NAME ...............................................................................
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
EXAMINATIONS
LAAS
LANGUAGE ATTAINMENT ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
Level A2
Certificate Recognised by ICC
MAY
2016
INSTRUCTIONS

Do not open this booklet until the exam starts.

The order of the exam papers is: PART A Listening,
PART B Reading & Usage, PART C Writing.

Time allowed for all three parts: 90 minutes
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LAAS
MAY 2016
Α
LISTENING (25 points)
A2 LISTENING
PAGE
Time: approximately 20 minutes

As you listen to the recording, mark your answers in this booklet.

Answer all the questions. Give only one answer for each question.

After the end of the recording, you will have 3 minutes to transfer your answers
onto your Answer Sheet. Mark them in 2H or HB pencil.
LISTENING EXERCISE 1: Numbers 1 to 8
MALALA WANTS TO HELP SCHOOLS
Choose the correct word or phrase to complete each statement, 1 to 8.
Circle its letter, A, B or C.
1. Ted Brown is ____.
A. a geography teacher
B. a student at school
C. a friend of Malala’s
2. Malala thinks girls in her country ____.
A. have everything they need
B. should go to school like boys
C. aren’t as clever as boys
Malala won the Nobel Peace
Prize for her work for girls.
3. Some men in Malala’s town became angry ____.
A. when Malala didn’t go to school
B. because she was old-fashioned
C. because she tried to change things
4. After she came out of hospital, Malala ____.
A. spoke on television
B. never spoke again
C. spoke only to her family
5. Ted says that children in some poor countries work hard to ____.
A. have food
B. buy clothes C. go to school
6. The United Nations want children to go to school for at least ____ years.
A. six
B. nine
C. twelve
7. To help schools, Ted says that people can ____.
A. try to go to university
B. give Malala some money
C. ask their government to help
8. People can find a copy of Malala’s letter ____.
A. in a magazine for parents
B. on the school’s website
C. in the town’s newspaper
Children at work in a factory
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LAAS
MAY 2016
A2 LISTENING
LISTENING EXERCISE 2: Numbers 9 to 15
LINDA BUYS A DOG
Choose a phrase from the box to complete each sentence, 9 to 12.
Write its letter, A to E, in the space in each sentence.
You will use only four of the letters.
A. puppy food
9. Linda wants her dog at home to have ____.
B. a friend
10. This dog will stay small because he's ____.
C. a health problem
11. The assistant says the puppy doesn't have ____.
D. a moustache
12. Linda also buys a bag of special ____.
E. a Yorkie
Linda decides to buy this little dog
Choose the correct word, phrase or photo to complete each statement, 13 to 15.
Circle its letter, A, B or C.
Linda chooses this collar
13. Linda buys this lead to go with the collar: ____.
A.
B.
C.
14. Linda gives the assistant ____.
A. eight euros
B. eighteen euros
15. Linda decides to call the puppy ____.
A. Monday
B. Friday
C. Weekend
C. eighty euros
PAGE
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LAAS
MAY 2016
B
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 3
READING & USAGE (50 points)

You are advised to spend about 40 minutes on this part of the test.

You may mark your answers on this booklet while you are working on them.

Answer all the questions. Give only one answer for each question.

When you have finished, mark your answers on your Answer Sheet using a 2H or HB pencil.
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 1: Numbers 16 to 25
Read the text below about two people who have studied another language.
Then do the exercise on page 4.
Two People Who Have Studied a Second Language
Thomas Danzig
41 years old,
American,
Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania,
USA
When I was ten, we
moved to Greece. I
quickly learned a few words because, every
day, my dad sent me to buy his newspaper.
He always gave me extra money to buy
some ice cream for myself. The kiosk sold
delicious ice cream, so I learned the word
for it and never complained.
I went to a special Greek school for kids
like me. We came from other countries and
we didn’t have a lot of money. Back then,
most of us ‘foreigners’ came from the USA,
Canada or Australia. Some kids from Greek
families could speak the language, but
none of us could read or write it. To use our
Greek school books, we had to learn fast.
We helped each other.
At the end of my first year, I could do all my
lessons in Greek. I loved my teachers and I
enjoyed talking to my neighbours. After
leaving school, I came back to the USA to
go to university and, then, I stayed here to
work. That was over 20 years ago, but I
read Greek newspapers online and I have
quite a few Greek friends, so I still use the
language.
Sandis Rei
15 years old, Somali,
St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
We came here three years ago, so I’ve
been learning English for over two years.
I do want to learn, but I still have a hard
time. All my other lessons are in English,
too, so I sometimes get bad marks. I work
really hard, and my teachers tell me not to
worry. But I do.
Half of the kids at my school are from
Somalia. America was a shock for us. We
came from a hot desert to snow and ice all
winter. We had escaped from a war, so
none of us had much money. People
brought gloves and boots and coats to the
school for us. I also had a scarf, called a
hijab, but that was all I had. That first
winter, I never felt really warm.
At school, some kids weren’t very nice to
us. They didn’t like so many strangers
from Africa coming all at the same time. It
was a shock for them, too, and they
laughed at our clothes, our hair, and our
scarves.
But the teachers
encouraged us to
talk together, so
we’ve learned about
each other. I think
we get on better,
and it’s helped my
English, too.
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LAAS
MAY 2016
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 4
Decide who says each thing, 16 to 25.
On your Answer Sheet, mark A if Thomas says it, B if Sandis says it, C if Both of them say it,
or D if Neither says it.
16. I moved to a new country at the age of ten.
17. I’m back in the country I started from.
18. My second language is English.
19. None of the kids I knew could speak the new language.
20. At first, some children at my school weren’t friendly.
21. In my new country, I found people who were helpful.
22. I had the wrong clothes for the weather in my new country.
23. I learned new words to buy food I liked.
24. These days, I read the news on a computer.
25. We had lots of money when we moved.
Sandis Rei in class
Somali girls cover their heads with a scarf
when they are outside their homes.
Thomas Danzig at work
Thomas must have liked school. He’s still there.
Now he teaches art to teenagers.
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LAAS
MAY 2016
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 5
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 2: Numbers 26 to 35
Read this text about air pollution.
Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap.
Mark its letter, A, B or C, on your Answer Sheet.
DIRTY AIR:
IT’S BAD FOR
EVERYBODY!
Last week, I found a picture _(26)_ the Internet. It showed a busy road in
China on a very hot day. It was so hot, the road looked _(27)_ and wet. There
was a lot of traffic, but that didn’t stop a man from trying to walk _(28)_ the
road. In _(29)_ of the photo, there was a bridge or something like a bridge. But
the air was so dirty you could hardly see it _(30)_ the ‘smog’. Smog, you know, is
a word made _(31)_ ‘smoke’ and ‘fog’. Think _(32)_ that! What is it like to have
_(33)_ bad air pollution? How can people _(34)_? Do they become ill from it many
years _(35)_? I know the Chinese government is trying to do something about it.
But I think they should hurry!
26. A. to
B. at
C. on
27. A. shiny
B. shallow
C. sharp
28. A. under
B. around
C. across
29. A. the middle
B. the side
C. front
30. A. throw
B. through
C. thought
31. A. up
B. to
C. from
32. A. around
B. about
C. up
33. A. much
B. such
C. many
34. A. breathe
B. blow
C. sneeze
35. A. late
B. later
C. latest
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LAAS
MAY 2016
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 6
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 3: Numbers 36 to 40
A GOOD REASON TO BE TIRED!
Match one of Pam’s replies from the box with each thing Jack says on the left.
Mark its letter, A to F, on your Answer Sheet. You will use only five of the letters.
Jack: Hi, Pam. You look sad. What’s wrong?
Pam: __(36)__
A. No, Jen, my teacher called my Mum!
Jack: Of course, you are. You’ve been studying!
B. I know. Last night, my parents went
out to look for a new car.
Pam: __(37)__
Jack: But what? What is it? You look terrible!
C. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired.
Pam: __(38)__
D. Yes! Mine knocked over a lamp and,
then, he threw my phone in the toilet!
Jack: And, you had to look after the baby, right?
Pam: __(39)__
Jack: When my brother was two, he broke things.
Pam: __(40)__
Jack: Well, the next time you have to look after
him, call me. I’ll come over and help. Okay?
E. No, it’s not that. Well, I do want to do
well in my test tomorrow, but ….
F. Right, but he’s not a baby now. He’s
two and a half, and he’s so bad!
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 4: Numbers 41 to 45
LETTER ABOUT A NEWSPAPER STORY
Put the parts of the letter in the correct order.
Mark the letter of each part, A to G, on your Answer Sheet.
You will use only five of the letters. The first one is done for you.
EX. Part 1 ___
The answer is A. First of all, he was born ...
Dear Mr. Scribner,
The story you wrote yesterday about my grandfather’s life was very good, but
you left out a few important things.
EX. Part 1
41. Part 2
42. Part 3
43. Part 4
44. Part 5
45. Part 6
A
A. First of all, he was born here, in this city. You didn’t include that.
B. Later, she helped him with his first book. After university, he went to the army,
and she told him to write about what he saw and the soldiers he lived with.
C. Readers enjoyed his true stories about young men away from home, so he sold
a lot of books.
D. He told me he didn’t expect to be a writer because he didn’t write very well.
E. You also did not say that he went to school here, from the age of 5 to 18. He
once told me that he succeeded because he had such good teachers.
F. His second book was about the businesses and factories that made our town
grow. Miss Dawes never saw that one. Sadly, she died before it came out.
G. When he went away to university, he continued to write to one of them, his
English teacher, Miss Dawes.
I hope you will write another article for today’s newspaper and use the
information I’ve given you.
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LAAS
MAY 2016
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 7
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 5: Numbers 46 to 50
Match a paragraph on the right with each of the pictures on the left.
Mark its letter, A to F, on your Answer Sheet. You will use only five of the letters.
The 3rd Annual South End Fools Day Parade
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 2nd Dress warm, watch the parade or walk in it! Then warm up, play games and join the party! 46.
A
PARTY FOR ALL After the parade, everyone is welcome to the Festival of Foolish party at Mick’s Drinks. Winners of the costume competition will each receive a €25 certificate to spend at Brenda’s Book and Record Shop on Indiana Ave. There’ll be games for everyone! Bring your friends! 47.
B
MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC Or any music! It doesn’t have to be beautiful. Bring your drum, guitar or whatever you want. Lead the parade. We’ll march to any song you play! C
48.
Pizza Palace will be serving hot food at the party: pizza, sandwiches, soups and chips. They’ll give half of the money to the South End Neighbourhood Organization for next year’s parade. D
49.
DRESS WARM It’s going to be chilly, windy, and maybe rainy, so wear warm clothes. The clothes don’t have to match. In fact, make sure they don’t match! The best costume is a foolish costume! Do your silly walk! Crazy is great! E
50.
FOOD PARKING If you’re walking in the parade, park behind Mick’s Drinks on Tompkins Avenue. The parade starts in front of Mick’s. If you come to watch, use the car park beside the church on Summit St. A good place to watch the parade is near the entrance of Maynard Park.
F
GIFTS Take home a Fools T‐shirt for just €15! Each one is different because we print them on used shirts we get from the charity shop. Our shirts are good for nature! [Type
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LAAS
MAY 2016
C
A2 WRITING TOPICS
PAGE
WRITING (25 points)

You are advised to spend about 30 minutes on this part of the test.

You may use a blank sheet of paper as a draft.

Write your task in the space provided on the back of your Answer Sheet in pencil or pen.
You have ONE writing task to do. Choose either Topic A or Topic B.
Write your task in about 120 words on your Answer Sheet.
TOPIC A:
You get an email from a friend who doesn’t know what to do this summer.
I can’t decide what to do this summer. Maybe it would be fun to go to a sport camp and learn new sports. Or maybe it would be nice to stay at home and relax. Write an email and give your friend your advice.
Be sure to:
TOPIC B:

say what you think is good about each choice

say what you think is not good about each one

tell your friend what they should do
Write a story that begins like this:
“Last week, I got a very strange text message on my mobile phone. …”
Your story can be funny or serious.
1
[A2 LISTENING TEST – 16A] Scripts 1 – MALALA WANTS US TO HELP 2 – BUYING A DOG ANNC LAAS Listening Test, May 2016. Copyright, Panhellenic Federation of Foreign Language Centre Owners, Athens, Greece. [intro music] ANNC Hello, students. This is your A2 Listening test. Before we start, please make sure that your name and code number are on the front of your Test Booklet. [5 sec] 2
[A2 ‐ 1 – MALALA WANTS US TO HELP SCHOOLS] 411 wds ANNC Now, open your Test Booklet. As you listen, write your answers in this Test Booklet. At the end of the test, you will have time to mark your answers on the computerised Answer Sheet. Now, let's go on. Look at Listening Exercise ONE. In this exercise you will hear a student asking his schoolmates to help other children have good schools. First, take a short time to look at Listening Exercise ONE in your Test Booklet. [20 sec] ANNC Good. You will hear Ted Brown talking to other students at his school. As you listen, choose the correct word or phrase to complete statements 1 to 8. Circle its letter, A, B, or C, in your Test Booklet. Now, here is the talk. Are you ready? TED Hi, everyone. You all know me. I’m Ted Brown and I’m in the World Geography class, here at Applegate School. My classmates and I have decided to help Malala get money for schools in poor countries. And we’d like you to help. Who is Malala? I’m sure you’ve heard about her. She comes from Pakistan, which is a country next to India. In some parts of her country, girls are not allowed to go to school. Boys can but not girls. Malala’s father is a teacher, and he let her, and other girls in their town, come to his school. When she was about our age, Malala began making public speeches. She said that all girls should be allowed to go to school. This made some men angry. They had very old‐fashioned ideas. They didn’t believe girls should learn and they thought that Malala’s ideas were dangerous. So, they went to her school and hurt Malala, very badly. After several months in hospital, she got better and she began to make speeches again. She speaks at government meetings and on television. She’s quite famous. So, what does Malala want us to do? Well, you probably know that in some poor countries, boys and girls never get to go to school. Many have to work hard from a very young age to have enough to eat. Or they must wear uniforms to school, and their families don’t have money to buy them. So, they never learn how to read or write. The United Nations and other organizations want every child in the world to go to school for at least nine years. But Malala says that still isn’t enough. All children, everywhere, she says, should be able to go to school for at least 12 years so they can find a job or go to university. Not all governments want to give money for schools, but Malala thinks if they know enough people around the world want this, they may do it. So, she wants all of us, and our parents and friends, to sign a letter to ask the governments to help. If enough people sign, maybe the governments will agree. [applaus
e] So we’re passing round the letters you can take home to your parents and neighbours. You can also find the letter on the school’s website at Applegate dot edu slash Malala. I hope you’ll all do your best. Thanks! 3
[3 sec] ANNC Now take a short time to look at your answers. Then you will hear the talk again. [15 sec] ANNC Now, here is the talk again. Are you ready? [repeat ‘Hi, everyone. ... to ... do your best. Thanks! [applause]] ANNC That's the end of the first exercise. Take a short time to finish your answers. [15 sec] 4
[A2 ‐ 2 – BUYING A DOG AT THE PET SHOP] 467 wds ANNC In this exercise, you will hear a conversation at an animal rescue centre. Before you listen, take a short time to look at Listening Exercise TWO in your Test Booklet. [20 sec] ANNC Good. Linda is talking to the assistant at the animal rescue centre. As you listen to the conversation, choose a phrase from the box to complete each sentence, 9 to 12. Write its letter, A to E, in the space in the sentence. You will use only four of the letters. Then choose the correct word, phrase or photo to complete each statement 13 to 15. Circle its letter, A, B, or C, in your Test Booklet. Now, here is the conversation. Are you ready? [] [dogs barking/yapping VERY low in background] ASSISTANT Hi! Welcome to Animal Rescue Centre! LINDA Hi! Thanks! I saw on your website you have a small black and brown puppy, and I’d like to see it. We have one dog already, but it would be nice for him to have a friend. ASSISTANT I think I know the one you mean. Come and see him – he's over here. … Here he is. LINDA Oh, isn’t he cute?! Look at that hair on his face! It looks like he has a moustache! ASSISTANT Yes, he's lovely, isn't he? And very friendly. LINDA What kind is he? Is he a Yorkie? ASSISTANT Yes, that's right. A Yorkie. LINDA Great, so he won't grow too big. Oh, can I hold him? ASSISTANT Yes, of course. … Oh look, I think he likes you! LINDA It looks like it. He's so sweet! He doesn't bite, does he? ASSISTANT Oh, no, he’s very friendly. He never bites. But he sometimes barks. LINDA That's not a problem. All dogs bark sometimes. Our other dog barks a lot. He looks healthy. ASSISTANT Oh yes, very healthy. Here's his health certificate. LINDA Where did he come from? ASSISTANT Someone found him in the street. We don't know anything else. He had no microchip, so we can't find out if he has an owner. He'd love a new home. LINDA How much is he? ASSISTANT Let me check. Um, fifty euros. LINDA That’s not bad. Great! I’ll take him. ASSISTANT . Now, I know you've got another dog so you know how to look after dogs. But he's just a puppy, so you'll need some special food. Do you have some at home? 5
LINDA No, I haven't. Do you sell it here? ASSISTANT Yes. It's seven fifty a bag. LINDA Okay, I’ll take one bag, please. And I’ll need a collar … that one, in red and black … and a lead. ASSISTANT Red, brown or black, what do you think? LINDA I’ll take the black lead. It’s very smart. How much is that? ASSISTANT The collar is ten euros; the lead is ten. So, twenty for both. That comes to … let’s see … fifty for the dog … twenty for the collar and lead, and seven‐fifty for the food. So, that’s, eh, seventy‐seven euros and fifty cents. LINDA Here's eighty. ASSISTANT Thank you. And here’s your change. Two euros fifty. LINDA Perfect. ASSISTANT What are you going to call him – any ideas? LINDA Well, the dog we have at home is called Monday, because we got him on a Monday. Today's Friday, so I think we should call him that! ASSISTANT Well, I hope Friday loves his new home, and you have lots of fun with him. I'm sure you will. LINDA Oh yes, he's so sweet. Monday and Friday are going to have so much fun playing together this weekend. ASSISTANT Let me know if you need anything. LINDA Thank you! I will. Bye for now! Come on, Friday – let's take you home… [2 sec] ANNC Now take a short time to look at your answers. Then you will hear the conversation again. [15 sec] ANNC Now, here is the conversation again. Are you ready? [repeat from '[dogs barking/yapping VERY low in background]'] ANNC That's the end of the second exercise. Take a short time to finish your answers. [15 sec] ANNC That's the end of the listening test. You now have a short time to mark your answers on the computerized Answer Sheet. Mark them in pencil. Thank you. [exit music] ΕΞΕΤΑΣΕΙΣ LAAS - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2016
ΛΥΣΕΙΣ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΩΝ
A2
Parts A & B
1B
41 E
2B
42 G
3C
43 B
4A
44 C
5A
45 F
6B
46 D
7C
47 E
8B
48 A
9B
49 C
10 E
50 F
11 C
12 A
13 B
14 C
15 B
16 A
17 A
18 B
19 D
20 B
21 C
22 B
23 A
24 A
25 D
26 C
27 A
28 C
29 A
30 B
31 C
32 B
33 B
34 A
35 B
36 C
37 E
38 B
39 F
40 D