Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.
This test reviews the whole B1 reading course. It has five sections and 41 questions, and you have 45 minutes.
Start the timer on each passage when you begin it, and move on when it ends. Answer every question, even if you have to guess. Check your answers only after you finish all five sections.
| Section | Questions | Time | Skills from the course |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Notice and email: Northside Recycling Centre | 1–5 | 7 minutes | Notices and emails, multiple-choice strategies |
| 2. Timetable: Hillcrest Museum workshops | 6–10 | 6 minutes | Scanning, timetables and tables |
| 3. Article: All aboard the walking bus | 11–25 | 17 minutes | Skimming, True/False/Not Given, vocabulary from context, reference words, fact or opinion |
| 4. Incomplete sentences | 26–31 | 5 minutes | Word forms and verb tenses |
| 5. Complete the Words | 32–41 | 5 minutes | Word forms, spelling and grammar |
| Check your answers | 5 minutes |
| Score (out of 41) | What it suggests | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| 36–41 | Secure B1 reading; ready for B2 | Start the B2 reading course |
| 28–35 | Good B1 with one or two weak areas | Review the lesson for the section where you lost most marks |
| 19–27 | Developing B1 | Repeat lessons 1–4 (skimming, scanning, vocabulary, notices) and the lesson for your weakest section |
| 0–18 | Core B1 skills need more practice | Work through the B1 course again, slowly, and do every exercise twice |
Last month, the city opened a new bike lane along River Road. It is 3 kilometres long and goes from the train station to the university. The council says it will make cycling safer. However, some shop owners are not happy. They say their customers can no longer park outside, and they have lost business. In my view, the lane is an excellent idea.
Scan for the detail. How long is the bike lane? Scan for a number: 3 kilometres. Read the whole sentence to check it is about the lane.
False or Not Given? Statement: The bike lane goes to the hospital. The text says it goes from the station to the university → False. Statement: The bike lane cost a lot of money. The text says nothing about cost → Not Given.
Follow the reference word. In They say their customers…, They = some shop owners. Look back to the nearest noun that makes sense.
Fact or opinion? It is 3 kilometres long is a fact: you can check it. The lane is an excellent idea is the writer's opinion: In my view and excellent show this.
Now start Section 1 and its timer.
Text 1: Notice
Northside Recycling Centre: new opening hours and rules
From Monday 2 September, the centre will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays.
Cars can enter without booking. Vans and trailers must book a time on our website at least 24 hours before they visit.
Garden waste, glass, paper and metal are free. There is a charge of £5 per item for large furniture, such as sofas and beds. We cannot accept paint or car batteries; please take these to the Southfield centre instead.
Staff can help you lift heavy items. Please ask at the gate when you arrive.
Text 2: Email
From: Paul Grant | To: Northside Recycling Centre | Subject: Visit on Saturday
Hello, I'm moving house next week, and I'd like to bring some things to the centre on Saturday morning. I'll be using a small van that I'm borrowing from a friend. I have an old sofa, two bags of garden waste, two half-full tins of paint and a box of glass bottles. Can I bring everything to Northside? Also, I hurt my back last month, so I may need some help with the sofa. Thanks, Paul
Read the notice and the email. Choose the best answer.
| Workshop | Day | Time | Ages | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil detectives | Monday | 10.00–11.30 | 6–8 | £6 |
| Build a robot | Tuesday | 14.00–16.00 | 9–12 | £10 |
| Ancient Egypt: make a mask | Wednesday | 10.00–12.00 | 6–12 | £8 |
| Draw like an artist | Thursday | 14.00–15.30 | 9–12 | £6 |
| Night at the museum | Friday | 18.00–20.00 | 8–12 | £12 |
All workshops take place in the Learning Room on the first floor. Children aged 6–8 must come with an adult. Adults do not pay.
You must book a place: book online or at the information desk. Museum members get 20% off all workshop prices.
Please arrive ten minutes before the start time. For Night at the museum, each child should bring a torch and a snack.
Use the timetable and the notes. Answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Every morning at 8.15, a line of about twenty children in bright yellow jackets leaves the car park of the Green Lane shops in Marston. Two adults walk at the front and one at the back. This is the Marston “walking bus”: a group of children who walk to school together along a fixed route, with stops where more children can join, just like a real bus.
The idea started three years ago, when parents at Marston Primary School became worried about traffic. Every morning, hundreds of cars stopped outside the school gates, and the road became dangerous. “Parents were driving their children because they thought walking wasn't safe,” says Helen Shaw, who organised the first walking bus. “But the cars were the reason it wasn't safe.”
Today there are three routes, and about sixty children use them. Each route has a timetable, and the “drivers” are parents, grandparents and other volunteers. They all have safety training before they start. When it rains, the bus still runs, but the children are given waterproof covers for their bags.
The school says the walking bus has made a real difference. There are far fewer cars outside the gates in the morning, and teachers believe that children who walk arrive calmer and more ready to learn. Some children have also made new friends from other classes on the way.
Not everyone is happy, however. Some parents say the routes do not go near their homes, and a few volunteers have stopped because they could not walk every day. The organisers now hope to find more volunteers, so that they can add a fourth route next year. Every town should try this simple idea.
Skim the article. Choose the best heading for each paragraph from the list (i–vii). There are two headings you do not need.
Do the statements agree with the information in the article? Choose True if the statement agrees, False if it says the opposite, and Not Given if there is no information about it.
Use the same article. Choose the best answer.
Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.
TOEFL Complete the Words. Complete the missing letters in the paragraph. Type only the missing letters (typing the whole word is also accepted).
Save words to review them later with flashcards.
“We took our old fridge to the recycling centre.”
“He moved the furniture in a trailer behind his car.”
“There is a small charge for parking.”
“I went to a photography workshop at the weekend.”
“Take a torch because the path is dark.”
“This bus route goes past the hospital.”
“Volunteers helped to clean the beach.”
“You'll need a waterproof jacket for the walk.”
“She stayed calm when the fire alarm rang.”
“We apologise for any inconvenience during the repairs.”
