Entry 3 reading practice: original worksheet

Original Nolixia practice • Not an official exam paper

Text 1: compare two everyday options

These are fictional course descriptions for this exercise.

Course A: photography walks

Explore local streets with a tutor and practise taking photographs outdoors. Sessions run on Saturdays from 10 am to midday for four weeks. Bring a camera or a phone with a camera. The course costs £24. You do not need previous experience. Most of each session takes place outside, so bring a coat. There is no indoor alternative in wet weather.

Course B: edit your photographs

Learn to crop photographs, improve brightness and organise picture folders. Sessions run on Wednesdays from 6 pm to 8 pm for four weeks. The course costs £24, and classroom computers are provided. Bring five digital photographs on a USB drive. This course is suitable for people who can already use a mouse and open files. All sessions take place indoors.

Questions: compare the whole requirement

Do not choose a course only because the price matches your budget. Check the time, equipment and starting skills too.

Text 2: follow instructions with conditions

Borrowing a community projector

The fictional Brook Lane Centre lends a projector to registered community groups. To request it, complete the booking form at least seven days before your event. Write the event date, collection time and the name of the person collecting it. Sending the form does not confirm your booking. Wait for a confirmation email before making plans that depend on the equipment.

Collect the projector between 9 am and 4 pm on a weekday. Bring the confirmation email and the collecting person's identification. If a different person needs to collect it, contact reception before collection so that staff can update the booking.

Return the projector by midday on the next working day after the event. If your event is on Friday, return it by midday on Monday, unless Monday is a bank holiday. In that case, reception will confirm a different return date in writing.

Questions: notice before, if and unless

Text 3: understand a short opinion

A different kind of book club

I nearly stopped going to our book club because I could not finish a long novel every month. I work evenings, and I often arrived feeling embarrassed about the chapters I had missed. Last month, the organiser suggested that we try short stories instead.

The change has helped me take part. I can read a complete story on the bus and arrive with something to discuss. However, I miss following the same characters for several weeks. A short story sometimes ends just when I want to know more.

I would like the club to keep the short stories for most meetings and choose a longer book occasionally. That would give people with less reading time a way to join in, without losing everything I enjoyed about the old club.

Questions: separate facts from opinions