Student’s name:

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UPPER IELTS
TEST 1
(70 minutes)
A. LISTENING
1. Track 1
Question 1-10
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/ OR A NUMBER for each answer.
EVENTS DURING KENTON FESTIVAL
Example
Start date: 16th May
OPENING CEREMONY (FIRST DAY)
- In town centre, starting at 1…………………………
The mayor will make a speech
A 2………………………… will perform
Performance of a 3………………………… about Helen Tungate (a 4…………………………)
Evening fireworks display situated across the 5…………………………

OTHER EVENTS
- Videos about relationships that children have with their 6…………………………
Venue: 7………………………… House
- Performance of 8………………………… dances
Venue: the 9………………………… market in the town centre
Time: 2 and 5 pm every day except 1st day of festival
- Several professional concerts and one by children
Venue: library
Time: 6:30 pm on the 18th

Tickets available online from festival box office and from shops which have the festival 10…………………………
in their windows

2. Track 2
Questions 11-15
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
 THEATRE TRIP TO MUNICH
11. When the group meet at the airport they will have
A. breakfast
B. coffee
C. lunch
12. The group will be met at Munich Airport by
A. an employee at the National Theatre
B. a theatre manager
C. a tour operator
13. How much will they pay per night for a double room at the hotel?
A. 110 euros
B. 120 euros
C. 150 euros
14. What type of restaurant will they go to on Tuesday evening?
A. an Italian restaurant
B. a Lebanese restaurant
C. a typical restaurant of the region
15. Who will they meet on Wednesday afternoon?
A. an actor
B. a playwright
C. a theatre director

Questions 16-20
What does the man say about the play on each of the following days?
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to Questions 16-20.
 Comments Days
A. The playwright will be present. 16. Wednesday
B. The play was written to celebrate an anniversary. 17. Thursday
C. The play will be performed inside a historic building. 18. Friday
D. The play will be accompanied by live music. 19. Saturday
E. The play will be performed outdoors. 20. Monday
F. The play will be performed for the first time.
G. The performance will be attended by officials from the town.

3. Track 3
Questions 21-25
Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.
SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES
21. James chose to take Scandinavian Studies because when he was a child
A. he was often taken to Denmark.
B. his mother spoke to him in Danish.
C. a number of Danish people visited his family.
22. When he graduates, James would like to
A. take a postgraduate course.
B. work in the media.
C. become a translator.
23. Which course will end this term?
A. Swedish cinema
B. Danish television programmes
C. Scandinavian literature
24. They agree that James’s literature paper this term will be on
A. 19th century playwrights.
B. the Icelandic sagas.
C. modern Scandinavian novels.
25. Beth recommends that James’s paper should be
A. a historical overview of the genre.
B. an in-depth analysis of a single writer.
C. a study of the social background to the literature.

Questions 26-30
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to Questions 26-30.
A. bullet points HOW JAMES WILL WRITE HIS PAPER ON THE VIKINGS
B. film He’ll read a 26………………………… and choose his
C. notes topic.
D. structure ↓
E. student paper He’ll borrow a 27………………………… from Beth.
F. textbook ↓
G. documentary He’ll plan the 28………………………… of the paper.
↓
He’ll read some source material and write
29…………………………
↓
He’ll write the paper using 30…………………………
↓
He’ll write the complete paper.

B. READING
1. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage below.
THE RISKS AGRICULTURE FACES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Synthesis of an online debate
A Two things distinguish food production from all other productive activities: first, every single person needs
food each day and has a right to it; and second, it is hugely dependent on nature. These two unique aspects,
one political, the other natural, make food production highly vulnerable and different from any other
business. At the same time, cultural values are highly entrenched in food and agricultural systems worldwide.
B Farmers everywhere face major risks; including extreme weather, long-term climate change, and price
volatility in input and product markets. However, smallholder farmers in developing countries must in addition
deal with adverse environments, both natural, in terms of soil quality, rainfall, etc. and human, in terms of
infrastructure, financial systems, markets, knowledge and technology. Counter-intuitively, hunger is prevalent
among many smallholder farmers in the developing world.
C Participants in the online debate argued that our biggest challenge is to address the underlying causes of the
agricultural system’s inability to ensure sufficient food for all, and they identified as drivers of this problem our
dependency on fossil fuels and unsupportive government policies.
D On the question of mitigating the risks farmers face, most essayists called for greater state intervention. In
his essay, Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, argued that
governments can significantly reduce risks for farmers by providing basic services like roads to get produce
more efficiently to markets, or water and food storage facilities to reduce losses. Sophia Murphy, senior
advisor to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, suggested that the procurement and holding of stocks
by governments can also help mitigate wild swings in food prices by alleviating uncertainties about market
supply.
E Shenggen Fan, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, held up social safety nets
and public welfare programmes in Ethiopia, Brazil and Mexico as valuable ways to address poverty among
farming families and reduce their vulnerability to agriculture shocks. However, some commentators
responded that cash transfers to poor families do not necessarily translate into increased food security, as
these programmes do not always strengthen food production or raise incomes. Regarding state subsidies for
agriculture, Rokeya Kabir, Executive Director of Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha, commented in her essay that
these ‘have not compensated for the stranglehold exercised by private traders. In fact, studies show that sixty
percent of beneficiaries of subsidies are not poor, but rich landowners and non-farmer traders.’
F Nwanze, Murphy and Fan argued that private risk management tools, like private insurance, commodity
futures markets, and rural finance can help small-scale producers mitigate risk and allow for investment in
improvements. Kabir warned that financial support schemes often encourage the adoption of high-input
agricultural practices, which in the medium term may raise production costs beyond the value of their
harvests. Murphy noted that when futures markets become excessively financialised they can contribute to
short-term price volatility, which increases farmers’ food insecurity. Many participants and commentators
emphasised that greater transparency in markets is needed to mitigate the impact of volatility, and make
evident whether adequate stocks and supplies are available. Others contended that agribusiness companies
should be held responsible for paying for negative side effects.
G Many essayists mentioned climate change and its consequences for small-scale agriculture. Fan explained
that ‘in addition to reducing crop yields, climate change increases the magnitude and the frequency of
extreme weather events, which increase smallholder vulnerability.’ The growing unpredictability of weather
patterns increases farmers’ difficulty in managing weather-related risks. According to this author, one solution
would be to develop crop varieties that are more resilient to new climate trends and extreme weather
patterns. Accordingly, Pat Mooney, co-founder and executive director of the ETC Group, suggested that ‘if we
are to survive climate change, we must adopt policies that let peasants diversify the plant and animal species
and varieties/breeds that make up our menus.’
H Some participating authors and commentators argued in favour of community- based and autonomous risk
management strategies through collective action groups, co-operatives or producers’ groups. Such groups
enhance market opportunities for small-scale producers, reduce marketing costs and synchronise buying and
selling with seasonal price conditions. According to Murphy, ‘collective action offers an important way for
farmers to strengthen their political and economic bargaining power, and to reduce their business risks.’ One
commentator, Giel Ton, warned that collective action does not come as a free good. It takes time, effort and
money to organise, build trust and to experiment. Others, like Marcel Vernooij and Marcel Beukeboom,
suggested that in order to ‘apply what we already know’, all stakeholders, including business, government,
scientists and civil society, must work together, starting at the beginning of the value chain.
I Some participants explained that market price volatility is often worsened by the presence of intermediary
purchasers who, taking advantage of farmers’ vulnerability, dictate prices. One commentator suggested
farmers can gain greater control over prices and minimise price volatility by selling directly to consumers.
Similarly, Sonali Bisht, founder and advisor to the Institute of Himalayan Environmental Research and
Education (INHERE), India, wrote that community-supported agriculture, where consumers invest in local
farmers by subscription and guarantee producers a fair price, is a risk-sharing model worth more attention.
Direct food distribution systems not only encourage small-scale agriculture but also give consumers more
control over the food they consume, she wrote.

Questions 1-3
Reading Passage has nine paragraphs, A-l.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.
1. a reference to characteristics that only apply to food production
2. a reference to challenges faced only by farmers in certain parts of the world
3. a reference to difficulties in bringing about co-operation between farmers

Questions 4-9
Look at the following statements (Questions 4-9) and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A-G.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 4-9 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
4. Financial assistance from the government does not always go to the farmers who most need it.
5. Farmers can benefit from collaborating as a group.
6. Financial assistance from the government can improve the standard of living of farmers.
7. Farmers may be helped if there is financial input by the same individuals who buy
8. Governments can help to reduce variation in pages.
9. Improvements to infrastructure can have a major impact on risk for farmers. from them

List of People
A. Kanayo F. Nwanze E. Pat Mooney
B. Sophia Murphy F. Giel Ton
C. Shenggen Fan G. Sonali Bisht
D. Rokeya Kabir
Questions 10-11
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 10-11 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO problems are mentioned which affect farmers with small farms in developing countries?
A. lack of demand for locally produced food
B. lack of irrigation programmes
C. being unable to get insurance
D. the effects of changing weather patterns
E. having to sell their goods to intermediary buyers

Questions 12-13
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO actions are recommended for improving conditions for farmers?
A. reducing the size of food stocks
B. attempting to ensure that prices rise at certain times of the year
C. organising co-operation between a wide range of interested parties
D. encouraging consumers to take a financial stake in farming
E. making customers aware of the reasons for changing food prices

2. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage below.
THE LOST CITY
An explorer’s encounter with the ruined city of Machu Picchu, the most famous icon of the Inca civilisation
A When the US explorer and academic Hiram Bingham arrived in South America in 1911, he was ready for
what was to be the greatest achievement of his life: the exploration of the remote hinterland to the west of
Cusco, the old capital of the Inca empire in the Andes mountains of Peru. His goal was to locate the remains of
a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation. Cusco lies on a high plateau at an elevation of more
than 3,000 metres, and Bingham’s plan was to descend from this plateau along the valley of the Urubamba
river, which takes a circuitous route down to the Amazon and passes through an area of dramatic canyons and
mountain ranges.
B When Bingham and his team set off down the Urubamba in late July, they had an advantage over travellers
who had preceded them: a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be
brought up by mules from the jungle. Almost all previous travellers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and
taken a high pass across the mountains to rejoin the river lower down, thereby cutting a substantial corner,
but also therefore never passing through the area around Machu Picchu.
C On 24 July they were a few days into their descent of the valley. The day began slowly, with Bingham trying
to arrange sufficient mules for the next stage of the trek. His companions showed no interest in accompanying
him up the nearby hill to see some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, had told them about the night
before. The morning was dull and damp, and Bingham also seems to have been less than keen on the prospect
of climbing the hill. In his book Lost City of the Incas, he relates that he made the ascent without having the
least expectation that he would find anything at the top.
D Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book. First, as he climbs up the hill, he describes the
ever-present possibility of deadly snakes, ‘capable of making considerable springs when in pursuit of their
prey’; not that he sees any. Then there’s a sense of mounting discovery as he comes across great sweeps of
terraces, then a mausoleum, followed by monumental staircases and, finally, the grand ceremonial buildings
of Machu Picchu. 'It seemed like an unbelievable dream … the sight held me spellbound …’, he wrote.
E We should remember, however, that Lost City of the Incas is a work of hindsight, not written until 1948,
many years after his journey. His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual appreciation of his
achievement. He spent the afternoon at the ruins noting down the dimensions of some of the buildings, then
descended and rejoined his companions, to whom he seems to have said little about his discovery. At this
stage, Bingham didn’t realise the extent or the importance of the site, nor did he realise what use he could
make of the discovery.
F However, soon after returning it occurred to him that he could make a name for himself from this discovery.
When he came to write the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world in April
1913, he knew he had to produce a big idea. He wondered whether it could have been the birthplace of the
very first Inca, Manco the Great, and whether it could also have been what chroniclers described as ‘the last
city of the Incas’. This term refers to Vilcabamba the settlement where the Incas had fled from Spanish
invaders in the 1530s. Bingham made desperate attempts to prove this belief for nearly 40 years. Sadly, his
vision of the site as both the beginning and end of the Inca civilisation, while a magnificent one, is inaccurate.
We now know, that Vilcabamba actually lies 65 kilometres away in the depths of the jungle.
G One question that has perplexed visitors, historians and archaeologists alike ever since Bingham, is why the
site seems to have been abandoned before the Spanish Conquest. There are no references to it by any of the
Spanish chroniclers - and if they had known of its existence so close to Cusco they would certainly have come
in search of gold. An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years is that Machu Picchu was
a moya, a country estate built by an Inca emperor to escape the cold winters of Cusco, where the elite could
enjoy monumental architecture and spectacular views. Furthermore, the particular architecture of Machu
Picchu suggests that it was constructed at the time of the greatest of all the Incas, the emperor Pachacuti (c.
1438-71). By custom, Pachacuti’s descendants built other similar estates for their own use, and so Machu
Picchu would have been abandoned after his death, some 50 years before the Spanish Conquest.

Questions 1-7
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E
6. Paragraph F
7. Paragraph G

List of Headings
i. Different accounts of the same journey
ii. Bingham gains support
iii. A common belief
iv. The aim of the trip
v. A dramatic description
vi. A new route
vii. Bingham publishes his theory
viii. Bingham’s lack of enthusiasm

Questions 8-11
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 8-11 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

8. Bingham went to South America in search of an Inca city.

9. Bingham chose a particular route down the Urubamba valley because it was the most common route used
by travellers.
10. Bingham understood the significance of Machu Picchu as soon as he saw it.
11. Bingham returned to Machu Picchu in order to find evidence to support his theory.

Questions 12-13
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.
12. The track that took Bingham down the Urubamba valley had been created for the transportation of
…………………………………………
13. Bingham found out about the ruins of Machu Picchu from a ………………………………………… in the Urubamba
valley.