Test 1

READING 1 hour

PART ONE
Questions 1–7
● Look at the statements below and the text on the opposite page about the use of
coaching in staff development.
● Which section (A, B, C or D) does each statement (1–7) refer to?
● For each statement (1–7), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
● You will need to use some of these letters more than once.

Example:
0 the best coaches being committed to their work and feeling pleased with what
they achieve

0 A B C D

1 the contact between coach and employee not solving all difficulties at work

2 the discussion of how certain situations could be better handled if they occur again

3 a coach encouraging an employee to apply what has been taught to routine work
situations

4 coaching providing new interest to individuals who are unhappy in their current positions

5 coaching providing a supportive environment to discuss performance

6 employees being asked to analyse themselves and practise greater self-awareness

7 coaching enabling a company to respond rapidly to a lack of expertise in a certain area

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 Reading

Coaching

Coaching involves two or more people sitting down together to talk through issues
that have come up recently at work, and analysing how they were managed and how
they might be dealt with more effectively on subsequent occasions. Coaching thus
transfers skills and information from one person to another in an on-the-job situation
so that the work experience of the coach is used to advise and guide the individual
being coached. It also allows successes and failures to be evaluated in a non-
threatening atmosphere.

Coaching means influencing the learner’s personal development, for example his or her
confidence and ambition. It can take place any time during an individual’s career.
Coaching is intended to assist individuals to function more effectively, and it is a powerful
learning model. It begins where skills-based training ends, and helps individuals to use
formally learnt knowledge in day-to-day work and management situations. Individuals
being coached are in a demanding situation with their coach, which requires them to
consider their own behaviour and question their reasons for doing things.

The coach professionally assists the career development of another individual, outside
the normal manager/subordinate relationship. In theory, the coaching relationship
should provide answers to every problem, but in practice it falls short of this. However,
it can provide a space for discussion and feedback on topics such as people management
and skills, behaviour patterns, confidence-building and time management. Through
coaching, an organisation can meet skills shortages, discuss targets and indicate how
employees should deal with challenging situations, all at short notice.

Effective coaches are usually those who get satisfaction from the success of others and
who give time to the coaching role. Giving people coaching responsibilities can support
their development, either by encouraging management potential through small-scale
one-to-one assignments, or by providing added job satisfaction to managers who feel
they are stuck in their present jobs. A coach is also a confidential adviser, accustomed
to developing positive and effective approaches to complex management,
organisational and change problems.

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Test 1

PART TWO
Questions 8–12
● Read the article below about a catering company.
● Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
● For each gap (8–12), mark one letter (A–G) on your Answer Sheet.
● Do not use any letter more than once.
● There is an example at the beginning, (0).

BUFFET ZONE
Lucy Robertson started working at a take- have to move to larger premises. In 1994, the
away food business to supplement her move was made when she bought another
income during her student days at Edinburgh catering business that already had a number
University. Several years later she had bought of profitable contracts for boardroom
the business and now, 17 years on, she owns lunches.
Grapevine Caterers, probably Scotland’s
leading independent caterers, with a turnover Meanwhile, Robertson’s main competitor, the
of almost £6m. oldest catering company in Edinburgh, was
causing her some anxiety.‘Customer loyalty is
She had never planned to own a business,and not to be underestimated,’ she warns. But
had certainly never considered a career in Robertson is not someone who is easily put off.
catering. (0) . . . G . . . . . . However, her unplanned (11) . . . . . . . . Partly as a result of this, turnover
career began in 1985, when she returned to doubled, and having outgrown another site,
Edinburgh and discovered that the takeaway Robertson bought a city-centre location for
she had worked in was up for sale. On impulse, the group’s headquarters.
she bought it, but admits that at the time she
knew nothing about catering. (8) . . . . . . . . . It By now, Grapevine’s main competitor was a
was a difficult time, but essential in terms of new catering company called Towngates.
gaining the experience she needed. The late Although Robertson tried to raise enough
1980s boom was good for business, with large money to buy Towngates, she did not
numbers of office workers wanting takeaway succeed.Then luck intervened and Towngates
food for their lunches. (9) . . . . . . . .‘At one point went bankrupt. (12) . . . . . . . . Many accepted
there were 26 food outlets within a 5-kilometre and the company’s turnover went from
radius,’ Robertson recalls. As the economy £700,000 to £1.5 million almost overnight.
changed and the once packed office blocks
started to become vacant, it became clear However, the company’s growth was not as
that Robertson would need to diversify. smooth as it sounds in retrospect. Robertson
(10) . . . . . . . . It changed the direction of the admits,‘We were close to the edge during the
company for good. growth period. Like many under-capitalised
companies trying to grow, it might easily have
As Robertson began to win catering con- collapsed.’ But that, she feels, is the challenge
tracts, she decided that the company would of developing your own business.

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Example: 0 A B C D E F G

A But there are plenty of similar contracts to be won in the east of Scotland before
Robertson turns her attention elsewhere.

B Her way round this particular problem was to recruit the catering manager of the
rival company.

C But this demand was short-lived, and before long, increasing competition made
it harder to make a profit.

D ‘It was a dramatic learning curve and very small amounts of money were earned
at first,’ says Robertson.

E She decided that the solution, since many companies required working lunches
for meetings with clients, was to prepare and deliver meals to business
premises.

F On hearing this, Robertson immediately contacted all of their clients and offered
the services of Grapevine Caterers.

G Instead, she studied accountancy after leaving university, and a steady if

unspectacular professional path seemed set.

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Test 1

PART THREE
Questions 13–18
● Read the article below about an image consultant who advises people on how to
present themselves in the world of work, and the questions on the opposite page.
● For each question (13–18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.

HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF

We manage our own careers now. So knowing traditional even when talking about becoming
how to brand and position yourself in the modern. I’m showing them how to do every-
market as ‘Me plc’ at different stages of your thing from changing their reception areas –
working life is becoming an increasingly vital which tend to be very off-putting with their
skill. At least that is what image expert Mary high-fronted reception desks – to how to make
Spillane believes. ‘Employment as we know it is small talk that is less formal and rigid.
decreasing. Jobs don’t exist, work exists. In the Companies rebrand themselves all the time,
next decade most of us will be suppliers, not spending millions on new office interiors and so
staff. We will have clients not bosses. If you are on. But without an underlying change of atti-
under 30, you probably know that there is only tudes, it can prove an empty exercise.’
one firm to join for life: Me plc. It promotes you She argues that for individuals too, there
and your potential to others.’ must be more than a surface change, as
‘We’re working in multi-national, multi- rebranding goes deeper than a mere change of
cultural, multi-corporate teams and it’s impor- wardrobe. Beyond advice on appearance, she
tant to understand the implications of this. We tells clients, ‘Remind yourself of what you are
need to create a personal brand that is unique, selling: the personal values that comprise your
but complements the brand of the corporation brand. Learn to present yourself in a way that
we are working for. You have to find a way to do will project what you want to deliver. Lifelong
it so that you are not just a typical employee,’ learning is essential, together with the sort of
advises Spillane. ‘You have to decide what discovery and adventure that promote per-
central values you want to project, and also sonal growth. Always have an up-to-the-minute
what may need to alter from situation to situa- CV ready to print out, refreshing it every few
tion.’ months with your most recent achievements,
Many people only remember Mary Spillane just to remind others of your brand value.’
for the years she spent running a cosmetics She believes it is essential that you under-
company, but she actually has masters degrees stand both your public self and your private
in information science and politics. She used to self, as well as your blind spots and your poten-
hide that hard-hitting side, but is now eager to tial, in order to create an effective brand. ‘The
show it and forget about cosmetics. ‘Now that public self is the image you project to the world,
I’m working in the boardrooms of major plcs the private self is what you know about yourself
and global companies, I’m playing up my but others don’t, and blind spots are those
degrees and management background so that things that others see about you but you can’t
the image side is seen only as an addition to the see for yourself. By deciding what image you
value side,’ says Spillane. want other people to see, emphasising more of
Some contracts take longer than others. ‘The your private self and sorting out a few blind
City law firms I’m currently working for are spots, you will increase not only your potential
really difficult because they don’t have any idea to influence others, but also your self-esteem
of what their brand should be, and are still very and self-confidence.’

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 Reading

13 In the first paragraph, Mary Spillane says people should learn how to market
themselves because
A it encourages companies to give them a job for life.
B in the future it will be a company requirement.
C in many careers it is becoming difficult to succeed.
D it will help them adapt to developments in the job market.

14 Spillane says that, when creating a personal brand, it is important to

A change things depending on the circumstances.
B decide what image people would like you to present.
C make sure that colleagues feel at ease with your image.
D follow the example of someone in the company you work for.

15 What do we learn about Spillane in the third paragraph?

A She is embarrassed about her career with a cosmetics company.
B She doesn’t like talking about her academic background.
C She has qualifications many people are unaware of.
D She worries about how other people see her.

16 Which problem does Spillane refer to when talking about the companies she is
presently working with?
A They find it difficult to accept her ideas.
B They are unaware of how to rebrand themselves.
C They don’t want to spend large amounts of money.
D They are unwilling to modernise their work environment.

17 When advising people on rebranding themselves, Spillane tells them to

A attend courses to gain specialist skills.
B update regularly their written proof of what they can do.
C try out different ways of presenting themselves to others.
D remember that what they look like is the most important point.

18 Spillane says that, in order to rebrand yourself successfully, it is important to

A ask for other people’s opinions about your image.
B feel confident about what you are trying to achieve.
C learn how to make use of all aspects of your character.
D model yourself on people with a certain amount of influence.

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Test 1

PART FOUR
Questions 19–33
● Read the text below about planning.
● Choose the best word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite
page.
● For each question (19–33), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
● There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Planning
In any planning system, from the simplest budgeting to the most complex corpo-
rate planning, there is an annual (0) . . . .C. . . . This is partly due to the fact that firms
(19) . . . . . . . their accounting on a yearly (20) . . . . . . . , but also because similar (21) . . . . . . .
often occur in the market.

Usually, the larger the firm, the longer the planning takes. But typically, planning
for next year may start nine months or more in advance, with various stages of
evaluation leading to (22) . . . . . . . of the complete plan three months before the start
of the year.

Planning continues, however, throughout the year, since managers (23) . . . . . . .

progress against targets, while looking forward to the next year. What is happen-
ing now will (24) . . . . . . . the objectives and plans for the future.

In today’s business climate, as markets constantly change and become more diffi-
cult to (25) . . . . . . . , some analysts believe that long-term planning is pointless. In
some markets they may be right, as long as companies can build the sort of flexi-
bility into their (26) . . . . . . . which allows them to (27) . . . . . . . to any sudden changes.

Most firms, however, need to plan more than one year ahead in order to (28) . . . . . . .
their long-term goals. This may reflect the time it takes to commission and build
a new production plant, or, in marketing (29) . . . . . . . , it may be a question of how
long it takes to research and launch a range of new products, and reach a certain
(30) . . . . . . . in the market. If, for example, it is going to take five years for a particu-
lar airline to become the (31) . . . . . . . choice amongst business travellers on certain
routes, the airline must plan for the various (32) . . . . . . . involved.

Every one-year plan, therefore, must be (33) . . . . . . . in relation to longer-term plans,

and it should contain the stages that are necessary to achieve the final goals.

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 Reading

Example:

A performance B transaction C process D action

0 A B C D

19 A make up B carry out C bring about D put down

20 A basis B grounds C foundation D structure

21 A distributions B guides C designs D patterns

22 A approval B permission C consent D decision

23 A value B inspect C review D survey

24 A command B prompt C influence D persuade

25 A guess B speculate C reckon D predict

26 A operations B techniques C measures D exercises

27 A answer B respond C counter D reply

28 A move B lead C develop D benefit

29 A expressions B descriptions C words D terms

30 A reputation B position C situation D influence

31 A desired B selected C preferred D supposed

32 A acts B steps C means D points

33 A handed over B drawn up C made out D written off

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Test 1

PART FIVE
Questions 34–45
● Read the job advertisement below.
● In most of the lines (34–45) there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect
or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.
● If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.
● If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on
your Answer Sheet.
● The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00).

Examples: 0 C O R R E C T

00 S U C H

Customer Services Director

0 Our client is well known as a producer of branded products in the home

00 improvement sector. The business is experiencing a period of such significant

34 volume and profit growth and as a result is now looking to appoint itself a

35 Customer Services Director. This position involves in reporting directly to the

36 Managing Director and key responsibilities include the control and development

37 of the process for ordering goods. While through the management and

38 motivation of twenty staff, you will be seen the focal point of managing

39 customers’ expectations, from keeping them up to date at all times with the

40 progress of their orders. This role is a challenging one and calls for an individual

41 with those top-level interpersonal and communication skills and a good

42 understanding of process management. In return for the company offers the

43 right candidate with a highly competitive salary and benefits package. Assistance

44 with relocation expenses, if appropriate, that is also available. If you feel you have

45 the qualifications for this exciting role and are looking for a challenge, please write

in confidence to:

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 Writing

WRITING 45 minutes

PART ONE
● You are a manager in a large company. You have been informed that a member
of your staff often arrives late for work.
● Write him a memo about the problem:
● saying how often the member of staff arrives late

● describing the effect on other staff

● suggesting what the member of staff should do about the situation.

● Write 40–50 words.

MEMO

To: P. Jones

From:

Date: 21 November 2002

Subject: Lateness

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Test 1

PART TWO
● You work in the Customer Services Department of a mail-order company. You
have been asked to prepare a short report for your line manager about
complaints.
● Look at the information below, on which you have already made some
handwritten notes.
● Then, using all your handwritten notes, write your report.
● Write 120–140 words.

computer
system
breakdown
Customer complaints (2002)

600
Number received

500
400
300
540

200
300

230
100
improved
0
Jan Feb Mar order system
fewer in March introduced

Reasons for complaints (Jan – March)

❖ Incorrect order delivered – 16%

❖ Time taken to deliver – 56%
❖ Product quality unsatisfactory – 28%

say what
is being done
explain plans about this
to improve
delivery

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