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

Workplace texts: a staff handbook

The kind of workplace text, such as a staff handbook or set of guidelines, you meet in Section 2 of the General Training Reading paper.

How to use this. Read the handbook extract, then answer all thirteen questions. When you're done, press Check answers for your score, an approximate band, and an explanation of every answer. Section 2 texts deal with work and employment, and the wording is often reworded from the passage, so read each statement against the exact rule it tests. New to General Training? See the General Training track.

·Reading text

Riverside Care Home: information for new staff

Please read this handbook extract during your induction and keep it for reference.

A

Your first week. On your first day, report to the HR office at 8.30am to complete your induction paperwork and collect your staff badge, which you must wear at all times while on site. You will be assigned a mentor for your first month, who will answer day-to-day questions and check on your progress. Your probationary period lasts three months, after which your manager will meet you to review your performance.

B

Hours and breaks. Full-time staff work 37.5 hours a week, usually across five shifts. You are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid break on any shift longer than six hours, and a further 15-minute paid break on shifts longer than nine hours. If you cannot come to work because of illness, you must telephone your line manager at least two hours before your shift begins; a text message is not accepted.

C

Training. All new staff complete online fire-safety and manual-handling courses within their first two weeks. Care assistants must also hold a current first-aid certificate; if yours has expired, the home will pay for you to renew it. Additional courses are offered throughout the year, and staff are encouraged to discuss their training needs with their manager during supervision meetings.

D

Pay and expenses. Salaries are paid on the 28th of each month directly into your bank account. If you are asked to travel between sites during a shift, you may claim mileage using the online expenses form; claims must be submitted by the end of the month in which the travel took place. Overtime is paid at the standard rate and must be approved by your manager in advance.

E

Uniform and appearance. The home provides two sets of uniform, which must be laundered at 60 degrees to meet infection-control standards. Do not wear your uniform when travelling to and from work; change on site in the staff changing room. Long hair must be tied back, and only a plain wedding ring and one pair of small stud earrings may be worn.

F

Raising a concern. If you have a concern about a resident’s safety or the conduct of a colleague, speak to your line manager in the first instance. If the matter is urgent, or if it involves your manager, you may contact the registered manager directly. All concerns are treated confidentially, and staff who raise a genuine concern are protected from any form of unfair treatment.

·Questions 1–13

Answer the questions.

The Section 2 question types: True/False/Not Given, sentence completion and matching. 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 the handbook? Choose True if the statement agrees, False if it contradicts, or Not Given if there is no information.

  • 1New staff must wear their badge whenever they are on the premises.

  • 2A new member of staff is given a mentor for the whole of their probationary period.

  • 3A worker on a seven-hour shift is entitled to a paid break.

  • 4Staff who report their absence by text message will be recorded as absent without leave.

  • 5The home will cover the cost of renewing an expired first-aid certificate.

  • 6Overtime is paid at a higher rate than normal working hours.

Questions 7–9

Sentence completion

Complete each sentence using no more than two words or a number from the handbook.

  • 7Salaries are paid on the of each month.

  • 8New staff must complete the online fire-safety and manual-handling courses within their first of employment.

  • 9Uniforms must be washed at to meet infection-control standards.

Questions 10–13

Matching

The handbook has six sections, A–F. Which section contains the following information? Choose the correct letter.

  • 10what to do if you are unhappy about your manager’s conduct

  • 11the rules on wearing jewellery at work

  • 12how long you must wait before your performance is formally reviewed

  • 13claiming money back for driving between workplaces

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 workplace text 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 free 25-minute introduction.

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