General English Examination

Elementary level

Speaking part 3

Discussion on a Topic Stimulated by Photos

You are going to be given two different photographs and I’d like you to describe them on your
own. When you have finished I will ask you to answer some questions so that you can
broaden the topic introduced in the pictures.

Topic: Place of living

Ide jönnek a képek

General English Examination
Elementary level

Speaking Part 3

SITUATION

Answering an Ad

Candidate sheet

You are selling your house. A buyer called you to enquire about a house.

Examiner sheet

You want to buy a house and found an advertisement in the newspaper. Call it up and ask
about the house.

 how big it is,

 nearby facilities ( supermarket, shopping centre, cinema)
 travel ( tube station, bus stop,distance from the centre)
 facilities in the house ( telephone, central heating, storage space, dog/cat, built-in
wardrobes)
 payement
 when to move in?
General English Examination
Elementary level

Speaking Part 3

SITUATION

A new flat

Candidate sheet

Your friend just moved into a new flat. You pop in and have a look at his new place. He asks
you to help him to put the different pieces of furniture in the right place in the living room.
Suggest and agree for location for items of furniture.

Examiner sheet

You have just moved into a new flat. Your friend pops in and has a look at your new place.
Show him round the flat and ask him to help you to put the different pieces of furniture in the
right place in the living room. Ask his advice:

 where to put the television,

 ask him where the wall-unit is going,
 what would be the best place for the sofa,
 Would it spoil the look of the room if ....
 is there enough room for ....
General English Examination
Elementary level

Speaking Part 3

SITUATION

Housework

Candidate sheet

You hate housework, your house is a mess, there isn't any clean plate to be found in the
kitchen, your living room looks as a bomb had just gone off. There are things everywhere,
you can't see your face in the bathroom mirror. You decided to hire someone to clean your
house. Tell her what should she do around the house.

Examiner sheet

You are a student, who needs extra money. You accepted to clean Mary's house. Ask her what
does she want you to do.

 should you wash and iron the clothes,

 wipe the dust off
 clean the carpets
 make the bed
 scrub the kitchen floor.
General English Examination
Elementary level

Writing Part 1

Complete the next below by writing a suitable word from the list in each space provided.
There are 15 gaps but 20 words are given. Use each word once only.
There is an example. ( 0 ) for you.

HOW TO BECOME A HOUSE OWNER

Tony and Sheila's first home was a ................. (1) house, one of a line houses all
connected. But several years later when they had a small child, they found it
rather..................... (2) for three people. They wanted something more .................. (3) and so
decided to move. They went to an ................. (4) and looked at details of the houses he had to
offer. They looked at a ....................(5) house ( one of a pair attached to each other) , liked it,
and asked the ........................ (6) to inspect it for them. He said that it was in
good ...................(7), and they therefore decided to buy it. Luckily they sold their house
quickly and soon a ....................(8) firm was taking all their furniture and other possessions to
their new home. But already, after a couple of years, they are hoping to move again. Tony's
business is doing well and they want to get an ....................... ( 9) to design a
modern, ...................... (10) house for them, and a ............................... (11) to build it.

condition removals
detached
estate agent
terraced
spacious
builder
semi-detached
architect
surveyor
cramped
General English Examination
Elementary level

Reading Part 1

Read the text and answer the questions.

British homes are usually smaller than American homes, but, like Americans, old
people, young families and unmarried people do not usually live together.
Many British people love old houses, and these are often more expensive than modern
ones. They also love gardening, and you will see gardens everywhere you go, in towns,
villages and out in the country. Some gardens are very small, others are enormous, with plenty
of flowers, vegetables and fruit trees.
Half of the families in Britain own their homes. These "owner occupied" houses are
the same, with two or three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, a sitting room, dining room
and kitchen downstairs and a small garden at the back and front of the house. To pay for their
house, home owners borrow money from a "building society" and pay back a little every
month.
One third of British people live in rented state-owned homes, called "council houses".
Many of these are flats, but some are houses, each with a small piece of garden. Other people
rent their homes from private owners.
There are many different kinds of homes in Britain, but there are not enough. It can be
difficult for young people to find a home when they get married and start a family.

QUESTIONS

1. Are British homes usually bigger or smaller than American homes?

2. Do old people and young families live together in Britain?
3. Which houses are more expensive: old or modern ones?
4. Why will you see gardens everywhere in Britain?
5. How many rooms does the average British home consist of?
6. Do people always have enough money to buy a house?
7. Who can they borrow money from?
8. How do they pay back the loan?
9. One third of British people don't own their homes. Where do they live?
10. Is it difficult for young people to find a home?
General English Examination
Elementary level

Writing Part 2

Letter Writing

1.
You just moved from a small country cottage to a city. Write a letter to your friend about the
advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city.

 why is living in a big city attractive?

 available services.
 more opportunity to succeed.
 traffic, air pollution, noise, stress.

2.
You bought a house and found out that there are a lots of things that go wrong. Write a letter
to the estate agent and apologise.

 some of the stairs are missing.

 the paint come off the doors.
 there is no electricity.
 the gas is leaking.
 there is a hole in the roof.
 there are rats in the house.
General English Examination
Elementary level

Reading Part 2

Read the text and answer the questions.

House building in Canada

About 165.000 new houses are built in Canada every year. Here are some facts about the
average size, single family home.
Most houses have a concrete or cement block foundation. The frame is usually wood.
The exterior is brick, wood siding or a combination of these. It takes about eight weeks to
build a typical Canadian house. The typical house has three bedrooms and 150 to 185 square
metres.
The most popular floor covering is wall-to-wall carpet. In kitchens and bathrooms,
people like ceramic tiles.
On the average, people spend 17 to 20 minutes looking at a new house before they
decide to buy it. About 50% of all homeowners are paying off a mortgage. Most owners have
about 12 years to go until their mortgage is paid off.

1. Hány új ház épül Kanadában évente?

2. Általában milyen alapokra épülnek ezek a házak?
3. Mennyi idő alatt épül fel egy tipikus kanadai ház?
4. Miből áll a váz és a külső falak?
5. Mekkora egy átlagos kanadai ház?
General English Examination
Elementary level

Vocabulary List

terraced house
semi-detached house
detached house
country cottage
tower block
flat / apartmant
suburb
residential area
estate agent

fence, drainpipe, porch, doorstep

attic, basement, cellar

kitchen, living room, sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, hall, pantry, staircase

walpaper

upstairs, ground floor, downstairs

fireplace, shelf, closet, cupboard, wardrobe, lamp, curtain, coffee table,. sofa, armchair, flower
stand, , rug, carpet, bedsite table, readinglamp, single bed, double bed, bunk bed, linen
cupboard

sink, dishwasher, kitchen counter, coffee grinder, toaster, drawer, oven, stove, waste basket,

basin , tub, tap / faucet, floor tiles, bathroom cabinet, soap dish,
towel rack

switch, socket, plug

dust cloth, loundry, washig powder

EXPRESSIONS:

My house is my castle.
They had a full house.
She brought down the house.