5–8

PROGRESS TEST 2 | Higher

A2

Listening
1

PT Track 2 You will hear Ali talking to a friend about technology. For each question, write the correct
answer in the gap. Write one word or a number or a date or a time.

1 Ali went to Technology World on: (1)
2 Ali’s brother bought: (2) a
3 Discount on screens: (3)

%

4 The screen on the tablet Ali’s cousin bought is: (4)
5 Ali’s uncle bought: (5) a

keyboard

___/10

2

PT Track 2 Listen again. Why didn’t each person buy the object they first planned to buy?

PEOPLE

REASONS

1 brother

A The shop had a better wireless version.

2 dad

B There’s a new model coming out next month.

3 mum

C There weren’t any music software programs.

4 cousin

D There weren’t many to choose from.

5 uncle

E The speaker’s parents paid for it.
F They were too expensive.
G There was a sale on and 40% off all screens.
H There were too many to choose from.

___/10

Vocabulary and Grammar
3

Read the sentences. Choose the correct
words (A, B or C) for each gap.

1 I
a phone call to my aunt using
the internet.
A took

B made

C did

2 Adam always pays
. He takes £20 a week
out from his bank and that is for everything.
A with a cheque
C in cash

B by a credit card

3 I had to take the shoes I bought
they were too small.
A on
4 I plan to
to university.
A take

B back

C for

a course in physics when I go
B make

5 Kelly is playing in a cricket
A goal

because

B match

C learn
this Saturday.

4

Complete the text with one word in
each gap.
Our art teacher told us about a competition that
some of his students (1)
entered in
past years. Last year, (2)
best entry
was a picture of the castle in our town. The
student made the collage picture by cutting
(3)
pictures from magazines and
gluing them onto card. I have (4)
done anything like that, but I’m (5)
to try it for my next art homework. My teacher
asked me (6)
enter this year’s
competition and I said yes. I (7)
to think of a good idea. My dad says I
(8)
paint a picture of my cat, but I
don’t think that (9)
win. I’ve got a
(10)
idea – I’m going to paint
someone playing sport.

C stadium

___/10
___/10

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1 of 5

5–8

PROGRESS TEST 2 | Higher

A2

Reading
School in Kenya
Since 2003, Kenya has had free primary schools for all children aged 6 to 13. Now more children go to school, but
still not all children. Poorer families find it difficult to pay for uniforms and textbooks. Children from the countryside
often don’t go to school.
A bigger problem happens at 14, when almost 50% of children stop going to school. Now teachers hope to make
learning more fun and interesting using tablets, to help children learn more quickly so they will want to keep
coming to school.
BRCK, an African company, has invented a tablet that isn’t expensive, is easy to use and can be charged
wirelessly in a box. Forty tablets can be charged in the box and each tablet can be used for eight hours.
The ‘Kio’ tablet was developed by software developers, engineers and technologists. Kio is designed to work in
the hot, dusty conditions in Kenya. It is also water resistant. The software is made for Kenyan schools and the
content is made by four Kenyan companies and one international company. New content can be added from the
micro cloud.
Students can watch videos and animations and do quizzes on the tablet. One headmaster in Nairobi said that the
tablets helped the children’s learning improve. The average marks in science went from 58 to 73 in a single term.
BRCK hopes to have Kio tablets for all 410 million African schoolchildren under 14 by 2020. This number is
expected to increase to 800 million schoolchildren by 2050.

5

Read the article about a school in Kenya.
Write Yes if the information is in the article or
No if it isn’t.

6

Read the article again. For each question,
choose the correct answer.

1 What is the main purpose of the article?

1 BRCK is a big company which only works with
African countries.

A To explain how schools in Kenya are
teaching children.

2 The Kio tablet can be charged without
electricity.

B To explain how tablets are helping children in
Kenya to learn.

3 The Kio tablet doesn’t work if it is dropped on the
ground or into water.

C To explain how tablets are made in Kenya.

4 Nearly half of all children in Kenya leave school
when they are 14.
5 All the software is about science.
6 BRCK will sell more than 400 million tablets in
the next five years.
7 The Kio tablet was developed by an American
company.
8 New software is provided by five companies from
around the world.
9 BRCK is going to make its tablets cheaper so that
all schools can have them.
10 BRCK wants to have more tablets in classrooms
in the future.

___/10

2 What does the article say about parents?
A They all send their children to free schools.
B They don’t have as much money as before.
C They can’t all pay for the school uniform.
3 Why are the teachers using tablets?
A To make children do quizzes.
B To make interesting videos.
C To make learning easier.
4 What can students do with the tablets?
A be on the internet all the time
B use them when the weather is hot or wet
C quickly add more software to them
5 How have students’ results changed since
they started using tablets?
A They have got better in a short period of time.
B They have generally stayed quite similar.
C They have got worse for younger students.

___/10

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5–8

PROGRESS TEST 2 | Higher

A2

Speaking
7

Put these words in the correct order to make sentences.

1 tennis / In / easier / badminton. / my / is / opinion, / than

2 favourite / Listening / relax. / to / music / my / is / to / way

3 eating / vegetables. / prefer / fruit / I / to

4 to / kayaking. / would / try / love / I
5 is / don’t / you. / I / weightlifting / good / believe / for

___/10

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5–8
8

PROGRESS TEST 2 | Higher

A2

Look at the questions and pictures and write the answers.
Here are some pictures of different sports. Do you like these different sports? Say why or why not.

___/10

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4 of 5

5–8

PROGRESS TEST 2 | Higher

A2

Writing
9

10

Read the writing task and the student’s
answer. Tick the sentences (1–5) that
are true.

You saw a good film last week. Write an
email to your English friend, Pat.
In your email:

You read a good book last week. Write an email
to your English friend, Pat.

• tell Pat what the film was about.

In your email:

• say what you liked about it.

• tell Pat what the book is about.

• say where you saw it.
Write 25 words or more.

• say why you read it.
• say why you like it.

/10

Write 25 words or more.

Total score

/100

Hi Pat,
I read an excellent book last week. It’s
about some children who invent a new
online game. I read it because one of
our teachers suggested it. I think you’d
love it!
See you soon.
Max

1 The student says what the book is about.
2 The student doesn’t say why she read it.
3 The student doesn’t say why she liked it.
4 The student has used the correct tense(s).
5 The student has not written enough.

___/10

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