Section 1

Everyday Social Survival

AAqua-Fit Express — Low-impact aquatic exercise set to uplifting music, designed to build core cardiovascular endurance without stressing weight-bearing joints. Classes take place in the heated therapy pool every Tuesday and Thursday at 08:30. Swim caps are mandatory for all participants, and lockers require a refundable £1 coin.

BJunior Badminton Academy — Coached training sessions for young players aged 8 to 15, emphasizing footwork, racquet technique, and match tactics. Rackets and shuttlecocks are provided free of charge, though indoor non-marking court shoes must be worn at all times. Pre-booking online is essential as places are limited to 12 court spaces per hour.

CMindful Yoga & Meditation — A gentle flow class focusing on breathing control, posture alignment, and stress reduction. Suitable for absolute beginners as well as experienced practitioners. Mats and foam blocks are supplied, but attendees are advised to bring a personal towel and a water bottle. Held in the quiet studio upstairs every Monday evening.

DWeekend Climbing Wall Challenge — An auto-belay climbing facility suitable for families and solo climbers aged 6 and above. Safety harnesses and specialized climbing shoes are available for hire at the main reception desk for £3. All first-time climbers must complete a brief ten-minute safety orientation with a certified instructor before attempting any routes.

EOver-50s Social Table Tennis — A friendly, non-competitive group meeting every Friday morning from 10:00 to 12:00 in the main sports hall. Tea, coffee, and light refreshments are served in the lounge following the games and are included in the standard £4 admission fee. No advance registration is necessary.

1Text 1B: Local Library Services & Membership Guidelines

2Joining the public library is free to all residents living within the municipal district upon presenting proof of address (such as a recent utility bill or driving licence) alongside photo identification. Unaccompanied visitors under 12 years of age must have their application co-signed by a parent or legal guardian.

3Members may borrow up to 12 printed books, 4 audiobooks, and 2 language-learning kits simultaneously for an initial lending period of three weeks. Items can be renewed up to three times online, by telephone, or in person, provided another patron has not placed a reservation hold on the title. If an item is overdue by more than seven days, borrowing privileges will be temporarily suspended until all overdue materials are returned or renewed. Daily overdue charges of 20p per item apply to adult accounts, but junior members (under 16) are completely exempt from late return fines.

4In addition to physical collections, members gain complimentary access to digital databases, electronic magazines, and e-books via the library’s mobile application. Public computers with high-speed internet access and word-processing software can be reserved for up to two hours per day per member. Printing and photocopying services are available in black-and-white (10p per A4 page) and colour (30p per A4 page). The library also offers quiet study carrels, which must be booked at least 24 hours in advance at the central information desk.

5#### Questions 7–14 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Text 1B? - **TRUE** if the statement agrees with the information - **FALSE** if the statement contradicts the information - **NOT GIVEN** if there is no information on this

Section 2

Workplace Context

1Text 2A: Flexible Working & Remote Work Guidelines

2Apex Solutions is committed to supporting a healthy work-life balance through flexible working arrangements. All permanent staff who have completed their initial six-month probationary period are eligible to apply for formal flexible schedule options, including core-hours flexitime, compressed working weeks, or hybrid remote working.

3Under the hybrid remote working framework, full-time staff must spend a minimum of two designated operational days per week working on-site at the central office to foster team collaboration and maintain corporate security. Remote working days must be agreed upon in advance with line managers and recorded in the staff portal. Employees working remotely are required to maintain a secure, ergonomically suitable home workspace equipped with company-issued laptops and encrypted virtual private network (VPN) software.

4To maintain operational continuity, core working hours are established between 10:00 and 16:00 daily. All employees, regardless of their flexible schedule, must be online and reachable during these hours for scheduled team briefings and client enquiries. Any overtime hours accumulated under flexitime agreements must be authorized by department heads prior to being worked and may be taken as paid time off in lieu (TOIL) within the same calendar quarter.

5#### Questions 15–20 Complete the sentences below. Choose **NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS** from the text for each answer.

1Text 2B: Office Emergency Evacuation Procedures

2In the event of an emergency building evacuation, all staff must adhere strictly to the following safety protocol:

31. **Alarm Activation**: Upon hearing the continuous fire alarm siren, immediately cease work operations. Do not attempt to collect personal belongings, coats, or heavy bags, as delays increase risk to building occupants. 2. **Exiting the Premises**: Leave the office via the nearest designated emergency escape stairwell marked with illuminated green directional signage. Under no circumstances should elevators or lifts be used during an emergency evacuation, as power failures can leave occupants trapped between floors. 3. **Assembly Point**: Walk promptly to Assembly Zone B, located in the north car park adjacent to the visitor entrance gate. Do not stand near the building perimeter or block access routes for emergency services vehicles. 4. **Roll Call**: Report directly to your assigned Floor Safety Warden so your name can be marked off on the official roll call roster. If you notice a colleague or visitor is missing, inform your Warden immediately; do not re-enter the building yourself. 5. **Re-entry**: Remain at Assembly Zone B until the Lead Safety Officer gives explicit verbal clearance that the building is safe to re-occupy. The silencing of the alarm siren does not indicate that danger has passed.

4#### Questions 21–27 Complete the notes below. Choose **NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS** from the text for each answer.

Section 3

General Reading

ASpanning thousands of miles across the rugged hillsides of Northern England, Scotland, and Wales, drystone walls are among the most iconic features of the British rural landscape. Unlike conventional masonry structures bound by mortar or cement, drystone walls are constructed entirely without adhesive agents. Their stability relies exclusively on the precise placement of unhewn stones, gravitational force, and frictional resistance between interlocking rock faces. Archeological surveys indicate that the earliest drystone field enclosures in Britain date back to the Neolithic period, approximately 5,000 years ago, when early agrarian communities cleared glaciated land for crop cultivation and livestock containment.

BThe construction of a durable drystone wall demands meticulous craftsmanship and a deep intuitive understanding of geology. The process begins with excavating a shallow trench to lay massive 'foundation stones' capable of supporting heavy loads without settling unevenly. Above this foundation, two parallel outer faces of stone are built, tapering slightly inward as the wall rises—a structural slope known as the 'batter'. The hollow space between these outer walls is filled with smaller stone fragments called 'hearting'. Crucially, at mid-height, long stones known as 'through-stones' are inserted laterally across the entire thickness of the wall to bind the two faces together and prevent bulging under physical pressure.

CDrystone walls offer remarkable environmental advantages over modern timber fences and concrete barriers. Because they lack rigid mortar joints, drystone structures possess flexibility, allowing them to absorb subtle ground movements, frost heave, and extreme winds without cracking. Furthermore, the porous network of crevices within drystone walls creates microhabitats for a rich diversity of wildlife. Small mammals such as voles and stoats nest within the base, while mosses, lichens, and rare alpine flora colonize stone surfaces. Reptiles, including native adders and common lizards, rely on thermal radiation stored by sun-warmed rocks for temperature regulation.

DThe golden era of drystone wall construction in Britain occurred between 1750 and 1850, driven by the Parliamentary Enclosure Acts. During this century, millions of acres of communal open fields and pasturelands were partitioned into privately owned agricultural holdings. Landowners hired itinerant wallers to construct tens of thousands of miles of boundaries across difficult upland terrain. However, the advent of cheap industrial galvanized wire fencing in the early twentieth century led to a sharp decline in drystone walling. Wire fencing required far less labor to install, causing traditional walling techniques to be largely abandoned by commercial farms.

EBy the late twentieth century, thousands of miles of historic drystone walls had fallen into disrepair, threatened by agricultural intensification, neglect, and collapse. In response to this heritage loss, the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA) was established in 1968 to preserve traditional techniques, train new apprentices, and establish national certification standards. Today, conservationists recognize drystone walling not merely as an obsolete agricultural boundary, but as a vital cultural landscape asset that enhances rural biodiversity and mitigates soil erosion along exposed hillsides.

FIn contemporary Britain, drystone walling is experiencing a resurgence driven by environmental stewardship and landscape restoration grants. Modern wallers combine centuries-old techniques with modern structural safety guidelines to restore historic field boundaries and construct architectural features in public parks and private gardens. As climate change increases the frequency of severe windstorms and torrential rainfall across upland Britain, the enduring durability and natural drainage capacity of drystone walls demonstrate that ancient craft techniques can outperform modern industrial alternatives in environmental resilience.