who take music lessons do, on average, score higher on tests of general intelligence, verbal ability and working memory' (Paragraph 2)"

    ليش صحيح: تطابق مباشر مع ما يقرّه الكاتب كنقطة انطلاق الأدلة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست NO لأن الكاتب يقرّ بهذه الحقيقة صراحة؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأنها مذكورة بوضوح.

  3. 29The households that enrol children in music lessons are, on average, no different from those that do not.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NO

    "'Households that enrol children in years of private instrumental tuition differ systematically from those that do not, in household income, in parental educational attainment...' (Paragraph 2)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب يؤكد وجود فروقات منهجية بين الأسرتين، ما يناقض عبارة لا فرق بينهما.

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

  4. 30The randomised controlled trials described in the passage included children from more than ten different countries.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NOT GIVEN

    "'Several well-designed randomised controlled trials, in which children were assigned at random...' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: النص يذكر إجراء تجارب عشوائية لكنه لا يذكر إطلاقًا عدد الدول التي شملتها.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست YES لعدم ذكر عدد الدول؛ وليست NO لعدم وجود نفي صريح له أيضًا.

  5. 31Randomised controlled trials comparing music lessons against an equally engaging alternative activity have found a clear, reliable advantage for music on general cognitive measures.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    NO

    "'once music lessons are compared against an equally engaging alternative rather than against doing nothing, any advantage on general cognitive measures shrinks to a level indistinguishable from chance' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: النص يؤكد أن الميزة تتلاشى إلى مستوى لا يمكن تمييزه عن الصدفة.

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

  6. 32The writer believes musical training should be funded in schools even without evidence of transfer to other cognitive skills.

    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    اعرض الإجابة

    YES

    "'which offers children genuine skills, a demanding creative discipline and, for many, considerable personal enjoyment, all of which justify its place in a broad curriculum without any reference to spillover benefits elsewhere' (Paragraph 6)"

    ليش صحيح: الكاتب يؤيد صراحة تمويل التعليم الموسيقي لقيمته الذاتية بغض النظر عن أي فائدة معرفية إضافية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: ليست NO لأن هذا رأي الكاتب المعلن؛ وليست NOT GIVEN لأنه مذكور بوضوح في الفقرة الختامية.

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

  • Aa temporary boost in a narrow spatial-reasoning task.
  • Bshowed early promise or enthusiasm for the instrument.
  • Cthe oldest, most weakly controlled studies in the pool.
  • Dan equally engaging alternative activity rather than no activity at all.
  • Ea lifelong career as a professional musician.
  • Fa shortage of qualified teachers available locally.

  1. 33The "Mozart effect" originally referred to

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. a temporary boost in a narrow spatial-reasoning task.

    "'a finding from the early 1990s that briefly listening to a Mozart sonata produced a temporary boost in a narrow spatial-reasoning task' (Paragraph 1)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر يطابق حرفيًا وصف الظاهرة الأصلية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: B/C/D/E/F لا تتعلق بتعريف تأثير موزارت الأصلي.

  2. 34Children who persist in music lessons for years are often those who

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. showed early promise or enthusiasm for the instrument.

    "'Children who show early promise or enthusiasm are also more likely to be kept in lessons for years rather than dropped' (Paragraph 2)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر يطابق سبب استمرار بعض الأطفال في الدروس لسنوات.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/C/D/E/F لا تصف سبب استمرار الأطفال في الدروس تحديدًا.

  3. 35Well-controlled randomised trials found that music's cognitive advantage disappears once it is compared against

    اعرض الإجابة

    D.. an equally engaging alternative activity rather than no activity at all.

    "'once music lessons are compared against an equally engaging alternative rather than against doing nothing, any advantage... shrinks' (Paragraph 4)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر يطابق شرط اختفاء الميزة المعرفية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/B/C/E/F لا تصف نوع المقارنة المستخدمة في التجارب.

  4. 36The largest effects in the meta-analysis came from

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. the oldest, most weakly controlled studies in the pool.

    "'the largest reported effects came overwhelmingly from the oldest and most weakly controlled studies in the pool' (Paragraph 5)"

    ليش صحيح: إتمام مباشر يطابق حرفيًا مصدر أكبر الآثار المُبلغ عنها.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A/B/D/E/F لا تصف مصدر أكبر الآثار في التحليل التجميعي.

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

Trained musicians reliably outperform non-musicians on tasks requiring fine motor control of the (37) ________.

The gap between average and rigorously controlled meta-analysis effect sizes is described by methodologists as a warning sign of an (38) ________ rather than a genuine effect.

The writer argues that music education offers children genuine skills and a demanding creative (39) ________, independent of any transfer benefit.

The writer recommends funding music for its own value rather than defending it with a transfer claim that better-controlled research has failed to (40) ________.

  1. 37Question 37

    اعرض الإجابة

    fingers

    "'the fine motor control of the fingers' (Paragraph 3)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة لموضع المهارة الحركية المدرَّبة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: أي كلمة أخرى (مثل hands) ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في هذا الموضع.

  2. 38Question 38

    اعرض الإجابة

    artefact

    "'a classic warning sign that an apparent effect is an artefact of inadequate design' (Paragraph 5)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة لوصف الأثر الوهمي الناتج عن ضعف التصميم البحثي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل error) ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في النص.

  3. 39Question 39

    اعرض الإجابة

    discipline

    "'a demanding creative discipline' (Paragraph 6)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة لوصف طبيعة التعليم الموسيقي كنشاط إبداعي متطلب.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل skill، في سياق مختلف من نفس الجملة) لا تطابق موضع الفراغ.

  4. 40Question 40

    اعرض الإجابة

    substantiate

    "'a transfer claim that better-controlled research has, so far, failed to substantiate' (Paragraph 6)"

    ليش صحيح: الكلمة الدقيقة المستخدمة لوصف فشل البحوث الأكثر دقة في إثبات الادعاء.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: كلمات أخرى (مثل prove) ليست الكلمة المستخدمة حرفيًا في النص.

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 caller, Daniel Whitfield, phones Riverside Dental Practice to register as a new patient and book his first appointment.

Example.. Type of appointment → New Patient Registration

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

Riverside Dental Practice.. New Patient Form

Type of appointment: New Patient Registration (Example)

First name: (1) ________

Surname: (2) ________

Contact number: (3) ________

Postcode: (4) ________

Main reason for visit: (5) ________

Heard about practice via: (6) ________

Appointment day/time: (7) ________

  1. 1Question 1

    اعرض الإجابة

    Daniel

    "Yes, it's Daniel."

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

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

  2. 2Question 2

    اعرض الإجابة

    Whitfield

    "It's Whitfield... W-H-I-T-F-I-E-L-D."

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

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

  3. 3Question 3

    اعرض الإجابة

    07822 419603

    "it's oh-seven-eight-two-two, four-one-nine, six-oh-three.. OK, so that's 07822 419603?.. That's the one."

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

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

  4. 4Question 4

    اعرض الإجابة

    SW4 7QL

    "It's SW4 7QL... SW4 7QL, got it."

    ليش صحيح: الرمز البريدي مسموع حرفيًا كسلسلة حروف-أرقام كما هو مطلوب.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  5. 5Question 5

    اعرض الإجابة

    tooth sensitivity

    "I've had a bit of sensitivity in one of my back teeth... I'll note that down as 'tooth sensitivity' as the main reason."

    ليش صحيح: موظفة الاستقبال تعيد صياغة السبب وتؤكده صراحة بهذه العبارة بالذات.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (a general check-up) مذكور كإضافة ثانوية فقط، وليس السبب الرئيسي المسجل رسميًا.

  6. 6Question 6

    اعرض الإجابة

    GP recommendation

    "My GP actually recommended you... I'll put 'GP recommendation' down."

    ليش صحيح: موظفة الاستقبال تكرر العبارة الدقيقة التي ستُسجَّل في النموذج.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  7. 7Question 7

    اعرض الإجابة

    Thursday at 2 / Thursday at two / Thursday 2pm

    "We do have Thursday at two, though... Great, I'll confirm you for Thursday at two."

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

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (Tuesday at ten) هو الموعد الأول الذي طُلب ثم أُلغي صراحة بسبب حجز كامل.

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

  1. 8What is the total cost of Daniel's first visit, including the X-ray?

    1. A. £45
    2. B. £65
    3. C. £90
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. £65

    "the initial examination is 45 pounds.. an extra 20 pounds on top.. that'll be the exam fee plus the X-ray, then.. just the exam and the X-ray is fine for now."

    ليش صحيح: الرقم النهائي (65) غير مسموع في الصوت إطلاقًا.. يُحسب من جمع الرقمين المذكورين صراحة (45 + 20 = 65)، وقد أكّد المتصل رغبته في الأشعة ورفض الباقة الأغلى؛ فخ حسابي حقيقي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A (45) هو سعر الفحص فقط دون الأشعة؛ C (90) هو سعر باقة تقييم الابتسامة الكاملة المذكورة صراحة لكن المتصل يرفضها بوضوح.

  2. 9What is the practice's policy on late cancellations?

    1. A. They charge a cancellation fee
    2. B. They do not allow any changes
    3. C. They ask for at least 24 hours' notice
    اعرض الإجابة

    C. They ask for at least 24 hours' notice

    "we ask for at least 24 hours' notice... we just ask politely for the notice.. we don't currently charge a fee."

    ليش صحيح: هذه هي السياسة المعلنة صراحة للإلغاء المتأخر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A وB مذكوران كممارسات تتبعها عيادات أخرى لكن تم استبعادهما صراحة.

  3. 10How will Daniel pay for his treatment?

    1. A. Through private dental insurance
    2. B. He will pay for it himself
    3. C. His GP will cover the cost
    اعرض الإجابة

    B. He will pay for it himself

    "I'll be paying myself, I don't have insurance.. and just to check, my GP referral doesn't cover any of the cost, does it?.. No, that's right, a GP referral doesn't cover any dental fees... so you'd be paying for everything yourself."

    ليش صحيح: تصريح مباشر من المتصل نفسه عن طريقة الدفع، ومؤكَّد من موظفة الاستقبال.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A مستبعد لأنه صرّح بعدم امتلاكه تأمينًا؛ C مذكور صراحة كسؤال يطرحه المتصل بنفسه لكن موظفة الاستقبال تنفيه صراحة بأن الإحالة لا تغطي أي رسوم.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 1

Receptionist (Claire): Good morning, Riverside Dental Practice, this is Claire speaking, how can I help you today?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Oh, hi, yes.. I'd like to register as a new patient, if possible, and book my first appointment.

Receptionist (Claire): Of course, I can help you with that. Let me just open up a new patient form... right, could I take your first name, please?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Yes, it's Daniel.

Receptionist (Claire): Lovely, and your surname?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): It's Whitfield.

Receptionist (Claire): Sorry, could you spell that for me?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Sure.. W-H-I-T-F-I-E-L-D.

Receptionist (Claire): W-H-I-T-F-I-E-L-D... is that "ie" before the "l", not "ei"?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): That's right, I-E-L-D at the end.

Receptionist (Claire): Great, got that.. Daniel Whitfield. And could I take a contact number for you?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Yeah, it's oh-seven-eight... actually, sorry, hold on, that's my old number.. let me give you my current one, it's oh-seven-eight-two-two, four-one-nine, six-oh-three.

Receptionist (Claire): OK, so that's 07822 419603?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): That's the one.

Receptionist (Claire): Perfect. And your postcode, please?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): It's SW4 7QL.

Receptionist (Claire): SW4 7QL, got it. Now, what's brought you to register with us.. is this just a general check-up, or is there something specific?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Um, well, mainly I've had a bit of sensitivity in one of my back teeth, so I'd like that looked at, but I suppose a general check-up as well while I'm there.

Receptionist (Claire): OK, so I'll note that down as "tooth sensitivity" as the main reason. And can I ask how you heard about us?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): My GP actually recommended you, said you were very good with nervous patients.

Receptionist (Claire): Oh, that's kind of her to say. I'll put "GP recommendation" down. Now, in terms of appointments, we've got a slot this Tuesday at ten, or, if that's too soon, we've also got Thursday afternoon.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Tuesday at ten would be great, actually, let's go with that.

Receptionist (Claire): Right, I'll pencil you in for Tuesday at ten... actually, hold on, sorry.. I've just realised Tuesday morning is fully booked for the dentist you'd be seeing, that slot's already gone. We do have Thursday at two, though, if that works instead?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Oh, that's fine too, let's do Thursday at two then.

Receptionist (Claire): Great, I'll confirm you for Thursday at two.

Receptionist (Claire): Now, just to run through pricing before we finish. As a new patient, the initial examination is 45 pounds.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): OK.

Receptionist (Claire): If you need an X-ray as part of that first visit.. and quite a few new patients do.. that's an extra 20 pounds on top.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Right, I think I probably will need one, given the sensitivity.

Receptionist (Claire): OK, so that'll be the exam fee plus the X-ray, then.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Got it, the exam plus the X-ray.

Receptionist (Claire): We also offer a full smile-assessment package, which includes photos and a treatment plan, but that one's 90 pounds.. probably more than you need for a first visit like this.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): Oh, no, just the exam and the X-ray is fine for now, I don't need all that.

Receptionist (Claire): Understood. One more thing.. our cancellation policy. If you need to cancel or change an appointment, we ask for at least 24 hours' notice. Some practices charge a fee for late cancellations, or don't allow changes at all, but we just ask politely for the notice.. we don't currently charge a fee, we simply keep a note on file.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): OK, that's good to know.

Receptionist (Claire): And finally, do you have private dental insurance, or will you be paying for treatment yourself?

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): I'll be paying myself, I don't have insurance.. and just to check, my GP referral doesn't cover any of the cost, does it?

Receptionist (Claire): No, that's right, a GP referral doesn't cover any dental fees, it's just a recommendation.. so you'd be paying for everything yourself.

Caller (Daniel Whitfield): That's what I thought, that's fine.

Receptionist (Claire): That's absolutely fine, lots of our patients pay for themselves. Let me just get your appointment confirmation sent over...

Part 2

A tour guide gives visitors a briefing on the history of the historic port town of Fenmouth before leading them on the day's walking tour.

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

Fenmouth.. Historical Notes

Began as a small fishing village in the early (11) ________

Granted official port status in (12) ________

Major period of growth followed the rebuilding of the harbour in (13) ________

Main export during early trading years: (14) ________

Old customs house now houses the town's (15) ________

Old grain warehouse now houses shops and a (16) ________

In 1897, a shipwreck crew of (17) ________ was rescued by local fishermen

  1. 11Question 11

    اعرض الإجابة

    1400s

    "Fenmouth actually began life as a small fishing village, right back in the early 1400s."

    ليش صحيح: الفترة الزمنية مذكورة صراحة لبداية القرية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 1620 و1850 يخصان أحداثًا لاحقة، وليس تاريخ التأسيس.

  2. 12Question 12

    اعرض الإجابة

    1620

    "It wasn't until 1620 that the town was formally granted official port status by royal charter."

    ليش صحيح: السنة مذكورة صراحة كتاريخ منح صفة الميناء الرسمية.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 1400s تاريخ التأسيس الأولي؛ 1850 يخص إعادة بناء الميناء لاحقًا.. فخ تسلسل زمني.

  3. 13Question 13

    اعرض الإجابة

    1850

    "the town's biggest period of growth actually came much later.. after the harbour was rebuilt and deepened in 1850."

    ليش صحيح: هذه هي السنة المرتبطة صراحة بإعادة بناء الميناء وفترة النمو الأكبر.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 1620 يخص منح الصفة الرسمية للميناء وليس إعادة بنائه.

  4. 14Question 14

    اعرض الإجابة

    wool

    "The main export in those early trading years was wool."

    ليش صحيح: السلعة مذكورة صراحة كصادر رئيسي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  5. 15Question 15

    اعرض الإجابة

    maritime museum

    "it now houses the town's maritime museum."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو الاستخدام الحالي المذكور صراحة لمبنى الجمارك القديم.

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

  6. 16Question 16

    اعرض الإجابة

    café / cafe / small café / small cafe

    "it's now been turned into a row of independent shops and a small café."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو العنصر الثاني المذكور صراحة لاستخدام المخزن القديم، وهو ضمن حد الكلمتين؛ يُقبل café وcafe.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (shops) وحدها إجابة غير كافية؛ الفراغ في النص يطلب تحديدًا العنصر الثاني (café/cafe).

  7. 17Question 17

    اعرض الإجابة

    twelve / 12

    "the entire crew of twelve was rescued by local fishermen using rowing boats."

    ليش صحيح: العدد مذكور صراحة كعدد أفراد الطاقم الذين تم إنقاذهم.

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

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

Harbour wall9.30Start point
Customs House (Museum)(18) ________Entry included in tour
Lighthouse11.00Climb to top: (19) ________
Fish Market (Food Hall)(20) ________Free time for lunch

  1. 18Question 18

    اعرض الإجابة

    10 o'clock / ten o'clock / 10am

    "we should arrive there at about ten o'clock."

    ليش صحيح: الوقت مسموع حرفيًا لموعد الوصول إلى المتحف كما هو مطلوب.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 9.30 هو وقت نقطة الانطلاق وليس الوصول للمتحف؛ 11.00 يخص المحطة التالية (المنارة).

  2. 19Question 19

    اعرض الإجابة

    £14 / fourteen pounds

    "it's normally twelve pounds, but actually, sorry... it's now fourteen pounds per person."

    ليش صحيح: هذا هو السعر الحالي والمصحَّح فورًا من المرشد نفسه.. فخ تغيير الرأي.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (twelve pounds) هو السعر القديم الذي صرّح المرشد بأنه لم يعد صحيحًا.

  3. 20Question 20

    اعرض الإجابة

    12.30

    "at around half past twelve, we'll finish at the old fish market."

    ليش صحيح: "half past twelve" مسموع حرفيًا لكنه ثلاث كلمات ويتجاوز حد الكلمتين لهذه المجموعة؛ "12.30" هو التحويل الرقمي المطابق للحد.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 9.30 و11.00 يخصان محطتين سابقتين مختلفتين؛ الصيغة الحرفية "half past twelve" وحدها غير مقبولة لتجاوزها حد الكلمتين.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 2

Tour Guide (Oliver): Good morning everyone, welcome to Fenmouth, my name's Oliver and I'll be your guide for this morning's walking tour of the old harbour and town centre.

Tour Guide (Oliver): Now, before we set off, I just want to give you a little bit of background on the town, so you know what you're looking at as we go.

Tour Guide (Oliver): Fenmouth actually began life as a small fishing village, right back in the early 1400s, just a handful of cottages around a natural inlet. It wasn't until 1620 that the town was formally granted official port status by royal charter, which allowed it to start trading directly with merchants from the continent. But the town's biggest period of growth actually came much later.. after the harbour was rebuilt and deepened in 1850, which is when Fenmouth really became one of the busiest trading ports on this stretch of coast.

Tour Guide (Oliver): The main export in those early trading years was wool.. Fenmouth wool was actually considered some of the finest in the country, and merchants would ship it out to markets in the Netherlands and beyond.

Tour Guide (Oliver): Now, if you look at the building just ahead of us, on the corner there.. that used to be the old customs house, where officials would inspect and tax incoming cargo. These days, it's been fully converted, and it now houses the town's maritime museum, which is well worth a visit if you have time later.

Tour Guide (Oliver): Just past that, you'll see the old grain warehouse.. that one's had a slightly different fate, it's now been turned into a row of independent shops and a small café.

Tour Guide (Oliver): One more piece of history before we head off.. in 1897, a serious storm caused a shipwreck just off the harbour mouth, and remarkably, the entire crew of twelve was rescued by local fishermen using rowing boats. It's still remembered locally as one of the town's proudest moments, and there's a small memorial plaque down by the harbour wall that we'll pass later.

Tour Guide (Oliver): Right, let's talk through today's route and timings.

Tour Guide (Oliver): We'll start here at the harbour wall at half past nine, and from there we'll walk up to the old customs house.. that's the museum I mentioned.. and we should arrive there at about ten o'clock. Entry is included in today's tour, so no extra cost there.

Tour Guide (Oliver): After that, we'll head to the lighthouse, which is a bit further along the coast path, and we should get there for around eleven. Now, if anyone wants to climb to the top of the lighthouse, that's an optional extra.. it's normally twelve pounds, but actually, sorry, I've just been told the price has gone up slightly this month, so it's now fourteen pounds per person.

Tour Guide (Oliver): Then, at around half past twelve, we'll finish at the old fish market, which is now a food hall, and you'll have free time there for lunch.. that's not included, so you're welcome to buy whatever you fancy.

Tour Guide (Oliver): If anyone's interested, there's also an optional boat trip around the harbour, run by a separate company, and that one's eight pounds per person, but you'd need to book that separately at the kiosk.

Tour Guide (Oliver): OK, if everyone's ready, let's make our way to the first stop.

Part 3

Two biology students, Alice and Jake, finalise the design of their plant-growth lab experiment.

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

  • AWill be the main variable tested
  • BWill be kept constant (controlled)
  • CWill not be included in the experiment

  1. 21Light intensity

    اعرض الإجابة

    A.. Will be the main variable tested

    "I think that should definitely be our main variable... let's make light intensity the main thing we're testing."

    ليش صحيح: كلا الطالبين يتفقان صراحة على أن شدة الإضاءة هي المتغير الرئيسي الذي سيتم اختباره.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: B مستبعد لأنها المتغير الوحيد الذي لن يبقى ثابتًا؛ C غير منطقي لأنهما اتفقا على استخدامها فعليًا كمحور التجربة.

  2. 22Watering frequency

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. Will be kept constant (controlled)

    "let's just water everything on a fixed schedule and hold that constant."

    ليش صحيح: القرار النهائي هو تثبيت معدل الري لكل النباتات لتجنب تداخل المتغيرات.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A مستبعد لأن شدة الإضاءة فقط هي المتغير المختبَر؛ C مستبعد لأنهما لم يقررا استبعاد الري بل تثبيته.

  3. 23Soil pH

    اعرض الإجابة

    C.. Will not be included in the experiment

    "we should just leave that out of this experiment altogether... we won't actually test it."

    ليش صحيح: القرار النهائي الصريح هو استبعاد درجة حموضة التربة تمامًا من التجربة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A مستبعد لأن شدة الإضاءة فقط هي المتغير الرئيسي؛ B مستبعد لأنهما يقرران عدم إدراجها إطلاقًا وليس تثبيتها.

  4. 24Fertiliser type

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. Will be kept constant (controlled)

    "we should keep using the same fertiliser for every plant... let's fix that one as well then, same fertiliser, same amount, every time."

    ليش صحيح: القرار هو تثبيت نوع وكمية السماد لجميع النباتات.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A مستبعد لأن شدة الإضاءة فقط هي المتغير المختبَر؛ C مستبعد لأنهما لم يستبعدا السماد بل قررا تثبيته.

  5. 25Temperature

    اعرض الإجابة

    B.. Will be kept constant (controlled)

    "it has to just stay constant then, whatever the chamber's set to... let's hold that steady across all the plants as well."

    ليش صحيح: القرار النهائي هو إبقاء درجة الحرارة ثابتة لكل النباتات بسبب قيد عملي (غرفة نمو واحدة فقط).

    ليش الباقي خطأ: A مستبعد لأن شدة الإضاءة فقط هي المتغير المختبَر؛ C مستبعد لأنهما لم يستبعدا الحرارة بل أبقياها ثابتة ضمن التجربة.

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

The students will use (26) ________ seedlings per light group.

The experiment will run for (27) ________.

Stem height will be measured using a (28) ________.

The plants will be grown in the (29) ________ behind the science block.

The project supervisor is (30) ________.

  1. 26Question 26

    اعرض الإجابة

    fifteen / 15

    "I think we agreed on fifteen plants per group... Yeah, fifteen per group sounds right."

    ليش صحيح: العدد مذكور ومؤكَّد صراحة مرتين.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  2. 27Question 27

    اعرض الإجابة

    four weeks

    "she suggested four weeks would be enough to see a measurable difference in height... Good, four weeks it is."

    ليش صحيح: المدة الزمنية للتجربة مذكورة ومؤكَّدة صراحة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  3. 28Question 28

    اعرض الإجابة

    ruler

    "We'll measure stem height using a ruler, every three days."

    ليش صحيح: الأداة المستخدمة للقياس مذكورة صراحة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (every three days) يصف تكرار القياس وليس الأداة نفسها.

  4. 29Question 29

    اعرض الإجابة

    greenhouse

    "In the greenhouse behind the science block.. I've already booked us a bench there."

    ليش صحيح: الموقع الذي ستُزرع فيه النباتات مذكور صراحة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

  5. 30Question 30

    اعرض الإجابة

    Dr Bennett / Dr. Bennett / Bennett

    "That's Dr Bennett, from the plant sciences department, she's the one who approved our proposal."

    ليش صحيح: اسم المشرفة مذكور صراحة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 3

Student (Alice): OK, so we need to finalise the design for our plant-growth experiment before we submit the proposal. Let's go through the variables we talked about.

Student (Jake): Right, so first up, light intensity.. I think that should definitely be our main variable, don't you? We can grow identical seedlings under different light levels and measure the height difference.

Student (Alice): Yeah, I agree, let's make light intensity the main thing we're testing.. everything else needs to stay fixed while we vary that.

Student (Jake): Good, that's settled then.

Student (Alice): What about watering frequency? Should we test that too?

Student (Jake): Hmm, I'm not totally sure. If we test two variables at once, we won't know which one caused the difference in growth.

Student (Alice): True. Maybe we should just keep watering the same for every plant, so it doesn't interfere with the light results.

Student (Jake): Yeah, actually, that makes more sense.. let's just water everything on a fixed schedule and hold that constant.

Student (Alice): Agreed. Now, soil pH.. that came up in the lecture. Should we vary that too?

Student (Jake): I looked into that a bit, and honestly, testing pH properly would need a whole separate set of equipment we don't have, so I think we should just leave that out of this experiment altogether.

Student (Alice): Yeah, let's not go there.. we can mention it as a limitation in our write-up, but we won't actually test it.

Student (Jake): Agreed, we'll drop that one completely.

Student (Alice): What about fertiliser type.. should that be constant, or should we drop it too?

Student (Jake): I actually think we should keep using the same fertiliser for every plant, so it doesn't add another variable into the mix.

Student (Alice): Yeah, let's fix that one as well then, same fertiliser, same amount, every time.

Student (Jake): Sounds good. And temperature?

Student (Alice): I was going to suggest we test that too, but then I realised we only have one growth chamber, so we genuinely can't run two temperatures at once anyway.

Student (Jake): Right, so it has to just stay constant then, whatever the chamber's set to.

Student (Alice): Yeah, let's hold that steady across all the plants as well.

Student (Alice): OK, now let's sort out the practical details. How many seedlings should we use per light group?

Student (Jake): I think we agreed on fifteen plants per group, so that gives us a decent sample size without being unmanageable.

Student (Alice): Yeah, fifteen per group sounds right. And how long should we run the experiment for?

Student (Jake): We talked about this with our supervisor.. she suggested four weeks would be enough to see a measurable difference in height.

Student (Alice): Good, four weeks it is. What are we actually going to measure?

Student (Jake): We'll measure stem height using a ruler, every three days, and record it in the shared spreadsheet.

Student (Alice): Right, height with a ruler, every three days. Where will we actually be growing the plants?

Student (Jake): In the greenhouse behind the science block.. I've already booked us a bench there.

Student (Alice): Perfect. And who's supervising this project again?

Student (Jake): That's Dr Bennett, from the plant sciences department, she's the one who approved our proposal.

Part 4

A university lecturer traces the history of the London Underground and its current scale.

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

  1. 31In what year did the world's first underground railway open?

    اعرض الإجابة

    1863

    "the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, finally opened to the public in 1863."

    ليش صحيح: السنة مذكورة صراحة كتاريخ افتتاح أول خط أنفاق في العالم.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 1850s مذكورة كفترة الاقتراح الأولي وليس تاريخ الافتتاح الفعلي.. فخ تسلسل زمني.

  2. 32What type of trains ran on the very first underground line?

    اعرض الإجابة

    steam / steam-powered

    "those very first trains were not electric.. they were actually steam-powered."

    ليش صحيح: نوع القطارات الأولى مذكور صراحة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: (electric) هو النوع اللاحق الذي ظهر عام 1890، وليس نوع القطارات الأولى.

  3. 33What method was used to dig the tunnels for the first deep-level electric line?

    اعرض الإجابة

    tunnelling shield / tunneling shield

    "deeper tunnels, dug using a special tunnelling shield, were both possible and practical."

    ليش صحيح: الطريقة الهندسية مذكورة صراحة لحفر الخط الكهربائي العميق الأول.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل تقنية أخرى مذكورة لهذا الغرض تحديدًا.

  4. 34In what year were all the private companies merged into a single public body?

    اعرض الإجابة

    1933

    "in 1933, all of these separate companies were merged into a single public body, London Transport."

    ليش صحيح: السنة مذكورة صراحة كتاريخ الدمج تحت هيئة واحدة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: 1931 يخص تصميم الخريطة الشهيرة، وهو حدث مختلف تمامًا.

  5. 35Who designed the iconic Tube map in 1931?

    اعرض الإجابة

    Harry Beck

    "the iconic Tube map... was designed in 1931 by an engineering draughtsman named Harry Beck."

    ليش صحيح: الاسم مذكور صراحة كمصمم الخريطة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل.

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

London Underground.. Key Facts Today

Number of lines: (36) ________

Number of stations served: (37) ________

Average weekday passenger journeys: (38) ________

Percentage of network that runs underground: (39) ________

Committed to a major (40) ________ programme to increase capacity

  1. 36Question 36

    اعرض الإجابة

    eleven / 11

    "The London Underground currently has eleven lines in total."

    ليش صحيح: العدد الحالي للخطوط مذكور صراحة.

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

  2. 37Question 37

    اعرض الإجابة

    272

    "It serves two hundred and seventy-two stations."

    ليش صحيح: عدد المحطات مذكور صراحة؛ "272" هو الشكل الرقمي المطابق لحد الكلمتين لهذه المجموعة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: الصيغة المنطوقة "two hundred and seventy-two" أربع كلمات وتتجاوز حد الكلمتين فلا تُقبل بمفردها؛ لا بدائل رقمية أخرى.

  3. 38Question 38

    اعرض الإجابة

    five million

    "the network carries around five million passenger journeys on an average weekday."

    ليش صحيح: الرقم مذكور صراحة كمعدل الرحلات اليومية في أيام الأسبوع.

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

  4. 39Question 39

    اعرض الإجابة

    45% / forty-five percent

    "only about forty-five percent of the network actually runs underground."

    ليش صحيح: النسبة مذكورة صراحة لجزء الشبكة الذي يعمل تحت الأرض.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل نسبية أخرى مذكورة لهذا الغرض.

  5. 40Question 40

    اعرض الإجابة

    signalling / signalling upgrade / signaling / signaling upgrade

    "Transport for London has committed to a major signalling upgrade programme, which is expected to... increase capacity."

    ليش صحيح: نوع البرنامج مذكور صراحة كالتزام مستقبلي لزيادة السعة.

    ليش الباقي خطأ: لا بدائل؛ لم يُذكر أي برنامج آخر بديل لهذا الغرض.

نص الاستماع (Transcript).. Part 4

Lecturer: Good afternoon, everyone. Today's lecture is about one of the world's oldest and most influential metro systems: the London Underground, often just called "the Tube."

Lecturer: Let's start with its origins. The idea of an underground railway for London was first seriously proposed back in the 1850s, as a solution to the city's chronic street congestion. After years of planning and construction, the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, finally opened to the public in 1863, running between Paddington and Farringdon.

Lecturer: Now, those very first trains were not electric.. they were actually steam-powered, which, as you can imagine, created enormous problems with smoke and ventilation in the tunnels. It wasn't until 1890 that the first electric deep-level line opened, the City and South London Railway, and this proved that deeper tunnels, dug using a special tunnelling shield, were both possible and practical.

Lecturer: So, why is it called "the Tube"? Well, that nickname actually comes directly from the shape of these deep-level tunnels.. because they were bored using circular tunnelling shields, the tunnels themselves are essentially tube-shaped, and the nickname stuck with the public almost immediately.

Lecturer: Now, expansion continued steadily through the early twentieth century, with several private companies building competing lines, until, in 1933, all of these separate companies were merged into a single public body, London Transport, which finally unified the whole network under one management and one map.

Lecturer: And speaking of the map.. the iconic Tube map, the one with the coloured lines and straight angles that you'll recognise instantly, was designed in 1931 by an engineering draughtsman named Harry Beck. It wasn't based on real geography at all, but on electrical circuit diagrams, which is why it's so much easier to read than an actual street map.

Lecturer: Now let's look at where the network stands today. The London Underground currently has eleven lines in total, covering a huge area of Greater London and beyond. It serves two hundred and seventy-two stations, making it one of the largest metro networks in the world by station count.

Lecturer: In terms of usage, the network carries around five million passenger journeys on an average weekday, which gives you a sense of just how central it is to daily life in the capital.

Lecturer: One interesting fact for engineers among you: despite its name, only about forty-five percent of the network actually runs underground.. the rest runs above ground, particularly out in the suburbs.

Lecturer: Finally, looking ahead, Transport for London has committed to a major signalling upgrade programme, which is expected to allow trains to run closer together and increase capacity on some of the oldest and busiest lines.

Lecturer: That's it for today's introduction.. next week we'll look at the engineering challenges of digging tunnels beneath a live, functioning city.

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 table below shows the percentage of people in the United Kingdom who owned a smartphone, broken down by age group, in 2015, 2020 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Percentage of UK population owning a smartphone, by age group, 2015-2025 (% owning a smartphone)
201520202025
16-24909799
25-44859497
45-64658291
65+254768
اعرض الإجابة النموذجية (Band 9)

The table shows the proportion of people in the United Kingdom who owned a smartphone across four age brackets - 16-24, 25-44, 45-64 and 65+ - in 2015, 2020 and 2025. Overall, smartphone ownership increased in every age group over the decade, but the rate of growth was strongly linked to age: younger groups were already close to saturation by 2015 and gained only modestly, whereas older groups, starting from a much lower base, saw far steeper increases. As a result, the gap between the oldest and youngest age groups narrowed considerably, although it did not close entirely. In 2015, ownership was highest among 16-24-year-olds at 90%, closely followed by the 25-44 group at 85%. The 45-64 bracket lagged somewhat behind at 65%, while the 65+ group trailed well behind the rest of the population, with just a quarter of this age group owning a smartphone. By 2020, all four groups had risen, with the two youngest brackets nearing full saturation at 97% and 94% respectively, and the 65+ figure nearly doubling to 47%. By 2025, ownership among under-45s had essentially plateaued at 99% and 97%, leaving little room for further growth. The 45-64 group, meanwhile, climbed to 91%, closing in on the younger brackets, and the 65+ group reached 68% - its highest recorded figure, though still the only group below the 70% mark. Overall, the data indicate a clear pattern of convergence, driven almost entirely by rapid uptake among older users rather than any slowdown among the young.

TA (Band 9): the response selects exactly the two data-licensed features (steepest growth among older users + narrowing generational gap) 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, meanwhile, as a result, although) replacing mechanical sequencers. LR (Band 9): precise, varied trend vocabulary (increased, narrowed, plateaued, climbed, closing in) used with sophisticated control. GRA (Band 9): tense matches the table's time frame throughout (simple past for dated points, past perfect for cumulative states by 2020/2025), 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 الجدول؟
  • TAهل تجنبت ذكر أي رأي شخصي أو سبب من عندي غير موجود في الجدول؟
  • 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 (rose/increased/climbed مقابل narrowed/plateaued) بدل تكرار نفس الفعل في كل جملة؟

Writing Task 2

Write about the following topic: Nowadays, fewer people cook meals at home than in the past. Why do you think this is the case? What effects does this have on individuals and society? 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)

In many countries, home cooking has become far less common than it was a generation ago, with ready meals, food delivery and eating out increasingly replacing meals prepared from scratch. This shift is driven mainly by changing work patterns and the growing convenience of alternatives, and it carries consequences for both individual health and the wider fabric of family and community life. The primary cause of this trend is time pressure. As more households now have every adult in full-time employment, and commuting and working hours have lengthened in many sectors, the time available for shopping, preparing and cooking a meal has shrunk considerably. Food delivery applications and ready-made supermarket meals have expanded precisely to fill this gap, offering a meal within minutes rather than the hour or more that cooking from raw ingredients typically requires. A second contributing factor is the declining transmission of cooking skills within families: as busy parents cook less themselves, fewer children grow up learning basic techniques, making convenience food the default choice in adulthood as well. The effects of this shift are significant. On an individual level, the health consequences are the most immediate concern: ready meals and takeaway food are generally higher in salt, sugar and saturated fat than home-cooked equivalents, and the World Health Organization has linked rising rates of obesity and related illness partly to precisely this kind of dietary change. There is also a financial dimension, since eating out or ordering delivery is consistently more expensive than cooking the same meal at home, placing a strain on household budgets over time. At the societal level, the decline of home cooking has weakened one of the traditional occasions for family interaction, since the shared evening meal has historically been a moment when families communicate and bond. As this ritual becomes rarer, some sociologists argue that family cohesion is subtly affected, alongside a broader loss of practical culinary knowledge passed between generations. In conclusion, busier lifestyles and the convenience of ready-made alternatives explain why fewer people cook today, and this shift has measurable effects on health, household finances and the social role that mealtimes once played.

TR (Band 9): both parts of the two-part question are addressed and explored in depth - a full paragraph on causes (time pressure, declining skill transmission) and two paragraphs on effects (individual health/financial, societal) - with every idea supported by a concrete mechanism or example (delivery apps, WHO findings, the shared evening meal), 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 (A second contributing factor, There is also, At the societal level, In conclusion). LR (Band 9): precise, varied academic vocabulary (time pressure, declining transmission, household budgets, culinary knowledge) with no unvaried repetition of key nouns. GRA (Band 9): a wide range of complex structures - compound causal clauses, an embedded relative clause, causal-comparative linking - used with full flexibility and control and essentially error-free.

قائمة الفحص للتقييم الذاتي
  • TRهل أجبت على جزأي السؤال (السبب + الأثر) وليس جزءًا واحدًا فقط؟
  • TRهل ذكرت موقفي/تفسيري بوضوح في المقدمة وحافظت عليه حتى الخاتمة؟
  • 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 home cooking) بدون بدائل؟
  • GRAهل استخدمت جملاً معقدة متنوعة (سببية، وصلية) وليس فقط جملاً بسيطة متتالية؟
  • TRهل عدد كلماتي 250 كلمة على الأقل بدون نسخ عبارات من نص السؤال؟
  • CCهل خاتمتي تلخص إجابتي عن الجزأين معًا 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 studies or work.

  • Do you work or are you a student?
  • What do you like most about your studies or job?
  • Is there anything you find difficult about it? (Why?)
  • What are your plans for the future in this area?

Let's move on to talk about getting around your city.

  • How do you usually travel around your city?
  • Is public transport popular where you live?
  • What's the most convenient way to get to work or school? (Why?)
  • Has the way you travel around your city changed in recent years?

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 goal you worked hard to achieve.

  • what the goal was
  • what you did to achieve it
  • what difficulties you faced along the way

and explain how you felt when you achieved it.

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

  • Was it a personal or a professional goal?
  • Do you have a new goal you're working towards now?

Part 3

We've been talking about a goal you worked hard to achieve. I'd like to discuss with you one or two more general questions relating to this topic.

Let's consider first of all what ambition means to people. 1. What does it mean to be an ambitious person? 2. Do you think ambition is more important than talent for achieving success?

  • What does it mean to be an ambitious person?
  • Do you think ambition is more important than talent for achieving success?
  • Is that a view most people in your country share?
  • Why do you think ambition matters more than talent to some people?
  • Do you think future generations will value ambition differently?

Finally, let's talk about how society views achievement. 3. Do you think society puts too much pressure on people to achieve things? 4. How does this pressure affect young people in particular?

  • Do you think society puts too much pressure on people to achieve things?
  • How does this pressure affect young people in particular?
  • What do you think causes this kind of pressure?
  • Can you tell me a little bit more about why young people are affected the most?
  • Do you think this pressure will increase or decrease in the future?
اعرض الإجابة النموذجية.. Part 2 (Band 6)

OK, so, um, the goal I want to talk about is running a half marathon. I decided to do it, um, about a year ago, because a friend of mine asked me to sign up with her, and I thought it would be a good challenge. What I did was, um, I followed a training plan I found online, and I ran maybe three times a week, and also I tried to eat better and, um, sleep more, things like that. It was difficult because, um, at the beginning I couldn't even run for ten minutes without stopping, and also I had some pain in my knee, so I had to slow down and rest for two weeks, and that was really frustrating because I felt like I was losing progress. And also the weather was very hot sometimes, so I had to run early in the morning before work, which was hard because I'm not a morning person at all. When I finally finished the race, um, I felt so proud of myself, like really emotional actually, because I never thought I could do something like that, and also my friend was there at the finish line, and we hugged and, um, it was a really nice moment. Yeah, so that's basically the goal and how I felt when I achieved it.

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; the candidate is never truly stretched to paraphrase 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 goal I'd like to talk about is qualifying as a chartered accountant, which took me nearly three years of studying alongside a full-time job. I chose it because I'd always wanted the kind of professional credibility that comes with the qualification, so I enrolled on a part-time programme and structured my evenings and weekends almost entirely around exam preparation, working through practice papers and attending evening lectures whenever my schedule allowed. What made it genuinely difficult wasn't the material itself, it was balancing everything at once.. there were stretches where I'd finish a full day at the office and then spend another three or four hours revising, and I distinctly remember failing one of the intermediate exams the first time round, which was thoroughly demoralising given how much I'd sacrificed to prepare for it. Rather than give up, though, I went back and completely rebuilt my study approach, focusing on past-paper technique instead of just reading textbooks cover to cover, and that shift made an enormous difference the second time I sat it. When I finally received the results confirming I'd qualified, I remember feeling this overwhelming mixture of relief and pride, almost disbelief really, because for so long the goal had felt more like a burden than something within reach, and suddenly it was real. Looking back, I'd say the process taught me as much about resilience as it did about accounting, and that's arguably the part I value most now.

FC: fluent, rare repetition/self-correction, coherent and relevant development across a single unbroken narrative arc (motivation, method, setback, adjustment, outcome, reflection). LR: wide, ready, flexible use with skilful idiomatic items ('thoroughly demoralising', 'within reach', 'more like a burden'). 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 ambition is more important than talent for achieving success? Candidate: On balance, I'd say ambition matters more, because talent without persistence tends to go nowhere, whereas a genuinely ambitious person will keep refining their skills over time even if they didn't start out especially gifted, so the drive itself becomes the deciding factor. Examiner: Is that a view most people in your country share, do you think? Candidate: I think it's becoming more widely accepted, yes, partly because there's so much visibility now around people who've succeeded through sheer hard work rather than natural talent.. success stories like that get shared constantly, which reinforces the idea that effort is what really counts. Examiner: Do you think this pressure to achieve will increase or decrease in the future? Candidate: I'd guess it will increase, if anything, because competition for good jobs and university places keeps intensifying, so young people in particular are likely to feel even more pressure to prove themselves early on than previous generations did.

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 tightly on the ambition/pressure theme. LR: effective paraphrase ('the drive itself becomes the deciding factor' reframes the prompt) and precise exam-register collocations ('prove themselves early on'). GRA: majority of sentences error-free with correct hedging modality ('I'd say', 'I'd guess') 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؟