Answer Keys
Part 1
1 A. Oscar says he is making pasta and lists what he needs by saying ‘Can you grab some cheese? I’ve got everything else.’ This tells us cheese is the only missing ingredient. Option B misses the point because Oscar does not ask for advice on cheese type. Option C is incorrect because Oscar is happy to cook alone; he just needs an ingredient brought home.
2 A. Mark says ‘I’ve put it on the shelf by the window’, so he moved the folder to a new location. Mark doesn’t say that he wants the folder back. Answer C: He found it on his desk, not near the window. The window is where he placed it afterwards.
3 C. The change is because of a public holiday, and the collection moves from Wednesday to Thursday. That means the holiday is on Wednesday. Thursday is the new collection day, not the holiday itself. Answer C: The committee is informing residents, not asking for a change. The reason is the holiday, not a request.
4 B. The label says Do not pull paper from the front slot. The user should avoid using the front slot to remove stuck paper. Answer A: ‘slowly’ refers to turning the handle, not opening the panel. Answer C: the opposite of this answer is said. Turning the green handle is exactly what the user should be doing to fix the problem.
5 B. Mr.s Hill wants to borrow a folding table temporarily (for some time). Answer A: She does not ask for help organizing. She only asks for a table. Answer C: She already has a garden (the party is in the garden), so she does not need a venue.
Part 2
6 F. Book F is written in simple English, has very short stories about daily topics like work and neighbours, includes happy endings (‘end on a positive note’), and is only 120 pages. This matches all his requirements perfectly. Book B is also short but about growing food, not ordinary daily life, and does not mention happy endings. Book H is a novel with 300 pages, too long, and is fiction about family relationships rather than simple happy stories.
7 A. Book A is set in the 1940s, uses real letters and diaries, has 380 pages, and states there is no romance. This satisfies every requirement. Book D is also historical and long enough but is a love story with romance central to the plot, which Leila dislikes. Book 2 is a true story but only 210 pages, too short for her train journey.
8 E. Book E is a mystery novel set in a small seaside town. The main character is a retired nurse, not a police officer. The book has very short chapters and 240 pages. This matches all of Tom’s preferences. Book C is also set in a small village and has short chapters, but the main character is a school teacher, which is fine. However, Book 3 is the correct answer for Raj, and Book E is a stronger match for Tom because the retired nurse is further from a police officer than a teacher might be. Book G is set in New York, a big city, and has very long chapters, which Tom dislikes.
9 B. Book B is a true story about a journalist eating home-grown food, with beautiful descriptions of fields, forests, and seasons. It is not a novel or a cookbook. This fits Sofia perfectly. Book H is a novel about a vegetarian, but Sofia does not want a novel. Book A is a true story but about a train station family, not about food or nature. Book B is the only non‑fiction option that directly addresses food, nature, and landscape description.
10 C. Book C is a crime story (mystery) with 240 pages, published in 2022. This satisfies all three rules exactly. Book E also meets the page and publication rules, but Book E is a better match for Tom. Book F is under 250 pages and recently published but contains short stories about daily life, not a single mystery at the centre of the plot. Book B is under 250 pages and recent but is a true story about food, not a mystery. Only Book C and Book E have mysteries, and Book C is the correct choice for Raj because it leaves Book E for Tom.
Part 3
11 B. The writer almost threw the timetable away, but something stopped him. He then looked up Lowden on his phone and decided to follow the old route anyway. This shows he felt curiosity about the places listed. Option A is wrong because the bus company no longer existed, so he could not have recognised the name. Option C is wrong because he already knew the bus service had stopped – he was not checking if it still ran. Option D is wrong because the paper was just an old timetable, not valuable.
12 B. The writer looked up Lowden on his phone and found that it was still there, and that a different bus service now runs there twice a day. This means it is still possible to travel there by bus. Option A is wrong because the text describes Lowden as a scatter of houses, not a larger town. Option C is wrong because he found it on his phone, so it does appear on maps. Option D is wrong because the reservoir is a separate place mentioned later in the route.
13 C. The writer clearly states that he sat down and waited at the bus stop, then at 8.47 he stood up and started walking the route on foot. He mentions walking for four hours at the end. Option A is wrong because the old bus service no longer exists. Option B is wrong because he parked his car at the market square and left it there. Option D is wrong because there is no mention of a bicycle.
14 A. The old man who used to drive the bus says the reservoir stop was his favourite because the ducks would gather every morning, waiting for the schoolchildren to feed them bread. This directly matches option A. Option B is wrong because he says it was his favourite, so he liked it. Option C is wrong because the shelter was still there when the old man drove the bus; the text later says the shelter was gone when the writer arrived. Option D is wrong because the children fed the ducks, not the other way around, and they waited for the bus, not the shelter.
15 A. The writer finds an old, useless bus timetable and decides to follow it anyway, even though no bus exists. Along the way he meets an interesting person, sees how places have changed, and discovers that the ducks are still at the reservoir. The overall message is that following old plans, even impractical ones, can lead to unexpected and rewarding discoveries. Option B is wrong because the writer parked his car and walked. Option C is too narrow – the timetable was hidden in a coat, but the story is not mainly about charity shops. Option D is wrong because walking is just how he did it; the message is not that walking is superior to other forms of travel.
Part 4
16 E. The sentence before says most volunteers preferred weekday mornings. The sentence after says the writer’s slot was 8 pm to midnight. The missing sentence needs to explain why the writer ended up with that late shift. Sentence E fits perfectly between those two ideas. Sentence F introduces a friend that is never mentioned again. Sentence H doesn’t fit as the bakery’s closing time has no logical connection to why a radio shift was unpopular or why the writer took it.
17 C. The paragraph describes the first few weeks as quiet. Then a change happens. Sentence C says Then, on a Friday in late October, something changed. After this sentence, the text describes the first request card arriving. This creates a clear chronological break: quiet weeks, then a change, then the arrival of the card. Sentence B (I began to notice a pattern) cannot fit here because a pattern cannot be noticed after only one card. The pattern comes later, after several weeks of requests.
18 B. The sentence before says a second card arrived with a different name but the same handwriting and a different song from the same album. The sentence after says the writer started looking forward to Fridays because the cards came like clockwork. Sentence B (I began to notice a pattern) directly follows from receiving two similar cards and leads naturally to looking forward to the next ones. Any other sentence would break this logical sequence.
19 A. The writer asks the station manager about the requests. The sentence after says the manager said someone had been sending requests every Friday for as long as he could remember. The missing sentence comes between the writer asking and the manager giving that information. Sentence A (He told me he had never noticed anything unusual about the requests) fits because the manager first says he never found them unusual, and then he adds the detail that he does remember them happening every Friday. This is a natural conversational sequence.
20 G. The elderly woman slips the card into the letterbox and walks away slowly. The writer watches her. The sentence after says I never spoke to her. Sentence G fits naturally between her walking away and the writer never speaking to her. It adds a quiet, emotional moment.
Part 5
21 A. To take up a skill or hobby means to start doing it regularly. This is the correct collocation. ‘Take off’ means to leave the ground or to become successful quickly. ‘Take over’ is to take control of something. Finally, to take in is to absorb or understand, or to allow someone to stay in your home. None of these fit the meaning of starting a new skill.
22 D. ‘To come out ‘here means to emerge from or be removed from a container or space. In cooking, we say a loaf comes out of the oven when the baking time is finished. This is a very common fixed expression. ‘Came away’ suggests something becoming separated, but not from an oven. ‘Came from’ indicates origin or source – the loaf did not originate inside the oven, it was placed there. Finally, to come off means to become detached from a surface, like a label coming off a bottle, which does not work for an oven.
23 A. The writer says the tap had been dripping for months, and they had always relied on someone else to fix it. Waited for someone means expecting them to do something. Paid for someone means giving them money. Asked for someone means requesting that person specifically. Cared for someone means looking after them. Only waited for fits the idea of depending on another person to take action.
24 C. The fixed expression is ‘make a mistake’. In English, we do not ‘do’, ‘have’ or ‘get’ a mistake. This is a common collocation that B1 learners need to recognise. The sentence says most skills are about being willing to make a mistake and try again.
25 B. The time expression ‘by the end of the year’ means at some point before or at the end of the year. It emphasises that a change happened gradually and was complete at that time. ‘At the end’ means exactly at that moment. ‘On the end’ is not used for time. ‘In the end’ means finally or after everything, but in the end of the year is incorrect. ‘By’ is the correct preposition here.
26 D. ‘Lesson’ is the best word here because the writer is talking about something they learned from their experience. A lesson is an understanding or piece of knowledge that you gain from doing something. The writer learned that believing in their own ability was more valuable than any single skill. That is a lesson. ‘Thing’ and ‘result’ are too general. ‘Point’ usually refers to the main reason for doing something or the most important detail.
Part 6
27 in. The preposition ‘in’ is used for enclosed spaces like a car, taxi, or room. When something is left inside a vehicle, we say ‘left in your cab’. ‘On’ would be used for a bus or train (because you can walk around inside them) or for leaving something on the roof or seat surface, but for a standard taxi cab, in is the natural choice. ‘At’ refers to a location rather than an interior space. ‘Into’ suggests movement from outside to inside, but the object is already inside when it is left, so ‘in’ is correct.
28 from. The first answer came from a driver. This is the standard preposition to show the origin or source of information. You receive an answer from a person. ‘Of’ would be incorrect here because answers do not come of someone. ‘By’ could be used for the author of a book, but ‘came by a driver’ is not correct English for receiving an answer.
29 about/of. The verb ‘told’ can be followed by ‘about’ or ‘of’ when the speaker is giving information on a topic. ‘Told me about a suitcase’ means they described it. ‘Told me of a suitcase’ has a slightly more formal feel but is equally correct. ‘From’ would be wrong because the driver is the source, not the topic.
30 once. The expression ‘but once’ means ‘on one occasion’. The text says most items are ordinary, but on one single occasion, someone left a parrot. ‘But once’ is a fixed phrase that fits naturally here. ‘Never’ would reverse the meaning. ‘Even’ would not create a complete expression.
31 as. ‘As if’ introduces a comparison with a situation that is imagined or not completely true. The parrot spoke ‘as if it had learned navigation’. This is a standard conjunction for hypothetical comparisons. ‘Like’ is sometimes used similarly in informal English, but PET expects ‘as if’ in written texts. ‘Even’ does not fit. ‘Just’ would need ‘as if’ to complete the expression (‘just as if’ is possible but longer than one word).
32 what. The writer says they never expected to learn something from what people forget. ‘What’ here means the thing that. ‘Which’ would require a specific set of things already mentioned. ‘That’ could work in some contexts, but from that they forget is incomplete – you would need ‘from that which’ or ‘from the things that’. ‘What’ is the cleanest and most natural choice.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth learning and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets mean part of speech(see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some more complex words and phrases.
And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real exam.
Part 1
Bin collection (n) — the regular picking up of rubbish bins from outside houses. Bin collection is every Tuesday morning, so put your bins out on Monday evening.
Public holiday (n) — a day when most people do not work because of a national or local celebration. The shop is closed on public holidays, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Committee (n) — a group of people chosen to make decisions or plan something for a larger group. The school committee meets once a month to discuss new rules and events.
Side panel (n) — a flat piece on the side of a machine or device that can be opened or removed. The side panel of the computer comes off so you can clean the fan inside.
Slot (n) — a narrow opening in a machine or container. Put the coin in the slot and pull the handle to get a drink.
Stuck paper (n) — paper that is trapped inside a machine and will not come out. The printer stopped working because there was stuck paper inside the roller.
Folding table (n) — a table that can be made smaller by bending its legs or top for easy storage. We use a folding table for camping because it fits in the car boot.
Temporarily (adv) — for a limited time only; not permanently. The road is temporarily closed while workers fix the drain.
Venue (n) — the place where an event happens. The wedding venue is a small church near the river.
Part 2
Fantasy (n) — (about a book) a type of story that includes imaginary creatures, magic, or impossible events. She loves reading fantasy novels about dragons and wizards.
Science fiction (n) — a type of story about imagined future events, often involving space travel or advanced technology. He enjoys science fiction films with robots and spaceships.
Set in (phrasal v) — (of a story) to take place in a particular time or location. The novel is set in Paris during the 1920s.
Based on real events (phrase) — taken from things that actually happened in history, not invented. The film is based on real events that happened during the war.
Romance (n) — a story that focuses on a love relationship between two people. The bookshop has a whole section dedicated to romance novels with happy love stories.
Crime novel (n) — a book about a crime, usually involving a detective trying to find who did it. She stayed up all night reading a crime novel because she wanted to know who the killer was.
Violence (n) — physical force that is intended to hurt someone. The film has too much violence for young children, so parents should be careful.
Chapter (n) — one of the sections into which a book is divided. Read the first three chapters for homework, and we will discuss them tomorrow.
Vegetarian (n) — a person who does not eat meat or fish. She became a vegetarian because she loves animals and does not want to eat them.
Landscapes (n) — large areas of countryside or natural scenery. The paintings show beautiful landscapes of mountains, lakes, and forests.
Cookbook (n) — a book containing instructions for preparing food. She bought a cookbook with easy recipes for beginners.
Reading group (n) — a group of people who meet regularly to discuss a book they have all read. My reading group meets once a month at the local library to talk about novels.
Mystery (n) — something that is difficult to understand or explain. The story begins with a mystery: a painting that disappears from a locked room.
Plot (n) — the series of events that form the main story of a book, film, or play. The plot of the film was too complicated, and I could not follow what was happening.
Part 3
Charity shop (n) — a shop that sells used goods donated by people, with the money going to help others. I donated my old clothes to a charity shop near the station.
Yellowed (adj) — turned yellow because of age or exposure to light. The old letters were yellowed and fragile, but I could still read them.
Existed (v) — was real or present; was not imaginary. Dinosaurs existed millions of years ago, but they are now extinct.
Reservoir (n) — a large man-made lake where water is stored before being supplied to homes. The reservoir provides drinking water for the whole city.
Scatter (n) — a small number of things spread out over an area. There was a scatter of cottages along the river, but no real village.
Shelter (n) — a small building or covered area that protects people from rain or sun. We waited for the bus in the shelter because it was pouring with rain.
Concrete base (n) — a flat, hard bottom layer made of cement and stone. The old statue was gone, but its concrete base remained in the park.
Weeds (n) — unwanted wild plants that grow in gardens or cracks in paths. The garden was full of weeds because nobody had looked after it for months.
Tilted (v) — moved or leaned to one side. She tilted her head to the side and looked at me with curiosity.
Part 4
Community radio station (n) — a local radio service run by volunteers for the people living in a particular area. The community radio station broadcasts news about local events and plays music from the area.
Broadcast (v) — to send out radio or television programmes. The station broadcasts from 6 a.m. to midnight every day.
Volunteers (n) — people who do work without being paid, usually to help others. The charity relies on volunteers to answer phones and sort donations.
Slot (n) — (here) a period of time allocated for a particular activity or person. Her radio slot is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Dusty (adj) — covered with a fine powder of dirt or dust. The old books on the top shelf were dusty because nobody had touched them for years.
Bulletin (n) — a short news report giving important information. The radio station reads a news bulletin every hour with the latest headlines.
Flick on and off (phrase) — to turn on and off quickly or repeatedly. The light in the hallway was flicking on and off because the bulb was loose.
Handwritten (adj) — written by hand, not typed or printed. She received a handwritten thank-you note, which felt more personal than an email.
Like clockwork (phrase) — happening very regularly and at the same time each day or week. Every morning at 6 a.m., the neighbour’s dog barks like clockwork.
Return address (n) — the address of the person sending a letter, written on the envelope. I forgot to put a return address on the envelope, so the post office could not send it back.
Post office box (n) — a locked box at a post office where someone can receive mail instead of using their home address. The business uses a post office box so customers do not know where the owner lives.
Elderly (adj) — old; used politely about a person. An elderly woman asked me to help her carry her shopping bags.
Walking stick (n) — a long stick that helps someone walk, especially older people or those with injuries. After he broke his leg, he used a walking stick for three months.
Slipped (v) — put something somewhere quickly, quietly, or secretly. She slipped the letter into her bag without anyone noticing.
Part 5
Loaf (n) — bread that is shaped and baked in one piece. She bought a loaf of brown bread from the bakery for breakfast.
Rise (v) — (of bread dough) increase in size because of yeast. The dough rose beautifully in the warm kitchen.
Plumbing (n) — the system of pipes that carry water in a building. The plumbing in the old house was broken, so there was no hot water.
Dripping (v) — falling in drops. The tap was dripping all night, and the sound kept me awake.
Wrench (n) — a metal tool used for turning nuts and bolts. He used a wrench to tighten the loose pipe under the sink.
Satisfaction (n) — the good feeling you get when you achieve something. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction after finishing the puzzle.
Sew (v) — to join or repair cloth using a needle and thread. He learned to sew his own buttons back on instead of throwing away shirts.
Helpless (adj) — unable to do things for yourself or solve problems without help. When the computer crashed, I felt helpless because I did not know how to fix it.
Figure out (phrasal v) — to understand or solve something after thinking about it. It took me an hour to figure out how to set up the new TV.
Part 6
Complaints (n) — statements that say something is wrong or not satisfactory. The hotel received several complaints about the noise from the construction next door.
Prosthetic leg (n) — an artificial leg that replaces a missing one. After the accident, he learned to walk again with a prosthetic leg.
Lost property office (n) — a place where lost items are kept until the owner comes to get them. She went to the lost property office to ask if anyone had handed in her phone.
Marbles (n) — small glass balls that children play with in games. The children spilled a bag of marbles on the floor, and they rolled everywhere.
Navigation (n) — the skill of finding the way to a place. The car’s navigation system told us to turn left, but the road was closed.
Reading back (phrase) — looking at something you have written earlier. Reading back my old diary made me realise how much I have changed.
