Integrated Skills in English

ISE I ‘Integrated Skills’

means skills which
work together. This
Reading & Writing exam exam tests reading
and writing.
Sample paper 1
The ISE I exam is level B1 on the
Common European Framework of
Your full name: Reference (CEFR) for languages.
(BLOCK CAPITALS)

Candidate number:

Centre:

Time allowed: 2 hours

Instructions to candidates
1. Write your name, candidate number and centre number on the front of this exam paper.
2. You must not open this exam paper until instructed to do so.
3. This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
4. Use blue or black pen, not pencil.
5. Write your answers on the exam paper.
6. Do all rough work on the exam paper. Cross through any work you do not want marked.
7. You must not use a dictionary in this exam.
8. You must not use correction fluid on the exam paper.

Information for candidates

You are advised to spend about:
w 20 minutes on Task 1
w 20 minutes on Task 2
w 40 minutes on Task 3
w 40 minutes on Task 4

Do not write anything here.

For examiner use only

Examiner initials Examiner number

ISEI-S1-ANS JF
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There are 15 questions on this text.

Integrated Skills in English I Questions 1–5 test your general
understanding of the paragraphs.
Time allowed: 2 hours Read the text first before you look
This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks. at the questions. Don’t worry about
any words you don’t understand. The
questions will help you understand
the text better.
Task 1 — Long reading
Read the following text about sleep and answer the 15 questions on page 3.

Paragraph 1
Sleep is essential for human life. We can actually live longer without food than without sleep.
Most people spend about a third of their life sleeping. That means during our life we will spend
about twenty-five years asleep. While the average person sleeps about seven hours a night, some
people can manage with as little as four hours. We don’t all need the same amount of sleep.

Paragraph 2
So what happens when we are asleep? There are five stages in a cycle of sleep. Each cycle
lasts about 90 minutes and we often repeat this cycle five times a night. In the first two stages,
we fall into a light sleep. In stages three and four, we are in a deep sleep and our heart rate
and breathing slows down. In stage five, our brain becomes active and our eyes move around
quickly. This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. It is during
REM sleep that we do all our dreaming.

Paragraph 3
We all know that sleep is good for us, but what are the benefits? One benefit is that it helps us
to resist illness. Without enough sleep, our body cannot fight off colds and the flu as easily. Your
sleep pattern can also affect your diet. Researchers at the University of Chicago discovered that
poor sleep increased a hormone in the body that makes us hungry. This means that people who
sleep badly often eat more high calorie foods and gain more weight.

Paragraph 4
Sleep also plays a part in our performance at school and at work. A number of reports have
shown that children who get a good night’s sleep do better in school. Obviously, one reason for
this is that if you are very tired you cannot focus. However, there is another important reason.
Scientists believe that sleep is important for our memory. While we are asleep our brain deals
with information we have learnt and sleep helps strengthen our memories.

Paragraph 5
Another essential part of sleep to understand is our circadian rhythm, or ‘body clock’. This
is our body’s natural rhythm of sleep. Generally, our body clock tells us to sleep when it is
dark and wake when it is light. However, studies now suggest that young people’s body clocks
change when they become teenagers. Some scientists believe that teenagers are not lazy, but
biologically programmed to go to bed later and wake up later.

page 2 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
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Questions 1–5
The text on page 2 has five paragraphs (1–5). Choose the best title for each paragraph from A–F
below and write the letter (A–F) on the lines below. There is one title you don’t need.

1. Paragraph 1 A The reason we dream

2. Paragraph 2 B Changes in sleep routine

Write the letter of the C Sleep and learning
3. Paragraph 3 correct sentence. Don’t
write the whole sentence. D How much we sleep
4. Paragraph 4
This task helps you to
E Different types of sleep
understand the text better.
5. Paragraph 5 F Sleep and good health

Questions 6–10
Choose the five statements from A–H below that are TRUE according to the information given in
the text on page 2. Write the letters of the TRUE statements on the lines below (in any order).

You will find the information you need

6. in the text on page 2. The language A Everyone’s need for sleep is different.
7. in the text is a little
different
to the B We are usually in a deep sleep for about seven hours.
language in these statements. For
C We dream during stage five of the sleep cycle.
8. example, ‘We don’t all need the same
amount of sleep’ means ‘Everyone’s
D You sleep more when you have a cold.
9. need for sleep is different.’ Therefore
statement A is true. Remember E People who sleep badly often have poor diets.
10. that the statements must be true
in the text. You might think that the F It is important to sleep well after you learn something.
statement ‘You sleep more when you G Our body clock generally follows changes in light.
have a cold’ is true, but does it say
that in the text? Always check the H Teenagers don’t get tired very easily.
text before you decide.

Questions 11–15
Complete sentences 11–15 with an exact word, phrase or number from the text (maximum three words).
Write the exact word, phrase or number on the lines below.

11. During a lifetime, the average person will be asleep for .

12. Your and heart rate get slower in deep sleep.

13. A poor can cause you to eat more high calorie foods.

14. Our get stronger when we’re sleeping.

15. Teenagers’ body clocks are different and so they need to go to bed and wake up

than young children.

You will find the exact words you need in the text on page 2. You don’t need to
change the words. The sentences are different so you have to understand the general
meaning of questions 11–15. For example, look at question 11. In the text it says ‘That
means during our life we will spend about twenty-five years asleep.’ That means the
same as ‘During a lifetime the average person will be asleep for twenty-five years.’

Turn over page page 3

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There are four texts in this task. Texts A and B
are on page 4 and texts C and D are on page 5.
Task 2 — Multi-text reading
In this section there are four short texts for you to read and some questions for you to answer.

Questions 16–20 Questions 16–20 test your general understanding of the four texts.
Read questions 16–20 first and then read texts A, B, C and D below the questions.
As you read each text, decide which text each question refers to. Choose one letter — A, B, C or D —
and write it on the lines below. You can use any letter more than once.

Which text Read the questions

16. explains that learning languages can help you learn other skills? carefully. Here it asks
which text advises
17. advises language learners to travel? language learners to
travel. In text A, travel is
18. says that music helps us learn?
mentioned. But the text
19. shows that more people choose to learn a language for pleasure than work? does not advise learners
to travel. In text D, it says
20. suggests that people who learn more than one language do better at school? ‘You should definitely go
and live abroad.’ So the
correct answer here is D.
Text A

Reasons people learn foreign languages

personal interest, enjoyment

degree requirement
use in future career
future travel or study abroad
family background
other

Text B

Scientists believe learning a second muscles. Studies show that people who
language increases brainpower. regularly speak more than one language
Researchers from University College are better at problem solving. In addition
London studied the brains of 105 people. students who study foreign languages
80 of these people were bilingual. They often score better in tests than students
found learning other languages changed who only speak one language. This is
the part of the brain which processes particularly true in maths, music, reading
information. They compared this change and understanding vocabulary.
to the way in which exercise builds

page 4 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
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Text C

STUDENT NAME: Maria Coates

CLASS: 4A
LANGUAGE EXPERIMENT

Today our class conducted an experiment based on research about learning languages. Researchers at
the University of Edinburgh’s Reid School of Music have discovered that learners’ memory skills are much
better when learning language to music.
Our class decided to test whether music helped us learn languages. In our school experiment, we tried to
remember phrases in Greek, and repeat them fifteen minutes later. It was of course important to choose a
language no one knew. We were divided into three groups. Each group listened to the Greek phrases and
repeated them but each group did this in a different way. The first group heard the phrases spoken, the
second group heard phrases set to a rhythm, and the third group heard phrases in a song. The singing
group was able to remember far more Greek than the other two groups. Our conclusion was that learning
language in a song does help you remember language more easily.

Text D

What is the best way to learn a foreign language?

Iksung, South Korea: You should definitely go and live abroad. The best
way to learn a language is to be with native speakers and not speak your
own language.

Alexei, Russia: I use the internet all the time. It’s a really cheap and easy
way to learn. You have to be careful though as not all websites are good.

Cara, Italy: I think watching films with English subtitles is very helpful.
My friends listen to English music but I don’t think that’s a very good way
to learn.

Questions 21–25
Choose the five statements from A–H below that are TRUE according to the information given
in the texts above. Write the letters of the TRUE statements on the lines below (in any order).

A The most common reason for learning a language is to understand

task you can find
21.
In this
the true statements in films and music.
22.
texts A–D but the language
B More people learn another language because of their studies rather
is not exactly the same. than their family.
23.
Read the statements very

C People who speak more than one language are often better at
carefully.
24. For example, look
at statement E. In text C subjects with numbers.
you will see the words The
25. D Language learning boosts the brain when you speak the second
University of Edinburgh language often.
and music. But statement E
E The University of Edinburgh tested different ways of learning music.
is not true. The University of
Edinburgh tested different F It is easier to remember words when you sing them.
ways of learning languages, G Reading words on a screen can help you learn a language.
NOT music.
H Any website can be a good place for language learning.

Turn over page page 5

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Questions 26–30
The summary notes below contain information from the texts on pages 4 and 5. Find an exact
number, word or phrase (maximum three words) from texts A–D to complete the missing
information in gaps 26–30.
You will find the exact words or phrases you
Write the exact number, word or phrase on the lines below.
need in texts A–D. Read the Summary notes
here carefully. The language in the notes is
different from the language in the texts. For
Summary notes example, in text A we can see that some people
learn languages as a ‘degree requirement’. This
The benefits of studying a second language: means the same as ‘The language is required in
order to study for a degree.’
• pleasure — something enjoyable and interesting to learn

• the language is required in order to study for a (26.)

• get a better job and progress in a career

• (27.) is increased by learning languages

• foreign language students often get higher marks in (28.)

Effective ways of learning:

• listen to a (29.) to help learn new language

• (30.) and practise with native speakers

• use technology, eg language learning websites

• television, eg practise reading and listening with subtitled films

page 6 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
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Use ideas from the texts in task 2 to help you with this
writing. Try to use your own words and sentences.
Task 3 — Reading into writing
Write an article for your school magazine (100–130 words) about why more students should
learn languages.
Always check what sort of writing you must
Use the information you read in Task 2 (pages 4–6) to: do. Here it asks for an article for a school
w explain how language learning will help students in the future magazine. Write in an appropriate style.
w suggest how learning a foreign language could help their performance at school and
w advise students on useful methods for learning foreign languages.

You should plan your article before you start writing. Think about what you want to say and make
some notes to help you in this box:

Planning notes

(No marks are given for these planning notes)

Now write your article of 100–130 words on the lines below. Try to use your own words as far as
possible — don’t just copy sentences from the reading texts.

Turn over page page 7

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page 8 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
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When you have finished your article, spend 2–3 minutes reading through what you have written.
Make sure you have covered all three bullet points. Remember to check how you made use of the
reading texts, as well as the language and organisation of your writing.

Turn over page page 9

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In this writing task you must think of
your own ideas about the topic.
Task 4 — Extended writing
Write an essay (100–130 words) for your teacher about a festival in a country you know. You should:
w give examples of what happens at this festival and
These are the two main themes of the writing task.
w explain why this festival is important. They will help you to plan your essay.

You should plan your essay before you start writing. Think about what you want to say and make
some notes to help you in this box:

Planning notes

(No marks are given for these planning notes)

Now write your essay of 100–130 words on the lines below.

page 10 This exam paper has four tasks. Complete all tasks.
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Turn over page page 11

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When you have finished your essay, spend 2–3 minutes reading through what you have written.
Make sure you have answered the task completely. Remember to check how you made use of the
reading texts, as well as the language and organisation of your writing.

End of exam
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