Proper English Grammar
General Training Reading Workplace texts13 questionsSuggested: 13 minutes

Workplace texts: a job advert and a training policy

Section 2 territory: the language of work. A job advertisement and the training policy behind it, from the same employer, with the True/False/Not Given traps the real paper loves.

How to use this. Read both texts once, then answer the thirteen questions. When you're done, press Check answers for your score, an approximate band, and an explanation of every answer. On True/False/Not Given, the trap is the near-miss detail: a staff discount is not a free meal. For the first Section 2 paper, see the staff handbook.

·Reading texts

Working at Fernway Garden Centre

Text A is a job advertisement. Text B is the staff training and development policy from the same employer.

A

Job advertisement: Assistant Café Manager. Fernway Garden Centre is looking for an assistant manager for its busy café. The post is full time, 38 hours over five days, including alternate weekends, at a salary of £26,500 plus the staff discount. You will supervise a team of eight, manage the weekly stock order, and keep the food-safety records up to date, with occasional travel to our second branch at Oakfield. Two years’ supervisory experience in food service is essential; barista training is desirable but not essential, as full training is provided. Apply using the application form on our website: CVs alone will not be accepted. The closing date is 21 November, and interviews will be held in the first week of December, when shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a short practical task.

B

Staff training and development policy. All permanent staff may apply for funded training once they have completed six months of service. The company pays course fees in full up to £400 in any calendar year; costs above that amount are shared equally between the company and the employee. Requests should be made to your line manager on the blue training request form at least four weeks before the course begins. Staff attending courses during working hours receive normal pay, and those attending weekend courses are compensated with extra holiday. An employee who leaves the company within twelve months of completing a funded course is required to repay half of the fees. Training priorities for the following year are identified at the December appraisals.

·Questions 1–13

Answer the questions.

The Section 2 question types this paper drills: True/False/Not Given on the advertisement, then sentence completion on the policy. Nothing is sent anywhere, your answers stay in your browser and are marked on this page.

Questions 1–6

True / False / Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information in Text A? Choose True if the statement agrees, False if it contradicts, or Not Given if there is no information.

  • 1The job involves working at weekends some of the time.

  • 2Staff at the café receive free meals during their shifts.

  • 3Applicants must have previous experience of supervising staff.

  • 4Only trained baristas will be considered for the post.

  • 5Candidates may apply by submitting a CV.

  • 6The café is the busiest part of the garden centre.

Questions 7–13

Sentence completion

Complete each sentence using no more than two words and/or a number from Text B.

  • 7Permanent staff become eligible for funded training after of service.

  • 8The company pays the whole cost of courses up to in a calendar year.

  • 9Costs above the annual limit are shared between the company and the member of staff.

  • 10Training requests must reach the line manager at least before a course starts.

  • 11Staff who attend courses at the weekend are given in return.

  • 12Someone who leaves within a year of finishing a funded course must pay back of the fees.

  • 13Training priorities for the next year are decided at the December .

13 questions · not yet marked
·Scoring

Approximate band equivalence

This is a thirteen-question section, so the band shown is an approximation. General Training Reading needs a higher raw score than Academic for the same band, and a full paper has forty questions across three sections, so your band on the day depends on the whole test.

Score (/13)13121110987≤6
Band8.5+8.07.56.56.05.55.0<5.0
→Reading, under timed conditions

Marks lost on Reading are usually technique, not vocabulary.

Knowing the answer and scanning a busy notice to find it fast are different skills.

True/False/Not Given, matching, and the traps built into the distractors catch out strong readers who've never been shown the method. In a lesson we work through where your marks are actually going, and how to read for the answer rather than reading the whole passage twice. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a discounted trial lesson.

Book a trial lesson → About my approach