A Football Film Without a Stadium

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 1

Multiple-choice cloze

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example (0) A get B give C make D take

A Football Film Without a Stadium

When a local film club decided to (0) _____ a short film about women’s football, it couldn’t afford to hire a stadium. Instead, the director chose a school (1) _____ as the filming location. The players joined the cast, and a small (2) _____ from a nearby college took care of the cameras, sound and lighting.

The original (3) _____ included a scene in which the goalkeeper dived into the goalpost. To avoid the risk of (4) _____, the director replaced that moment with a close-up of the goalkeeper’s gloves as she caught the ball. The camera operator filmed the save from ground level so it would look convincing without any (5) _____.

For the (6) _____, a local musician mixed the sound of the crowd with a simple melody. At the first screening, some viewers said the match felt so real that they held their (7) _____ during the final penalty. The players, who had been nervous about appearing on camera, said the experience had given them the (8) _____ to take part in another film.

No.	A	B	C	D
1	court	stage	pitch	studio
2	audience	crew	orchestra	backing group
3	script	soundtrack	scenery	lighting
4	recovery	stretching	fitness	injury
5	live performances	special effects	reporting requirements	character roles
6	casting	plot	soundtrack	scenery
7	patience	breath	confidence	balance
8	confidence	likelihood	usage	performance

C1 Speaking Test Part 4 (individual MUN Interview)

 

 

A1 Writing Exam — Describing Yourself

Time: 20 minutes
Length: 35–60 words

Write a short description of yourself for a new classmate. Include:

1. Your name and where you are from.
2. Your nationality and whether you are a university student.
3. A description of your home: a house or a flat.
4. Two things you have, such as a phone, a computer, a book or a watch.
5. One food you like and one food you don’t like.

B2-level Writing Exam Task for FCE 1 of Writing an informal email about recommending a restaurant

 

C1-level Writing Exam Task: A Proposal of a Global Issue for MUN

 

Lessons from the Global Policy Lab

Part 8: Multiple matching

You are going to read comments from five university students who participated in an international policy programme. For questions 47–56, choose from the students A–E. The students may be chosen more than once.

Lessons from the Global Policy Lab

A — Leila

My team examined how international organisations obtain reliable information during humanitarian emergencies. I had assumed that documenting violations was mainly a matter of interviewing witnesses and recording their statements. However, access to affected communities was frequently restricted, so investigators could not always confirm what had happened. Even when witnesses were available, differences between their accounts made verification difficult.

The most important lesson was that documenting an allegation is not the same as deciding who is responsible. Investigators must gather evidence impartially before any individual or organisation is publicly blamed. I initially found this caution frustrating because the available reports appeared convincing. I eventually understood that promoting accountability requires credible mechanisms rather than immediate accusations. If the evidence is weak, even a justified allegation can be challenged and the entire investigation may lose credibility. By the end of the programme, I had become much more aware of the distinction between recording possible violations and reaching a legally or politically defensible conclusion.

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B — Rafael

I worked on the language used in a proposed international agreement. The experience showed me that apparently minor vocabulary choices can determine whether delegations support or reject a proposal. At one point, our draft stated that member states would “guarantee” unrestricted access for international observers. Several representatives objected because they believed the verb created an obligation they could not realistically fulfil. We replaced it with a commitment to “facilitate” access while retaining safeguards against deliberate obstruction. The objective remained intact, but the revised wording made conditional support possible.

Another difficulty involved expressions that different delegations interpreted in different ways. Some understood “immediate action” to mean intervention within hours, whereas others thought it referred more generally to action taken without unnecessary delay. Neither interpretation was unreasonable, but the disagreement nearly prevented a compromise. I came to appreciate that diplomatic language is not necessarily vague because delegates lack ideas. Sometimes careful wording is required to identify common ground without concealing genuine differences.

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C — Maya

I joined the programme because I wanted to practise public speaking, so I was disappointed when I was assigned to the implementation team. We worked behind the scenes, converting general recommendations into timetables, responsibilities and measurable outcomes. At first, the role seemed administrative and far removed from the important policy discussions taking place elsewhere.

That impression changed when several ambitious proposals reached us without any explanation of who would carry them out or how their success would be assessed. A resolution may attract unanimous support, but it achieves little unless institutions are assigned specific responsibilities. Our team introduced reporting deadlines, identified which organisations would provide funding and designed a review process. The work was less visible than delivering an opening speech, yet I discovered that it suited me better. I enjoyed turning broad promises into practical steps and examining whether cooperation continued after the initial enthusiasm had disappeared. What I had regarded as a secondary assignment eventually became the central part of my experience.

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D — Thomas

My research group investigated how small states participate in international affairs. I chose Andorra because I had previously thought of it principally as a destination for skiing, shopping and thermal spas. Studying its history completely changed that superficial impression. Its political system developed from agreements between competing rulers, including the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. Instead of being absorbed by a more powerful neighbour, the territory maintained its independence by balancing external interests.

I was particularly struck by the survival of Catalan language and culture. Andorra has undergone extensive economic and political change, but its historical identity remains visible in its institutions and Romanesque-style churches. The research also challenged my assumption that influence depends on population size or military strength. Smaller countries can promote cooperation, offer mediation and draw attention to issues that larger states may overlook. I finished the project convinced that historical experience can give a small state a distinctive and valuable role in diplomacy.

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E — Nadia

As committee chair, I was responsible for organising debate without promoting my own position. The most difficult moments occurred when delegates repeated the same arguments instead of responding to one another. Initially, I allowed these exchanges to continue because I did not want to appear impatient or interfere with the discussion. Looking back, I should have invited the delegates to clarify their main points much sooner. Earlier intervention might have prevented frustration from developing.

Nevertheless, I learned that open disagreement is not necessarily evidence of failed diplomacy. Delegates who establish firm limits may simply be giving an honest account of what they are authorised to accept. That information can be more useful than vague expressions of solidarity. Once the committee understood which positions were genuinely incompatible, it could concentrate on areas where compromise remained possible. My responsibility was not to eliminate disagreement but to ensure that it became productive. Effective chairing therefore required impartiality, careful listening and the confidence to intervene when the discussion ceased to make progress.

Questions

Which student:

47. discovered that less visible work was more suitable for them than speaking in public?

48. describes changing the language of a proposal without abandoning its original aim?

49. mentions that restricted access made it difficult to confirm what had occurred?

50. says that research changed their opinion about the international importance of a small country?

51. believes that openly stating disagreement can contribute to effective negotiations?

52. was initially dissatisfied with an assignment that later became the most significant part of their experience?

53. expresses surprise that a cultural identity has endured despite major changes?

54. wishes they had taken action at an earlier stage of a discussion?

55. emphasises the difference between recording evidence and determining responsibility?

56. describes a disagreement caused by contrasting interpretations of the same expression?

How Andorra Survived

Part 7: Gapped text

You are going to read an article about the historical development of Andorra. Six extracts have been removed from the text. Choose from extracts A–G the one which fits each gap (41–46). There is one extra extract which you do not need to use.

How Andorra Survived

At first sight, Andorra’s continued existence seems historically improbable. The country occupies a small mountainous territory between France and Spain, two states whose rulers repeatedly expanded their influence across Europe. Andorra possessed neither a powerful army nor abundant natural resources with which to defend itself. Nevertheless, it avoided being absorbed by either neighbour and eventually developed into a modern independent state.

The origins of this unusual political situation are difficult to nail down. Medieval documents associate the territory with several rulers, religious institutions and local families. Some accounts emphasise grants supposedly made during the reign of Charlemagne, whereas others focus on agreements concluded much later. The surviving evidence is incomplete and sometimes allows for several interpretations. (41) ______ By the late thirteenth century, neither side had been able to establish complete control. Continued squabbling threatened the stability of the region, making a negotiated solution increasingly necessary.

The opposing authorities eventually concluded two agreements known as the pareatges. These recognised that authority would be shared by the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. Each co-prince received certain rights, while neither was permitted to govern the territory independently. (42) ______ That political framework proved remarkably durable. Over time, the French rights passed from the Count of Foix to the French Crown. After the French Revolution, they eventually became associated with the French head of state.

Consequently, Andorra’s present co-princes are the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France—an arrangement that links a medieval religious office with a modern republic. This institutional continuity is frequently presented as evidence that Andorra has remained largely unchanged for centuries. (43) ______ Even so, the basic principle of shared authority survived. It provided a stable political foundation while allowing the country’s social and economic organisation to evolve gradually.

One advantage of the co-principality was that it discouraged either neighbouring power from simply taking possession of the territory. Any attempt to pinch Andorran land risked provoking the other co-prince. The arrangement therefore provided the valleys with a degree of protection that their inhabitants could not have secured through military strength alone. (44) ______ Nevertheless, restraint alone did not guarantee Andorra’s survival. Its leaders also had to respond carefully to changes taking place beyond the Pyrenees.

Treaties, revolutions and changes of government could alter the position of one of the co-princes. Andorran representatives therefore became skilled at reaffirming old agreements while avoiding actions that might cause a neighbouring state to question the country’s special status.

Modernity created a different kind of challenge. For centuries, geographical isolation had limited Andorra’s economic development as well as protecting it from external interference. Once improved roads connected the valleys more closely to France and Spain, the country could no longer depend on isolation as its principal defence. (45) ______ These developments brought prosperity, but they also made political reform increasingly necessary. The institutions inherited from the medieval period were no longer sufficient for a society whose population, international connections and economy had expanded considerably.

In 1993, voters approved a constitution that established Andorra as a sovereign parliamentary democracy. The constitution defined the powers of the government and legislature while preserving the co-princes as joint heads of state. In the same year, Andorra joined the United Nations and gained wider international recognition. (46) ______ Andorra’s survival cannot therefore be attributed to a single ruler, treaty or geographical advantage.

Instead, its continued independence resulted from the interaction of difficult terrain, competing external powers, carefully maintained agreements and a willingness to undergo political change when older institutions were no longer sufficient. What began as a practical medieval compromise gradually became the foundation of a modern state.

Missing extracts

A

In reality, everyday life and political participation changed considerably. For much of its history, Andorra was a poor rural society, and its institutions were far less democratic than they are today.

B

This transformation modernised the state without completely rejecting its historical foundations. The co-princes retained a largely ceremonial role, while political authority became centred on elected institutions.

C

This uncertainty has encouraged the creation of attractive legends. What can be established, however, is that the Bishop of Urgell and the lords controlling neighbouring territories maintained competing claims over the valleys.

D

During the twentieth century, the population expanded and the economy underwent a dramatic transformation. Tourism, banking and commerce replaced agriculture as the principal sources of income.

E

The Pyrenees undoubtedly made invasion and administration more difficult. However, many other isolated European territories were incorporated into larger states despite possessing equally formidable natural defences.

F

The settlement was primarily a practical solution to a local dispute. By obliging both sides to cooperate, it prevented either co-prince from becoming the territory’s sole ruler.

G

This protection was reinforced by a tradition of neutrality. When conflicts broke out in surrounding regions, Andorra generally avoided direct involvement because it could neither maintain a large army nor conscript enough men to resist a major power.