B2 Practice Test 1

Answer key

Speaking Part 1  Page 3

1 Sample answer
My name is Enrique Gonzales.
2 Sample answer
I’m from Spain.
3 Sample answer
I can speak three languages. My native language is Spanish, I can speak good English and I can also speak
basic German.
4 Sample answer
I’ve been studying English since I was at primary school, so for about nine years now.
5 Sample answer
I think English will be useful for me because I’d like to study abroad for a year, in London, for example. It
will probably also be useful when I get a job, because English is spoken in many international companies.
6 Sample answer
I’m quite a sporty person, so I enjoy many different sports. I play football with my local team on Saturday
mornings, and often I go swimming with my friends during the week. I sometimes go running, too.
7 Sample answer
The last time I did some exercise was on Tuesday. I went to the pool with my best friend and his brother
and we swam for an hour.
8 Sample answer
I prefer exercising alone when I’m running, because it’s difficult to run at the same speed as other people.
Everybody has their own pace. But there are other activities, such as swimming, which can be sociable.
And obviously you need to exercise with other people when you’re playing team sports!

Speaking Part 2  Page 3

Voicemail 1 sample answer
Hello, this is Enrique Gonzales speaking. Yesterday I left my car with you because the engine was making a
strange sound. Your mechanic said it had been fixed, but I’m afraid I’m not happy at all with the repairs you
carried out. The engine was making the same noise again this morning when I was driving into town. I’d like
to bring my car in again so you can take another look at it, and obviously I don’t expect to have to pay for this.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Voicemail 2 sample answer
Hi Sam! Thanks for getting back to me with your suggestion. I’ve been to Gino’s a few times and to be honest
I wasn’t very impressed. The food was pretty average and the service was so slow! I don’t think we’d have a
great night if we went there. How about Luca’s near the river? The food’s fantastic and it’s really reasonable,
too. Anyway, I’ve got to rush … let’s chat soon!

1  Oxford Test of English  B2 Practice Test 1 answer key  © Oxford University Press
Speaking Part 3  Page 4
Sample answer
Personally, I think the best thing to do would be to use the building for a new, modern hotel. We get lots of
tourists all year round, and for about six months of the year most hotels in our town are fully-booked. With
a large, new hotel, we could attract even more tourists and that would mean more money coming into
our town, which would boost the economy. An alternative would be a new shopping centre. Our current
shopping centre is quite old and needs updating, so it might be better to build a brand new one. If we made
it bigger than the old one, we would persuade more shops and cafés to open in our town. This would not
only be better for shoppers who live here, it would also provide much-needed jobs in this area.

Speaking Part 4  Page 4

1 Sample answer
In my town we have a very interesting and ancient church. It is built out of stone and has windows shaped
like flowers. The roof is in poor condition and in fact the whole church is now empty, but I think it’s
beautiful, especially at sunset.
2 Sample answer
I agree with people who want to preserve very old buildings because I think old buildings tell us
something about the period when they were built and what people’s homes were like. I especially like the
way old buildings are often very unique, unlike modern buildings which can look all the same.
3 Sample answer
I think that in the future buildings will get taller and taller as the population is growing so fast that we
need to build upwards to have enough space for everyone. Also, buildings will be built closer together and
may be smaller for the same reason of there being too many people.
4 Sample answer
I tend to spend most of my time in my bedroom, because I have a lot of studying to do. In my bedroom,
I can listen to music while I work, and nobody disturbs me. Also, I like the way the room is decorated
because I chose the paint colour and the carpet myself.
5 Sample answer
I think people should leave the family home whenever they are ready, as long as their parents agree. Many
children leave their family home at around 18 to go to university, but may move back home when they
finish studying. Some people want to be independent earlier than others and some parents want their
children to stay at home longer.
6 Sample answer
At the moment, I live in the city and this is where I prefer to live because there is lots going on, it is easy to
get around on public transport and I don’t have to rely on my parents to drive me to places.

Listening Part 1  Page 5

1 B
The woman says ‘Anyway, I’m thinking of just jumping on the airport shuttle service that passes near our
road …’ The shuttle service must be a bus because the trains are on strike and the shuttle ‘passes near our
road’.
2 A
The woman has already done the shopping, so the man offers to tidy up the living room. The woman says
‘The living room can be done once that’s out of the way.’ ‘That’ refers to ‘get[ting] a wash on’ and the man
replies ‘OK, I’ll go and gather up their stuff then.’
3 C
The man says ‘But what about that pool! It was Olympic-sized, wasn’t it?’ and the woman replies ‘It sure
was! I could’ve spent a lot longer in it.’ The man then says ‘Me too,’ showing that this is something they
both liked about the venue.
4 A
The lecturer tells the student that both his photos and charts are fine, but says that his presentation needs
to emphasize key information: ‘What I would just say is consider adding a few more headings.’
5 B
The shop assistant says ‘There’s a bit of an issue with the keyboard, I’m afraid,’ meaning that this is the item
the shop is unable to deliver.

2  Oxford Test of English  B2 Practice Test 1 answer key  © Oxford University Press
Listening Part 2  Page 6
1 A
All of the camp’s zones have full-time members of staff and maps, but ‘the Brown Zone also has an
emergency mobile’. The representative says, ‘You won’t be charged for using this,’ meaning that the phone
is free.
2 C
The holiday camp representative says ‘What we do need to do is make a final check on the walkways
around the pool to ensure they’re as safe as they can possibly be.’
3 B
‘He just had to take some time off as his daughter’s getting married this weekend’ means that the golf
instructor is unavailable due to family commitments, because his daughter is a member of his family.
4 C
The representative says ‘it’s only the grown-ups who can get involved’, and then adds ‘Oh yes, and of
course, 13–18-year-olds, too’, meaning that both adults and teenagers can take sailing classes.
5 C
The representative says ‘our first aid team is available on a 24-hour basis’ meaning that the first aid team is
available at any time of the day or night.

Listening Part 3  Page 7

1 both
The woman says ‘That’s easy for them to say, though, when they’re on that side of the stage!’ and the
man is sympathizing with her when he says ‘They’re hardly the ones going through all those hours of
rehearsals!’ The woman confirms that they agree with one another by saying ‘So, that’s that settled then.’
2 woman
The woman suggests a comic act when she says ‘Should we introduce something different to the line-up
this year? Like, say, a comedy act?’ but the man eventually changes his mind and decides that this is not a
good idea: ‘Hmm … on second thoughts, I think we’d better stay away from jokes.’
3 both
The man says ‘How about a dance act?’ and the woman agrees this is a good idea when she says ‘I’m on
board with that.’ The man confirms that he thinks this will be popular by saying ‘it could be a real crowd
pleaser!’
4 man
The man says he ‘wasn’t sure about the committee idea … wasn’t convinced it’d work out’, but was happy
to be ‘proved wrong’. The woman, on the other hand, thinks having students on the committee was a
‘nuisance.’
5 both
The man says ‘We’ve got a big staff meeting coming up … that might be the right time to talk about it …’
and the woman agrees, ‘That makes sense,’ even though the show is still a while away. This means that
they are both prioritizing convenience.

Listening Part 4  Page 8

1 B
The woman says ‘I’m just saying if you’ve seen one piece of abstract art, you’ve seen them all really’,
meaning that she thinks all abstract art looks the same and is therefore ‘uninspiring.’
2 A
The man says ‘I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can. Just go ahead and start without me.’ This means he is
‘running late’.
3 C
Options A and B relate to the topics of last week’s episode of the documentary. This week, the man says,
the show is going to ‘look at how people went about preparing food’.

3  Oxford Test of English  B2 Practice Test 1 answer key  © Oxford University Press
4 B
The woman wants the organization to get involved in her project because she’d ‘love to be able to present
them [her parents] with our full family history’, but hasn’t been able to find out about all of her ancestors.
She is calling the organization because she wants their help with this.
5 C
The woman says that her friend has contacted her and has offered to help with ‘planning the evening
events’, but cannot attend the wedding because she will not be back in time. She says ‘I do think she
could’ve made a bit more of an effort’, showing that she is ‘disappointed’ by this.

Reading Part 1  Pages 9–10

1 A
‘If you recognize this activity on your account’ refers to the download that has just been made. Emma
would need to think about when she last made a download in order to check whether she made the last
one herself.
2 C
Options A and B are not correct because ‘if the position you play has changed’ and ‘whether there have
been any updates to the match schedule’ refer to hypothetical changes in the future. The change that
is definitely taking place is that ‘As of today, any future changes concerning the basketball team will be
displayed on the noticeboard in the reception area.’
3 C
Lucy wants Amy to tell her whether Matthew is planning on ‘stopping over’ (staying) at the flat at the
weekend. She says ‘I’ll do the rest,’ so she will make the booking herself. She points out that there is ‘a strict
cancellation policy’, but she does not ask Lucy to read it.
4 C
The advert says that the company will ‘grind them [the beans] according to your brewing method’. In other
words, the beans will be supplied in a way that is suitable for the way in which the reader prepares coffee.
5 B
Jem needs to contact the college ‘by the end of the week’ or his place will be offered to ‘somebody on the
reserve list.’ If there is a ‘reserve list’, this means that a lot of people are interested in doing the course and
so ‘demand for places is high’.
6 A
Tom will not be back from his holiday ‘until the weekend’ so he ‘rang [Patrick] last night’ to explain what
Claire needs to do with the letter. Patrick is ‘going to work’, but Claire ‘can pick the letter up this morning’
because ‘Ed is home till lunchtime.’ Option B is not correct because there is no mention of checking with
Ed. Tom will be back at the weekend so there would be no reason for Claire to collect the letter then,
meaning that option C is also incorrect.

Reading Part 2  Page 11

1 D
This website meets all of Ella’s requirements. It has ‘journalists review[ing] a selection of new releases each
week’, ‘news on who’s playing live around the world’ and ‘a small library of tracks available without charge’.
Website B is an attractive option because it meets two of the requirements, but it is not the correct answer
because it does not offer free downloads. Website C offers free downloads and ‘reviews of new releases’
but there is nothing about tour dates.
2 C
This website meets all of Tim’s requirements. It has ‘blogs posted by site members’, ‘in-depth interviews
about an artist’s background and musical inspiration’, and allows people to ‘print music [they] want to
learn to play.’ Website A has interviews with artists, but does not offer sheet music or ‘the views of other
music lovers’, while Website B has members’ blogs, but does not have interviews with artists or sheet
music.
3 B
This website meets all of Zoe’s requirements. It has ‘an unparalleled selection of world music’, ‘many
members have blogs’, and it has ‘predictions for major music prizes’. Website C has interviews with artists
and members’ blogs, but since it does not offer world music, it is not the correct answer.

4  Oxford Test of English  B2 Practice Test 1 answer key  © Oxford University Press
4 C
This website meets all of Simon’s requirements. It has ‘regular reviews of new releases’, accounts which are
‘free of charge and allow you to download music from the sizeable library’, and a ‘noticeboard’ with ‘ad[s]
for ‘second-hand instrument[s]’. Website B has instruments for sale and ‘new release reviews’, but it does
not offer free downloads.
5 A
This website meets all of Monica’s requirements. It is ‘the place to visit if you’re hunting down a track that’s
difficult to get’, has ‘regular updates on the lucky winners of the latest awards’, and ‘a number of online
interviews’. Website B meets two of Monica’s requirements, but it is not the correct answer because it only
has ‘new releases’, not ‘early jazz’.
6 B
This website meets all of Alex’s requirements. It has ‘new release reviews’, ‘sections on upcoming tours’ and
says that if you ‘have an instrument to sell, you get access to a wide community of musicians’, meaning
that Alex will be able to buy a replacement drum kit. Website C may be tempting because it has reviews
and instruments for sale. However, it does not provide concert dates.

Reading Part 3  Page 12

1 E
The sentence before the gap refers to crew members harvesting romaine lettuces. Option E begins with a
reference to ‘eating them’ – in other words, eating romaine lettuces. Option B is tempting, but does not fit
because Scott Kelly describes the taste of the lettuces and he could only do this if he had eaten them.
2 G
The sentence before the gap talks about the need to ‘improve the methods needed to grow plants in orbit’.
This links with ‘to achieve this’ at the beginning of option G, which is followed by an explanation of what the
experiment is designed to find out. ‘They’ in option G also links back to the plants in the previous sentence.
3 B
The sentence before the gap refers to ‘an earlier’ experiment. This is described at the beginning of option B
as ‘this occasion.’ There is also in option B a brief description of what happened during the experiment.
4 D
The sentence before the gap refers to ‘resupply flights’, which links with the reference at the beginning
of option D: ‘They become increasingly difficult’. Option G is tempting, but is not a key because the ‘they’
here refers to plants, and this does not appear in the text before the gap.
5 C
The sentence before the gap mentions the ‘nutritional benefits’ of ‘fresh foods’ and option C gives an
example of these – ‘the antioxidants provided by tomatoes and red lettuce’.
6 F
The text before the gap refers to the ‘psychological benefit’ of eating fresh food. This point is developed in
option F with a description of how astronauts feel about having plants on board the ISS.

Reading Part 4  Page 13

1 C
White says she’s ‘more interested in encouraging people to give sailing a go’, meaning that she wants more
people to try sailing. If more people are able to try a sport, it becomes more ‘accessible.’
2 C
White admits that she ‘started to think it (‘the hype’, meaning other people’s exaggerated opinions of her)
was all true’, but that when she was ‘alone out in the Atlantic the cracks soon appear[ed]’.
3 A
‘It’ is a pronoun which refers back to the object in the first clause – ‘hype.’ There are also contextual clues
that ‘it’ in this sentence refers to ‘hype’. ‘Hype’ tends to refer to exaggerated claims made in the press or on
social media. It is possible that you would think exaggerated claims about your abilities were ‘true.’
4 C
The fact that White ‘brushes … aside’ negative press and that she is ‘busy … staying focused’ tells us that
‘she is not easily distracted from her goals’.

5  Oxford Test of English  B2 Practice Test 1 answer key  © Oxford University Press
Writing Part 1  Page 14
Model answer
Dear Mr Gilbert,
Thank you for your email. I think it’s a fantastic plan to hold events to celebrate the college’s 25th birthday.
I have several ideas for things the college could do in the week leading up to this. For example, we could have
a display in the canteen with photos of students over the last 25 years, as well as descriptions of what they’re
doing now. Maybe the orchestra could perform or the drama group could put on a short play?
There should definitely be a party on the day of the anniversary and all students, parents, and staff would be
invited. There could be food, music, and dancing.
I’m happy to help organize any of these events, especially the display in the canteen.
Best wishes,
Amy
[129 words]

Writing Part 2  Page 15

Part 2 Essay model answer
Most people would agree that it is important to have good neighbours. In this essay I will explain why I share
this opinion.
Firstly, your neighbours matter because they are the people that live close to your home and you probably
see them quite frequently. If you have good neighbours, you are less likely to experience problems such as
loud music late at night, or litter in the street outside your home.
It can only improve your quality of life if you have a good relationship with your neighbours, but an
increasing problem in many cities is that people do not know who their neighbours are. They have little or no
contact with them and therefore find it difficult to build a friendship with them. This can damage the sense of
community in some areas.
In my view, everyone should make more effort to get to know their neighbours, even if they only say hello in
the morning.
[158 words]
Part 2 Article model answer
Last summer I went ‘glamping’ with my friend Alex in the Black Mountains. I have been camping before, but
this was the first time I’d been glamping. Glamping is a bit like camping, but involves a few luxuries – like
heating, electricity and hot water! It costs a bit more, but we both decided after a day in our ‘wigwam’ (which
was a bit like the canvas homes native Americans used to live in) that the extra expense was worth it.
The wigwam was in a field above Little Black Hill Farm and the view from the entrance was amazing. It was
quite remote, but that meant that it was quiet and relaxing. We had the field all to ourselves and you could
simply walk out of the wigwam into the mountains. But after walking all day, it was lovely to come back to a
warm wigwam and a hot bath. It was a really relaxing way to spend a weekend.
[160 words]

6  Oxford Test of English  B2 Practice Test 1 answer key  © Oxford University Press