A University’s Flexible-Study Consultation
About this practice test
A university consultation report explaining why students and staff wanted flexible study, which arrangements they preferred, and how the university planned to pilot a mixed model.
What you’ll practice
Finding detail
Locate specific information and evidence.
Interpreting ideas
Connect main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
What to expect:
12 questions with explanations to review after submission.
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
- B2. 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
- Short answer
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.
A University’s Flexible-Study Consultation
At Eastmere University, flexible study had become a practical issue rather than a slogan. Many students worked part time, commuted from nearby towns, or cared for family members. Others wanted to mix campus lessons with online materials so they could keep up during busy weeks. After several departments reported uneven attendance in evening classes, the academic registrar, Maya Ellis, opened a consultation. She said the aim was not to build a digital university overnight, but to find a pattern that helped more students complete their courses without losing the habits of regular study. The university had already tried small changes in a few modules, but the results were uneven, and staff wanted a clearer plan. The consultation ran for five weeks. Students answered an online questionnaire, and staff held four focus groups with undergraduates, postgraduates, and course representatives. In total, 1,200 students responded. The questions were practical: which sessions should stay face to face, what kind of recorded material was useful, and how much notice students needed when a timetable changed. The team also read emails from people on placement, from international students adjusting to a new city, and from students with disabilities who said that small barriers often made a big difference. Several tutors added their own comments, especially about assessment weeks, when even a small scheduling change could affect attendance. The clearest message was that flexibility did not mean replacing every classroom meeting. Most students wanted lectures recorded and uploaded within 24 hours, but they also wanted a predictable weekly pattern. Many said they could plan work shifts or childcare only if they knew when classes would happen. International students valued recordings because they could replay difficult sections, yet they still wanted live contact with tutors. Students on science courses added that lab-based disciplines needed in-person sessions, because experiments could not simply be watched on a screen. A few students suggested replacing some lectures entirely, but that view remained a minority. The strongest criticism concerned timetable changes. Several students described the stress of finding out too late that a seminar had moved, or that a room had changed across campus. According to Ellis, this was the biggest obstacle to flexible study because it made every other arrangement harder. Staff agreed that flexibility could become extra admin if the university kept adjusting classes at short notice. One compromise was to publish the timetable six weeks earlier than before, so students and part-time employers could make firmer plans. That change was presented as a way to reduce confusion rather than as a radical redesign. There was also debate about seminars, which many lecturers saw as the place where ideas were tested rather than delivered. Some students wanted short prerecorded notes before class, but nearly everyone accepted that seminars should stay live. Real-time discussion, quick questions, and the pressure to explain an opinion clearly were all mentioned as reasons. The university therefore rejected a full online replacement. Instead, it chose a mixed model: students would receive material in advance, then use campus time for discussion, problem-solving, and group feedback. In practice, this meant that the online part supported the live part, rather than competing with it. From autumn, the new model will be piloted on two programmes: Business Analytics and Environmental Policy. Managers will watch attendance, grades, and student wellbeing over the first term. If the results are positive, other departments may follow, although each subject will keep some freedom to adapt the model. Ellis believes the consultation succeeded because it treated flexibility as a way of protecting study time, not weakening it. As she put it, the university was trying to give students better structure, not less.
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Question 1 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. What problem had several departments reported before the consultation began?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- uneven attendance
The passage says several departments had reported 'uneven attendance' in evening classes, so that is the problem being referred to. A broader answer like 'evening classes' does not name the issue.
After several departments reported uneven attendance in evening classes
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Question 2 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. How many students responded to the questionnaire?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- 1,200 / 1200
The passage gives the number directly: 'In total, 1,200 students responded.' The shortest source copy is '1,200'.
In total, 1,200 students responded
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Question 3 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Which group said that small barriers often made a big difference?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- students with disabilities
The text states that this was said by 'students with disabilities'. Other student groups are mentioned, but they are not linked to this comment.
from students with disabilities who said that small barriers often made a big difference
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Question 4 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. How long after a lecture should the saved versions be uploaded?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- within 24 hours / 24 hours / twenty-four hours / twenty four hours
The passage says the saved versions should be uploaded 'within 24 hours'. Because the question asks 'How long after a lecture,' both 'within 24 hours' and the shorter extracted phrase '24 hours' are acceptable from the passage.
recorded and uploaded within 24 hours
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Question 5 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. What feature did many students want to remain predictable?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- weekly pattern
The passage says students wanted 'a predictable weekly pattern'. The key idea is the weekly pattern, not the saved versions or the timetable changes.
they also wanted a predictable weekly pattern
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Question 6 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Which type of disciplines needed in-person sessions?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- lab-based disciplines
The passage identifies 'lab-based disciplines' as needing in-person sessions because experiments could not simply be watched on a screen. 'Science courses' is nearby context, but it is less exact.
lab-based disciplines needed in-person sessions
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Question 7 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. What did Ellis call the biggest obstacle to flexible study?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- timetable changes
Ellis says this was 'the biggest obstacle to flexible study', and the thing she is referring to is timetable changes. 'Flexibility' itself is not the obstacle.
this was the biggest obstacle to flexible study
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Question 8 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. How much earlier than before would the timetable now be published?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- six weeks earlier / six weeks / 6 weeks
The passage says the timetable would be published "six weeks earlier than before," so the answer is "six weeks earlier." "Six weeks" alone does not express the comparison asked for.
publish the timetable six weeks earlier than before
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Question 9 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. What should stay live?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- seminars
The text says that nearly everyone accepted that 'seminars should stay live'. The answer is therefore seminars.
nearly everyone accepted that seminars should stay live
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Question 10 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. On how many programmes will the new model be piloted?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- two / two programmes / 2
The passage says the model will be piloted on 'two programmes'. That exact number is the required answer.
From autumn, the new model will be piloted on two programmes
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Question 11 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. When will the pilot begin?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- autumn
The opening time is stated directly as 'From autumn', so autumn is the correct short answer.
From autumn, the new model will be piloted
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Question 12 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. What does Ellis say the university is trying to give students?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- better structure
Ellis says the consultation was trying to give students 'better structure', not less. This shows the purpose of the new approach.
the university was trying to give students better structure, not less
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.