A Student’s First Work Placement

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the main idea of the passage?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The placement builds confidence and respect for ordinary work.
   2. The writer chooses not to work in a shop again.
   3. The manager lets the writer repair bikes alone.
   4. The writer mainly serves customers at the door.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The placement builds confidence and respect for ordinary work.

   The writer describes how a nervous beginner gradually becomes more confident and learns that ordinary tasks are important in a workplace. The other options focus on only one small detail or add information not in the diary.

   I left tired but pleased

   Ask questions, stay alert, and pay attention to the little jobs

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why was the writer nervous on the first morning?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The writer forgot the notebook.
   2. The writer did not know how busy the shop would be.
   3. The writer had been sent to the wrong shop.
   4. The writer was new to shop work and feared slowing others down.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The writer was new to shop work and feared slowing others down.

   The writer had never worked in a shop before and worried about slowing the other workers down.

   I had never worked in a shop before, and I worried that I would slow everyone down

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why did Sam ask the writer to write down anything important?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. to remember useful information
   2. to practise answering the phone
   3. to prepare customers’ shopping lists
   4. to copy information from delivery forms
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to remember useful information

   The notebook was used to record useful information about the shop and its work.

   He showed me where the parts, tools, and delivery forms were kept and asked me to write down anything important

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “those jobs” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. choosing a bike light
   2. answering the phone and sorting screws
   3. checking whether items needed ordering
   4. cleaning the floor and clearing old parts
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   cleaning the floor and clearing old parts

   The phrase refers to cleaning the floor and clearing old parts, which Sam explains are necessary for safety.

   I did not enjoy cleaning the floor or clearing old parts either

   those jobs mattered

   choosing a bike light: That is a separate customer task.

   answering the phone and sorting screws: These are different tasks listed earlier.

   checking whether items needed ordering: This is another task, not the work described immediately before the explanation.

   cleaning the floor and clearing old parts: The phrase refers to the cleaning and clearing jobs that helped keep the workshop safe.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What did the writer think of the dusty corner and old wheels at first?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They seemed dangerous and exciting.
   2. They seemed like the shop’s key working area.
   3. They seemed ready for customers to buy.
   4. They seemed boring.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They seemed boring.

   The writer says these parts of the shop seemed boring at first.

   At first, I thought the dusty corner and the pile of old wheels were boring

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why did Sam say everyone had to keep the workshop clear?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. so the floor could be cleaned before closing
   2. so old wheels would not block the phone
   3. so customers could read the shelf labels
   4. to keep the workshop safe
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to keep the workshop safe

   Sam connects keeping the space clear with safety in the workshop.

   the workshop stayed safe only when everyone kept the space clear

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What was the writer’s best moment?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. writing notes in the notebook
   2. being thanked for finishing a task
   3. answering the phone
   4. fixing a flat tyre under supervision
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   fixing a flat tyre under supervision

   The diary directly identifies fixing a flat tyre under supervision as the best moment.

   The best moment came when I fixed a flat tyre under supervision

   writing notes in the notebook: The writer takes notes, but does not call this the best moment.

   being thanked for finishing a task: Sam thanks the writer, but the diary names another moment as the best.

   answering the phone: This is one task, but not the best moment.

   fixing a flat tyre under supervision: The diary directly identifies fixing a flat tyre under supervision as the best moment.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What did Sam say about the writer?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The writer worked too slowly.
   2. The writer had been a quick learner.
   3. The writer should have stayed for another week.
   4. The writer still needed help finding stock.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The writer had been a quick learner.

   At the end of the placement, Sam describes the writer as a quick learner.

   Sam said I had been a quick learner

   The writer worked too slowly.: Sam praises the writer instead of criticising the speed.

   The writer had been a quick learner.: Sam describes the writer as a quick learner.

   The writer should have stayed for another week.: Sam does not say this.

   The writer still needed help finding stock.: By Thursday, the writer could find stock numbers without help.

9. Question 9 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the diary show about small tasks?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They are useful despite seeming ordinary.
   2. They matter only when customers see them.
   3. They matter less than repairing bicycles.
   4. They should be done only by experienced workers.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They are useful despite seeming ordinary.

   The writer learns that less exciting jobs are still useful because they support the shop’s work and safety.

   He also thanked me whenever I finished a task without being asked

   those jobs mattered

10. Question 10 · Single choice

    Choose one answer.

    What lesson does the writer record at the end?

    Return to the passage, recording or visual
    1. Work quickly and avoid asking questions.
    2. Ask questions, stay alert, and notice small tasks.
    3. Focus only on repairing bicycles.
    4. Let the manager make every decision.
    Check answers and explanations

    Answer

    Ask questions, stay alert, and notice small tasks.

    The final note advises the writer to ask questions, remain alert, and notice small tasks.

    Ask questions, stay alert, and pay attention to the little jobs

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.