IGCSE Second Progression Test
English
Paper 1 (Reading and Writing)
1 hour
You must answer on the question paper.
INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● You must show all necessary work clearly.
● Incorrect spelling will not be considered.
INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 50.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets.
1
This document has 11 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
Exercise 1
Read the article about the Ice hotel in Sweden, and then answer the following questions.
Sweden’s famous Ice hotel
The idea of spending a night in a room built entirely of ice, where the
temperature never rises above −5 °C, isn’t everyone’s idea of comfort. But for
the hundreds of people who visit the famous Ice hotel in northern Sweden each
winter, doing exactly that is a dream come true!
Every November, artists from around the world arrive in Jukkasjärvi, a village
200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, to create a hotel from ice, where guests
sleep on a bed of ice surrounded by spectacular ice sculptures. The Ice hotel
lasts for just one winter, melts each spring, and is rebuilt each November.
Hundreds of artists want to be involved, but only those who submit an original
idea get to take part. The focus of the Ice hotel is as much on beautiful art as it
is on accommodation, and
guests are encouraged to find out about the artists’ work before they visit.
All the bedrooms in the Ice hotel have thermal sleeping bags, but as the
bedrooms don’t have electricity, visitors are reminded to fully charge their
phones before they check in. During the day, the bedrooms are open to the
public, so overnight guests are warned to check out before 7.30a.m. This means
they can avoid someone walking through their room while they’re still asleep!
After a hot breakfast, guests can join an ice sculpture class. Or, for those who
are more adventurous, the Ice hotel can arrange a snowmobile safari.
So where did the idea for the Ice hotel come from? Well, like many great ideas,
it happened by chance. The village of Jukkasjärvi had long been popular for
activities like hiking and canoeing. However, these only took place during the
summer months. The owner of a company in the village had just returned home
from Japan and saw an opportunity to attract tourists in the long, dark winters. In
Japan, he’d seen artists creating amazing sculptures out of ice. As ice is in
plentiful supply in Jukkasjärvi in winter, he realised that an ice sculpture
workshop could be successful.
The village held its first ice sculpture workshop in 1989, and artists from all over
northern Sweden came to take part, staying in warm, wooden huts at night. That
year was also when artists started
learning how to construct buildings out of ice. In 1992, they created a large
exhibition hall made entirely from ice. While they were doing that, some visitors
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to the village wanted to stay but there was no accommodation available. Their[Turn over
only option was to sleep in the icy exhibition hall. Each person was given a thick
blanket and advised to wear a warm hat in bed, a tip the Ice hotel still gives
2
1 What do artists have to produce if they want to help build the Icehotel?
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2 What equipment does the Icehotel provide for guests sleeping in an ice bedroom?
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3 Which daytime activities can Icehotel visitors take part in? Give two details.
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4 What was the aim of the local businessman when he set up an ice sculpture
event in
Jukkasjärvi? .................................................................................................................................. [1]
5 Where did the artists sleep during the village’s first ice sculpture event?
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6 In which year did visitors first experience sleeping in the ice?
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7 What do workers do to make sure that solid ice develops each year?
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8 When is the ice for building the Icehotel collected from the frozen river?
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[Total: 9]
Exercise 2
Read sections (A–D) of a magazine article by a student who decided to try different
fitness classes. Then answer Question 9(a)–(h).
Fitness classes, anyone?
When I started university, I decided to try as many different fitness classes at the
student sports centre as possible. Four months later, I’m proud to say I’ve been
to quite a few! Here are some of the classes I’ve tried and my experiences of
each.
A Pilates
I know from following videos at home that Pilates involves controlled movements
and stretching, but this class wasn’t really what I’d expected. Admittedly, there
was calming background music and a focus on breathing, but the instructor just
wasn’t clear what she wanted us to do. So despite her repeated attempts to
explain, there was quite a lot of confusion in this particular class. And although
the class is meant to be for all levels, it is assumed you have basic knowledge
and are not completely inexperienced. I’ve heard that different instructors tend to
have very different teaching styles, although the basic exercises are similar, so I
won’t give up yet – perhaps I’ll try a different one.
B Bollywood Dance Beats
If you don’t know what happens in a Bollywood Dance Beats class, there’s a 15-
minute warm-up followed by 45 minutes learning a dance routine set to a
Bollywood movie soundtrack. I’ve been to one class so far and, although it was
a mixed group of beginners and more experienced regulars, we were all made
to feel completely at ease. I felt a little foolish dancing at first but soon gained
confidence. The upbeat Indian music was new to me too. When the class
finished, I was exhausted but in high spirits, even though it had been a constant
challenge to remember the routine!
C Capoeira Moves
Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art which includes elements of dance, gymnastics
and music, and this class involved practising basic kicks and other movements
in pairs. The teacher gave very few instructions, as many of the students were
regulars, instead using body language to demonstrate. Other beginners found
this approach slightly puzzling, but for me watching the teacher was all I needed
to be able to follow the routine. I found the pace of the movements too fast to [Turn over
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begin with, but when I thought about the class the next day, I realised I’d
definitely learned something. Mostbeginners can probably cope with this class.
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D Flow Fit
This is the class I’ve attended most frequently. I never know what exercises to
expect each week, which keeps it interesting. It’s a good workout, mainly
strengthening your leg and stomach muscles, with some arm exercises too, and
your body aches for days afterwards! Before the first class, I was worried I
wouldn’t be able to do it. However, the instructor explained everything clearly,
from beginner’s exercises up to more advanced options. In fact, it struck me at
one point during the class that I was already familiar with many of the
movements, so now I often just do the advanced options.
9 For each question, write the correct letter A, B, C or D on the line.
Which section includes the following information?
(a) the use of music for relaxation .......... [1]
(b) a welcoming atmosphere for people of all levels .......... [1]
(c) the fact that each class is unpredictable .......... [1]
(d) a positive feeling at the end of the class .......... [1]
(e) the writer’s negative opinion of the teacher .......... [1]
(f) advice for getting maximum benefit from the class .......... [1]
(g) the writer realising in the class that she knew more than she thought .......... [1]
(h) an initial struggle to keep up with the exercises .......... [1]
[Total: 8]
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Exercise 3
Read the article about a teenager who decided to wear the same dress for a month,
and then complete the notes.
One month, one dress
When 17-year-old Sophia Aleman arrived to meet her friends wearing a plain, grey
dress, they didn’t take much notice. The next day she had the same dress on, and
her friends still didn’t comment. After a week of turning up in the same dress,
Sophia revealed her ‘One month, one dress’ challenge– to wear the same dress
every day for a month. She worked out that she’d be able to wash her dress before
going to bed and still wear it the next day.
Sophia’s aim was to get people, boys and girls, thinking about how their choice of
clothes affects the environment. Fashion is influenced by the latest trends and
celebrities, and nowadays it’s produced very quickly and cheaply. New styles
replace old ones almost instantly, at a price that most can afford. ‘My friends and I
love fashion, but it comes at an environmental cost,’ says Sophia. ‘People throw
good clothes away. That means tons of clothing is buried as waste. Unbelievably
only 15% is actually recycled – people should at least pass on their unwanted
clothes to others. And, every year, as a result of clothes production, 1.2 billion
tonnes of carbon dioxide is added to our atmosphere. I had to do something.’
Sophia chose the dress for her challenge carefully. She decided on a plain design
as she could combine it with different scarves that she already owned. She now
encourages people to use their existing clothes more creatively. This means they’ll
be less tempted to buy new clothes. She knew that chemicals used in the
production of clothes pollute the soil. That’s why she chose a dress made from
bamboo, a material free of chemicals. ‘My friends had never heard of clothes
made from bamboo before, so I used this dress as a way of persuading them to
buy clothes made from natural materials. So many clothes these days include
some man-made material. When they’re washed, tiny bits of plastic end up in the
oceans, but that doesn’t happen with natural material.’
In week two of the challenge, Sophia accidentally ripped the sleeve of her dress.
She thought she might have to wear something different and her challenge might
fail. Fortunately, she managed to sew it back together herself. To create publicity,
Sophia posted on social media every day, attracting lots of attention. ‘One day, I
wrote that mass production of clothes uses vast quantities of water. That’s hardly
going to help the environment, is it? The post really got all my friends talking. They
began to understand the point I was trying to make – it’s better to buy quality
clothes that last longer.’
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Sophia wore the dress for the whole month. ‘It made me think that appearance[Turn over
isn’t everything –although the next day I did enjoy wearing my favourite red skirt,
which I’d really missed!’ The teenager intends to continue promoting
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You are going to give a talk about fashion to your class at school. Prepare some notes
to use as the basis for your talk. Make short notes under each heading.
10 What Sophia says are the negative impacts of fashion on the environment:
•............................................................................................................................
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[3]
11 What Sophia suggests people do to reduce the negative impacts of fashion on
the environment:
•............................................................................................................................
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[4]
[Total: 7]
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Exercise 4
12 You and your friends recently went to a new café in town, and now you have
decided to write a review of the café for a tourist website.
The music was so The location is really
loud, it was hard to good
talk to each other.
It was easy to find a
It took a long time
seat.
for someone to
take our order.
Write a review for the tourist website, giving your views.
The comments above may give you some ideas, and you can also use some ideas
of your own.
Your review should be between 100 and 150 words long.
You will receive up to 6 marks for the content of your review, and up to 6 marks
for the language used.
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[Total: 11]
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Exercise 5
13 You have recently been on an activity holiday with your school. Write and tell a friend
all about it.
In your letter you should describe:
● weather and atmosphere
● people and individual incidents
Write about 100 to 150 words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and the quality of your
writing.
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[Total: 15]
END OF PAPER
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Additional Page
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