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Lesson planB280 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Students learn to find evidence in a text for the writer's attitude, purpose and meaning, so they can answer exam-style Part 5 questions and rule out every wrong option.
Reading · Multiple choice · Attitude
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Each sentence (1–8) comes from a text. Match it with the word (A–H) that best describes the writer's attitude. Use each word once. In Part 5, many questions ask how the writer feels about something.
Tap an item…
…then its match
Part 5 often asks why a writer says something. Match each sentence (1–8) with what the writer is doing (A–H). Use each one once.
Tap an item…
…then its match
Signposts show how one idea links to the next. Complete each sentence with a phrase from the box. Use each one once.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
The tickets are 'subject to availability'. , they might sell out before you get one.
There was heavy snow overnight. , all the schools in the area are closed today.
On the one hand, a car-free centre would be quieter. , some shops might lose customers.
I thought the exam would be really hard. , it was easier than the practice tests.
Let's give her the job. She has more experience than anyone else, .
We had a picnic in the park of going to an expensive restaurant.
Some jobs are hard to do from home. Nurses, , need to be with their patients.
Read each short extract. Choose the correct answer. For a word like it or this, read the sentence before it. For a new word, use the words around it.
'The council has promised to repair the swimming pool roof by May. Most residents doubt this will happen.' What does 'this' refer to?
'Last year our town started a free bike-sharing scheme. At first, few people used it, mainly because the bikes were heavy and slow.' What does 'it' refer to?
'Some visitors spend hours in the gallery's café and never see the paintings. This frustrates the staff.' What does 'This' refer to?
'After three hours of trying to fix the printer, Leo finally admitted defeat and called a technician.' What does 'admitted defeat' mean?
'The new manager's ideas got a lukewarm response: nobody objected, but nobody seemed excited either.' What does 'lukewarm' mean here?
'Ana's first novel was rejected by twelve publishers. Undeterred, she started writing a second.' What does 'Undeterred' mean?
Read the text. For each question, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that fits best according to the text. Underline the words in the text that prove your answer, then check the explanation.
For years, the old clock in my grandparents' kitchen stopped every few days. My grandfather would wind it, tap it and complain about it, but he never had it repaired. When he died, my grandmother gave it to me, and I decided to fix it myself. I was a complete beginner. I watched online videos, bought a set of tiny screwdrivers and spent most weekends at the kitchen table, surrounded by springs and wheels. Twice I nearly gave up. The second time, I had taken the whole thing apart and could not remember how it went back together. After that, I took photos of every step, which saved me more than once. It took me four months. The clock now keeps perfect time, and it hangs in my own kitchen. My grandmother says it sounds exactly as it did fifty years ago. I'm not sure that's true, but I'm happy to believe her.
What do we learn about the writer's grandfather?
What saved the writer more than once?
What was the problem the second time the writer nearly gave up?
How does the writer feel about her grandmother's comment?
You are going to read an article by a man who joined a choir. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 5
Tip: Decide on your own answer from the text before you read the options. Then find a reason in the text why each of the other three options is wrong.
When my sister suggested that I join her community choir, I laughed. I had not sung in front of anyone since school, where a music teacher had once asked me, quite kindly, to 'just mouth the words' during a concert. That comment had stayed with me for nearly thirty years. But my sister kept asking, and in the end I went along to a rehearsal, mainly to prove to her that I was right. The first evening was not what I expected. There was no audition, and nobody asked me to sing on my own. The director, a cheerful woman called Ruth Okafor, simply put me in the back row between two experienced tenors and told me to listen more than I sang. I did exactly that. For the first few weeks, I spent most of each rehearsal concentrating on the man to my left, copying every note he sang and hoping nobody could hear me. Ruth's approach, I realised later, was very clever. Beginners in her choir are never made to feel like beginners. She corrects the whole section rather than individual singers, so a wrong note is everybody's problem and nobody's fault. It meant that, slowly, my nerves began to disappear, and I found that I was looking forward to Tuesday evenings. It wasn't always easy, though. Reading music was a mystery to me, and I still can't do it well. I practised by recording the tenor part on my phone and singing along to it on my way to work, which must have puzzled my fellow passengers on the bus. Slowly, I made progress. More than once I thought about giving up, especially before our first concert, but my sister told me to keep going. I didn't ruin anything, of course. In a choir of sixty people, one nervous tenor is hard to notice. I hadn't expected to feel so proud standing on that stage. My old music teacher was wrong, or at least only partly right: I will never be a soloist, but I can be a useful member of a team, and that has made me more confident than I have felt for years.
What do we learn about the writer's experience at school?
Why did the writer first go to a rehearsal?
What does the writer say about his first few weeks in the choir?
What does 'It' refer to in the third paragraph ('It meant that, slowly…')?
Why does the writer mention the passengers on the bus?
What is the writer's main point in the final paragraph?
You are going to read a newspaper column about a change in a small town. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 5
Tip: Options that repeat words from the text are often wrong. Check that an option says the same thing as the text, not just that it uses the same words.
When Pellingford council announced last spring that it would close the high street to cars for a six-month trial, I was among the many residents who rolled their eyes. We have heard big promises before. Ten years ago, a new car park was supposed to solve our traffic problems; it was finished three years late and is usually half empty. So forgive me if I did not rush out to celebrate. My main worry was the shops. Small businesses on the high street have had a difficult few years, and many owners told me that their customers like to park right outside. Take away the cars, they warned, and the customers will simply drive to the out-of-town shopping centre. It seemed a reasonable fear, and I said so in this column at the time. Four months into the trial, I have to admit that the picture is more complicated. Some shops are indeed struggling. Others, however, have done surprisingly well. Jan Petrie, who runs the bakery opposite the library, told me that her sales are up by almost a fifth. Families now walk slowly along the street instead of rushing back to their cars, and people who walk slowly, she pointed out, tend to stop and buy things. There have been other changes, too. The street is noticeably quieter, and on Saturday mornings it is full of children on bikes and older residents chatting outside the cafés. Even some drivers who complained loudly at first now say they enjoy the walk from the car park, although they would probably not admit this in public. None of this means the council has got everything right. Deliveries are still a problem, and people who find walking difficult have found it harder to reach the shops. These issues need to be solved before anyone decides to keep the street closed for good. But I am no longer as sceptical as I was. If the council listens to residents' concerns, the trial could turn out to be one of its better ideas.
Why does the writer mention the car park in the first paragraph?
What does 'rolled their eyes' show about the residents?
What did the shop owners fear, according to the second paragraph?
What point does Jan Petrie make?
What does 'this' refer to in the fourth paragraph?
What is the writer's attitude to the trial at the end of the article?
Write a short opinion paragraph of 100–130 words. Then swap with a partner and write one Part 5 question about your partner's paragraph, with four options (A–D) and only one correct answer.
Write about a change in your town, school or workplace: a new building, a new rule, or something that has closed. Say what happened, what you thought at first and what you think now. Show your attitude clearly, and use at least two attitude words and two signposts from the box. Word box: sceptical · enthusiastic · critical · cautious · optimistic · pessimistic · sympathetic · amused · suggest · imply · admit · emphasise · point out · compare · warn · persuade · in other words · as a result · on the other hand · in fact · after all · instead · for example · beginner · rehearsal · nerves · confidence · practise · make progress · give up · keep going
Suggested minimum: 100 words
Before you hand it in
0 words · aim for at least 100
Last year our school replaced its old library with a 'learning centre' full of computers. At first I was sceptical. In fact, I signed a petition against it, because I thought students would stop reading books. On the other hand, I could see that the old library was almost always empty. Six months later, I have to admit that the change has worked better than I expected. The centre is busy every lunchtime, and there is still a quiet corner with books. As a result, more students use it than ever used the library. I'm still a little cautious, because the computers are often slow. After all, a room full of broken machines would be worse than a room full of old books.
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