CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

Unit 7 test
Reading exercise
Read the article, in which four young people (A–D) write about a job interview they had. Then answer
questions (a)–(i).

Job interviews
A Sam
I’ll never forget my first interview. It was for a part-time job in a sports clothes shop in town, and I’ll admit that
the real appeal of the position was the discount that the staff there get! They were looking for people who were
enthusiastic and who had good maths skills. In fact, they’d said we had to do a maths test in the interview. Maths
isn’t my greatest strength, so I got my sister to ask me a few maths questions in the days leading up to the
interview. Actually, in the end, it was pretty easy. One top tip I’d pass on is to make sure your phone’s on silent.
Mine went off while I was talking! I felt so silly, and could feel my face going bright red, but the interviewer was
very nice about it, as she could see how I felt!

B Chang
My first job interview, for a job in a department store, went pretty well. Of course, when you’re just starting out,
it’s not like you have a lot of experience to talk about, but what you can do is show that you’re willing to learn,
and are someone who can think for themselves. Even so, it can be a little stressful, and naturally I felt a bit
anxious. Then I remembered something I had been told, about how the other applicants would be feeling the
same, and it was to be expected. This helped a lot, and by the time I went in, I felt pretty calm. It also helped that
I had decided to treat the interview as a chance to find out about the store, so I had already planned what I
wanted to ask my interviewer, which I think she was impressed by. You don’t want to accept a job, and then find
that it was not what you were expecting – that can cause all sorts of issues.

C Ali
I remember my last job interview very well. It was for a manager’s position in a new restaurant. While I was
waiting to go in, I talked to some of the other applicants, which I know some people advise against doing!
Anyway, they all talked about why they were applying, and I got the impression that they were all really well
qualified. While I knew I had experience, I was doubtful that it would be enough. But actually it obviously was,
because I’ve been working there for nearly two years now. So, experience is important – but in our efforts
to impress an interviewer it can be tempting to exaggerate things like responsibilities or even capabilities.
Be warned: the chances are that an interviewer will realise what you’re doing, perhaps when they ask a
particularly tricky question, and it would be really embarrassing to get found out!

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 CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

D Davide
I often used to feel really anxious before an interview. So, a while ago I decided that the only way was to simply
pretend I wasn’t nervous, and just concentrate on looking really confident as I walked in. I knew that would make
the interviewer see me in a more positive way right from the start, and it must have gone well as, a week later,
they offered me the job. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do, because while I was waiting to hear back from them,
a family friend asked me to come and help out in his office. I decided to take up his offer in the end – I knew
I could learn a lot from him, as he’s a successful businessman. I’ve been there ever since, and have now been
promoted to manager, so I made the right decision. But my first interview experience showed me that I can
deal with stressful situations.

For each question, write the correct letter A, B, C or D on the line.

Which person
(a) highlights the importance of first impressions? .......... [1]
(b) mentions an embarrassing situation that occurred? .......... [1]
(c) explains why they decided not accept a job offer? .......... [1]
(d) mentions some help they had when getting ready for an interview? .......... [1]
(e) says why it’s important to give honest answers? .......... [1]
(f) explains why they were glad they took some advice? .......... [1]
(g) suggests why they decided to apply for the job? .......... [1]
(h) admits lacking confidence that they would get the job? .......... [1]
(i) uggests the value of preparing questions to ask? .......... [1]
[Total: 9]

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 CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

Writing exercise

You recently practised doing interviews at school. You want to tell your friend about it.
Write an email to your friend about your interview practice.
In your email you should:
• explain how you prepared for the event
• describe how you think your interview went
• say what you learnt from the experience.
Write about 120 to 160 words.
You will receive up to 6 marks for the content of your email and up to 9 marks for the language used.
[Total: 15]
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 CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

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 CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

07
Listening exercise
You will hear a woman called Alex Raynsford being interviewed for a job as an airline pilot. For each
question, choose the correct answer, A, B or C, and put a tick (ü) in the appropriate box.
You will hear the interview twice.
Now look at questions 1–8.

1 What did Alex find most difficult about the training?

A having to cooperate closely with others

B being tested on a regular basis

C developing the ability to focus better

[1]

2 Alex says that in her first year as a professional she was surprised by

A how difficult it was to deal with the weather.

B how many delays there were before flying.

C how long it took to do the paperwork.

[1]

3 Alex says that the best thing about her job is that she
A enjoys the variety it gives her.

B has regular opportunities to go sightseeing.

C is based in one country so gets less tired.

[1]

4 Alex decided to look for another job because she wants to

A earn a higher salary as soon as possible.

B be offered a wider range of training opportunities.

C work for a company that is more successful.

[1]

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 CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

5 In Alex’s view, it is vital that a pilot should

A be very emotionally controlled.

B pay attention to details.

C have excellent communication skills.

[1]

6 Alex started a blog about the life of a pilot in order to

A provide information that is not available elsewhere.

B encourage teenagers to consider the same career.

C entertain people who are not very interested in flying.

[1]

7 Alex believes that she could improve herself as a pilot by

A understanding other cultures.

B talking to more experienced pilots.

C studying some new languages.

[1]

8 What does Alex want to achieve in the future?

A She wants to be a pilot on more interesting routes.

B She wants a big promotion.

C She wants to fly a different type of plane.

[1]
[Total: 8]

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 CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: UNIT 7 TEST

Speaking exercise
If possible, record your response to this exercise.
Answer these questions.
• Can you tell me about some ways teenagers can get work experience in your country?
• When did you last interview someone in your class and what happened?
• What do you think people should, or shouldn’t, do before they go for a job interview,
and why?
[Total: 10]
[Unit test total: 42]

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