English Language Proficiency Exams: Past Papers and Solutions (2017-2024)

Posted on Jun 19, 2024 in English

Curso 2017-2018

OPCIÓN A: Selfie Accidents

1. a) FALSE: “It is almost twice as deadly as being killed by a shark.”
   b) TRUE: “There is, however, some evidence that there may be other selfie-related deaths that we don’t know about because they didn’t make international headlines.”
2. a) Why do certain people want to take some shocking selfies?
   People take risks to snap a selfie because they want to put it on Facebook or Twitter, or any other social network in order to become popular.
   b) Has anything been done to prevent selfie accidents?
   Yes, the Russian government has designed a campaign, including a brochure, an internet site and a video, in order to inform about the safety measures that people should take into account when taking selfies.
3. a) wish (1) desire b) take place (2) happen c) most recent (2) latest d) brochure (3) leaflet
4. a) who/that —– snapping b) have created —– by c) As —–has become d) Mike said that he had spoken to his publisher about her new photography book.

OPCIÓN B: The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle

1. a) FALSE: “Nevertheless, other boats and planes have vanished from the area in good weather without even radioing distress messages.”
   b) TRUE: “The first report about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle has been assigned to Christopher Columbus when in 1492 he sailed through the area on his first voyage to the New World.”
2. a) What climatic conditions in the Bermuda Triangle might explain the problems for ships and airplanes?
   The weather can cause difficulties to navigate in this sea, with the presence of hurricanes in the summer and strong storms.
   b) What do insurance companies and researches on the Bermuda Triangle have in common regarding the mystery of the area?
   Both do not consider the Bermuda Triangle a highly risky place since disappearances are not more common than in other places.
3. a) attributed (2) assigned b) dangerous (2) hazardous c) countless (3) innumerable d) regard (3) consider
4. a) Though —– has solved b) How long —– since c) hadn’t taken —– wouldn’t have been called d) John asked us if we knew that many ships and planes had disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

Curso 2018-2019

OPCIÓN A: Parents Join Facebook to Spy

1. a) TRUE: “They were 14 per cent more likely to be keeping tabs on their child’s profile than fathers.”
   b) TRUE: “One in six of those who joined Facebook confessed that spying on their children had been their sole motivation of doing so.”
2. a) Parents want to find out where their children go to and who their friends are.
   b) The survey director understands parents’ behaviour, since Facebook is a very useful tool to keep an eye on their children.
3. a) discover (1) find out b) new information (1) updates c) stated (3) said d) supervise (4) keep track of
4. a) had spied —- what b) deals —– has been explained c) frequently —– a d) Mary asked her mother what else she had seen in her Facebook account.

OPCIÓN B: The Dangers of Perfume

1. a) A series of demands that some perfumes should be forbidden in certain places have been accepted.
   TRUE “[Amazingly, despite the protests made by perfume lovers,] many of these bans have been approved.”
   b) Healthy perfumes are becoming less and less sophisticated.
   FALSE “[Recently, the number of companies specialised in natural perfumes is increasing]; with more complex scents on offer, a healthier lifestyle has never smelled so sweet.”
2. a) The symptoms of MCS are headache, people also have their eyes full of tears, the urge to vomit or feel as though they cannot get enough air.
   b) An advantage of natural perfumes is that the buyer does not pay for propaganda. A disadvantage is that they are more expensive than perfumes made with artificial chemicals.
3. a) complaints (1)  protests b) disputed (2) controversial c) close to (2) near d) harm (3) damage
4. a) must —– as b) coughing —– time c) was forbidden —– for d) to buy —– whose

Curso 2019-2020

OPCIÓN A: Anne Morrow Lindbergh

1. a) Most people… TRUE: “Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh, American writer and aviator (1906-2001), was perhaps best known as the wife of Charles Lindbergh, [the pilot who had made the first solo transatlantic flight in 1927].”
   b) Anne and… FALSE: “She graduated from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1928, and the couple was married the following year.”
2. a) How did Anne help her husband develop his career as a pilot?
   She helps her husband by carrying out important flights and achieving a speed record as co-pilot, navigator and radio operator on those flights.
   b) Why did female readers feel so close to Anne?
   Because in her books, especially in Gift from the Sea, she provides a clever [reflection] of the way women lived their lives in the twentieth century.
3. a) awarded (2) granted b) permit (2) license c) topic (2) subject d) reflective (3) thoughtful
4. a) had not met ——- what b) who ——- is said c) often ——- a d) Ann asked her husband what he had felt when he had been flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

OPCIÓN B: Horse against Owner

1. a) FALSE: “He was removed from the property and taken to an animal shelter for abused, neglected and abandoned horses.”
   b) TRUE: “But she refused to pay for Justice’s future care.”
2. a) They don’t want any financial goals, they want the former owner of Justice’s to pay for their future medical care.
   b) If the lawyers win this case, animals will be treated differently, not just as somebody’s property, but as sensitive creatures.
3. a) refuge (1) shelter b) painful (2) heartbreaking c) alter (2) change d) at hand (2) available
4. a) on ——- accepting b) is reported ——- how c) Despite ——- higher d) Nick asked his wife if she thought zoo animals were really happy

Curso 2020-2021

OPCIÓN A: Flashes on the Moon

1. a) The flashes… FALSE: “This unusual phenomenon has been happening several times a week.”
   b) Scientists… FALSE: “The so-called transient lunar phenomena have been known since the 1950s, but they have not been sufficiently observed.”
2. a) Two theories that explain this phenomenon are: meteorites hitting the surface of the moon; gases that escape from the surface during lunar earthquakes.
   b) It is located in Spain, because the atmospheric conditions for watching the moon are much better than in Germany.
3. a) shine (1) glow b) happened (1) occurred c) established (2) set up d) station (3) base
4. a) orbiting ——- in b) were left ——- still c) started ——- at d) which ——- is covered

OPCIÓN B: Is Reading Affected by Gender?

1. a) The participants… TRUE: “They also rated their own enjoyment and skill in the activity, and completed reading tests.”
   b) Both… FALSE: “However, the authors acknowledged that their findings don’t prove that gender stereotypes make boys worse at reading and said their data might not be accurate as they relied on the children’s honesty.”
2. a) Boys were less motivated and their tests had worse results.
   b) The second study found that, if teenage boys learned about boys and girls being equal, this helped them to be less aggressive.
3. a) carry out (1) conduct b) showed (2) revealed c) seem (2) appear d) differences (3) disparities
4. a) treating ——- of b) at ——- than c) who ——- out d) My best friend asked me what my favourite book was.

Curso 2021-2022

OPCIÓN A: The Future of Jobs and Skills

1. a) What we… TRUE: “Students entering formal education today will be making decisions about their career by 2030, so the future of jobs and skills is a key issue in education.”
   b) According… FALSE “Recent studies have found out that 70% workers are in jobs with uncertain future, and this must be improved with the right skills preparation.”
2. a) Big changes in technology provoke fear of losing jobs; technological evolution brings about more employment.
   b) While jobs are disappearing in the contaminating sectors, more jobs are growing in the green sector, which will affect the skills needed in the future.
3. a) emerged (2) arisen b) nowadays (3) currently c) keep (4) retain d) look after (4) care for
4. a) have been ——- which b) learning ——- from c) with ——- only d) Advisors asked if  the number of jobs in the green sector had increased the year before.

OPCIÓN B: Social Media and Mental Health

1. a) Instagram… TRUE: “The constant bombardment of perfectly filtered photos that appear on Instagram are bound to knock many people’s self-esteem.”
   b) According… FALSE: “If we direct all of our attention toward capturing the best shots for our social media followers to admire, less will be available to enjoy other aspects of the experience in real time,’ said Dr Bono.”
2. a) Social media negatively affect our memories, since they can alter the way in which we remember enjoyable moments of our past life.
   b) They show that more than a third of Generation Z people were leaving social media, while 41 per cent said that social media provoked anxiety, sadness, or depression in them.
3. a) growth (1) rise b) dependence (1) reliance c) took place (2) occurred d) demonstrated (3) proven
4. a) The —– more unhappy b) from —– not providing c) which —– as d) Dr Bono tells us that we should enjoy every aspect of our life in real time.

Curso 2022-2023

OPCIÓN A: Why is Bangkok the Most Visited City in the World?

1. a) Bangkok… FALSE: “In my more than decade of global wanderings, there is one place that always comes to mind first when I decide I need a culturally interesting place to work remotely for a few months.”
   b) Thailand… FALSE: “Thailand might not have the lowest cost of living in the world, but compared to North America, Europe, Australia or Japan, Thailand is downright cheap.”
2. a) Bangkok citizens use brooms daily to wipe the streets clean. Besides, shop owners and street sellers wash their share of pavement.
   b) Because in the city of Bangkok very few serious crimes are committed each year.
3. a) approximate (2) estimated b) around (2) all over c) waste (3) litter d) problems (4) issues
4. a) accommodation ——- booking b) greatly ——– on c) had chosen ——- wouldn’t have been d) to say —— easiest

OPCIÓN B: Sports in America

1. a) Female… TRUE: “As a result of a U.S. law that encourages women to take part in athletics, girls’ participation in high school athletics has risen by 800% over the past 30 years.”
   b) Being… FALSE: “Grants are offered at the intercollegiate level to students who are both academically qualified and skilled in a sport.”
2. a) The benefits students get from playing sports are exercising, fair play, etc.
   b) No, it is not, because they want gender equality and offer the same number of scholarships to boys and girls.
3. a) chance (1) opportunity b) significant (2) prevalent c) comprise (2) include d) key (4) crucial
4. a) who —– competing b) are played —- regardless c) to meet —- from d) My son asked me who had won the Australia Open tournament three years before.

Curso 2023-2024

OPCIÓN A: Nobel Prize for Studying Neanderthal DNA

1. a) Pääbo… FALSE: “He studied mummies and extinct animals before focusing his efforts on Neanderthals.”
   b) Pääbo… FALSE: “Pääbo humbly replied that he did not really think that this study would qualify for a Nobel Prize.”
2. a) Their studies have allowed other researchers to compare current human beings with their predecessors.
   b) The people who win a Nobel Prize get around 900,000 euros that are part of the money that Alfred Nobel, the inventor of the prize.
3. a) clever (1) smart b) findings (3) discoveries c) occasion (3) time d) excellent (4) outstanding
4. a) was —– with b) have led —– where c) Though —– to sell d) He asked me if any researcher from my country had won a Nobel Prize.

OPCIÓN B: TikTok’s Rise

1. a) TikTok… FALSE: “By the end of 2023, it will overtake YouTube as the social media platform that users spend the most time watching.”
   b) TikTok’s algorithm… TRUE: “TikTok’s algorithm, which serves intensely specific content to users, is a key element of its success.”
2. a) Covid 19 causes the use of TikTok to grow significantly
   b) Using social media too much increases psychological problems and provokes viral unhealthy tendencies.
3. a) specialists (1) experts b) around (1) surrounding c) started (2) began d) almost (2) nearly
4. a) globally —– easier b) will reach —– who c) was released —– ago d) being ——- on