English Language
Assessment

Questions 1 – 5

Where can you see these notices?

Questions 6 – 10

In this section you must choose the word which best fits each space in the texts.

Good Smiles Ahead for Young Teeth
Older Britons are the worst in Europe when it comes to keeping their teeth. But British youngsters
(6) .................. more to smile about because (7) .................. teeth are among the best. Almost
80% of Britons over 65 have lost all or some (8) .................. their teeth according to a World
Health Organisation survey. Eating too (9) .................. sugar is part of the problem. Among
(10) .................. , 12-year olds have on average only three missing, decayed or filled teeth.

Questions 11 – 15

In this section you must choose the word which best fits each space in the texts.

Christopher Columbus and the New World
On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain to find a new route to India,
China and Japan. At this time most people thought you would fall off the edge of the world if
you sailed too far. Yet sailors such as Columbus had seen how a ship appeared to get lower and
lower on the horizon as it sailed away. For Columbus this (11) ................. that the world was
round. He (12) ................. to his men about the distance travelled each day. He did not want them
to think that he did not (13) ................. exactly where they were going. (14) ................. , on October
12, 1492, Columbus and his men landed on a small island he named San Salvador. Columbus
believed he was in Asia, (15) ................. he was actually in the Caribbean.

Questions 16 – 20

In this section you must choose the word which best fits each space in the texts.

The Stars
There are millions of stars in the sky. If you look (16) .................. the sky on a clear night, it is possible
to see about 3000 stars. They look small, but they are really (17) .................. big hot balls of burning
gas. Some of them are huge, but others are much smaller, like our planet Earth. The biggest stars are
very bright, but they only live for a short time. Every day new stars (18) .................. born and old stars
die. All the stars are very far away. The light from the nearest star takes more (19) .................. four
years to reach Earth. Hundreds of years ago, people (20) .................. stars, like the North star, to know
which direction to travel in. Today you can still see that star.

Questions 21 – 40

In this section you must choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.

Questions 41 – 45

In this section you must choose the word or phrase which best fits each space in the texts.

Dublin City Walks
What better way of getting to know a new city than by walking around it?
Whether you choose the Medieval Walk, which will (41) ……………….. you to the Dublin of
1000 years ago, find out about the more (42) ……………….. history of the city on the Eighteenth
Century Walk, or meet the ghosts of Dublin’s many writers on the Literary Walk, we know you will
enjoy the experience.
Dublin City Walks (43) ……………….. twice daily. Meet your guide at 10.30 a.m. or 2.30 p.m. at
the Tourist Information Office. No advance (44) ……………….. is necessary. Special
(45) ……………….. are available for families, children and parties of more than ten people.

Questions 46 – 50

In this section you must choose the word or phrase which best fits each space in the texts.

Clocks
The clock was the first complex mechanical machinery to enter the home, (46) ……………….. it
was too expensive for the (47) ……………….. person until the 19th century, when
(48) ……………….. production techniques lowered the price. Watches were also developed, but
they (49) ……………….. luxury items until 1868 when the first cheap pocket watch was designed
in Switzerland. Watches later became (50) ……………….. available and Switzerland became the
world’s leading watch manufacturing centre for the next 100 years.

Questions 51 – 60

In this section you must choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.