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PART ONE
Questions 1-7

• Look at the statements and the comments made by marketing specialists about mystery
shopping.
• Which section (A, B, C or D) does each statement 1-7 refer to?
• For each statement 1-7, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
• You will need to use some of these letters more than once.

Example:
0 the decline in the advantages of mystery shopping

0 A B C D

1 the decrease in the use of mystery shopping

2 the need for mystery shopping alongside other market research techniques
3 the importance of reacting to customer feedback
4 the popularity of working as a mystery shopper
5 the importance of mystery shoppers for the hotel sector
6 the value of mystery shopping for the retail industry
7 the requisites to be a mystery shopper

A When I first started work in marketing, mystery C The hospitality industry still relies on mystery
shopping – where someone goes undercover to a shoppers today in order to be able to offer the very
shop or restaurant in order to assess the quality of best service and to make sure that real customers
service and so on – was extremely popular. The retail never have reason for complaint. The mystery
and restaurant sectors relied much more heavily on shopper will have seen any failures or fall in the level
this type of research than they do today. Mystery of service and it can be addressed immediately.
shopping also offered people the chance to earn a It might sound like being permanently on holiday,
lot of money and so attracted a lot of candidates but these incognito assessors have to have several
who had to be carefully evaluated to make sure they years’ management experience in the industry and
would carry out their assignments correctly and were undergo thorough training.
not just looking for a free meal.

B While mystery shopping still has some benefits, I D In my career, I have used reports from mystery
feel that today many of them have been replaced shoppers to improve customer satisfaction in a
by the fact that customers can immediately publish chain of department stores, and I believe that this
their opinions – whether positive or negative – online. is one sector where it is particularly useful. It is a
There are lots of sites for reviews of restaurants, source of unbiased information but, like with any
hotels and so on. Companies should be regularly other market research data, it is what is done with
checking these sites to know what customers think the information by the company that is important.
and to act appropriately. Of course there is the risk And it certainly can’t be the only way of evaluating
of false or biased reviews, so it’s important to assess customer experience and satisfaction, but should be
things carefully. used in conjunction with other research methods.

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PART TWO
Questions 8-12

• Read the article below about how to look good online.

• Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
• For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.
• Do not use any letter more than once.
• There is an example at the beginning (0).

Virtual Valets: How to Look Good Online

Whether you want to look your best in your holiday snaps without going to the gym, or boost your World
of Warcraft credentials without putting in the hours, there are experts out there whose job it is to make
you shine online. 0 B

With more than 10 million players worldwide, some of whom play for 12 hours a day or longer, it can
be difficult to keep up in the many realms of Blizzard Activision’s World of Warcraft game. While it is
completely against the terms and conditions of play, some gamers turn to the services of so called
‘arena boosters’. 8 A former arena booster, Philipp Karbun from Austria, was one of the
game’s top-rated players as a teenager. He started getting messages from others within the game
asking for his help – and his contacts were often from wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia. 9
The services he offered ranged in price from €150-490 and he employed 10 fellow full-time gamers to
share the work. Mr Karbun no longer plays World of Warcraft. ‘I calculated I spent 20,000 hours on the
game – eventually I lost interest,’ he said.

Social media specialists can give you initial strategic advice about using social media or can even take
over your entire feed. Dane Cobain, who works for a marketing agency, has up to half a dozen clients
at a time. 10 The cost of his services depends on how much support is required, but the results
are often tangible. ‘It can be quite hard to prove the return on investment of marketing but there are
certain things you can do with social media. You can prove the numbers of people who came through
Facebook for example – you can tie that back to revenue,’ he says. 11 ‘A lot of people are still
trying to wrap their heads around Twitter and Facebook – then you’ve got Instagram and Pinterest and
even Snapchat is getting big now.’

James Bradley runs a budget image improvement and restoration service Repixl. He charges under
£10 for individual photo restoration and offers a range of low-cost airbrushing services for a couple of
pounds. He is asked to touch up photos ranging from holiday snaps to once in a lifetime memories.
12 ‘Even the more simple ones are relatively complicated,’ he said. His service is also proving
popular with estate agents, as he can straighten pictures, remove litter from the ground or put a blue
sky in the background of photos of houses for sale.
Source – BBC News – © 2013 BBC

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0 A B C D

A He believes that people do not do it for themselves as it can be difficult to keep up to date with all the
new things that are coming out.

B They are part of a growing industry dedicated to helping individuals and businesses manage their
online reputations in their chosen areas of the Net – for a price.

C These tend to be businesses, but individuals have included a hip hop artist, and, perhaps ironically, a
communications coach.

D He explained that some people find editing tools too challenging to use.

E He soon realised how much money could be made.

F Some people understand their importance but do not wish to get involved personally.

G These are professional players who will play on their behalf until their character is in the higher levels of
the game.

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PART THREE
Questions 13-18

• Read the article below about being a chief executive and the questions on the opposite page.
• For each question 13-18, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.

Decisions at the Top

Nothing can prepare you for becoming a company chief executive. You might think that for those who
have risen steadily through a company’s ranks, eventually reaching the top spot and becoming the boss
might feel part of a natural progression. The CEO of General Electric says his 19 years’ experience
counted for very little once he himself became chief executive in 2001. ‘I was brought up in the GE
system and I went through a very public succession process – and really three days after I became
CEO none of that mattered one bit,’ he says.

Once a new CEO is in post, he or she may be surrounded by board members and subordinates, but the
role itself can still be quite lonely, especially if a decision turns out to be the wrong one. Chief executives
are of course well-rewarded for their decision-making. Indeed bosses’ financial packages have often
proved controversial because they have risen so dramatically when compared to workers’ salaries.

A chief executive will naturally need to know what their mission is and why their company exists, they
will need to have a vision for where their firm should go, and know how progress towards that goal will
be measured. But what makes a good leader? Many bosses say that the most important part of their job
is dealing with a handful of really important issues, and taking tough decisions which may upset others.
But it is also clear that merely being tough is not in itself a recipe for success. ‘Ruthlessness is an
important part of business,’ says Mr Grimstone, chairman of Standard Life, ‘but my very strong advice
is this should always be done with some consultation. I’m a great believer in invisible ruthlessness.
Ruthlessness where you literally have blood on the carpet afterwards just leaves an unpleasant mess
that you have to clean up.’

Some CEOs enjoy making big decisions, but the trick is not to get carried away by the power at your
disposal. Being hard-headed about everything is not always the best answer. ‘You have to develop the
tough decision tools as well as the emollient tools if you’re going to exist in the centre,’ warns Harriet
Green, chief executive of travel group Thomas Cook. Being tough and inflexible may win you a battle
or two, but you may still end up losing the war, because success in business is about bringing people
round to your way of thinking. This means that you have got to keep people onside. You have got to
make them think it is a good idea before you proceed or else they will make sure it does not work.

While no decision is easy, if a CEO does not make the right choices then ultimately they may find
things being taken out of their hands – as shareholders pressure the company management board to
replace them.
Source – BBC News – © 2013 BBC

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13 The CEO of General Electric states that…

A his work experience was useful for the position.
B he had previously had the same role in another company.
C he lasted only three days as CEO.
D he was promoted to CEO from within the company.

14 According to the text, in what way could CEOs be isolated?

A There is no close contact with colleagues.
B CEOs cannot relate to those in lower positions.
C The decisions CEOs make can alienate them from others.
D They do not know the company and its employees well.

15 What does the text say about wages?

A The salaries of CEOs have been too high for some time.
B Other employees have not had such large wage increases as CEOs.
C All workers should have extra financial benefits and bonuses.
D CEOs are demanding more money due to the difficulty of the position.

16 According to Mr Grismtone, when making decisions CEOs should…

A be ruthless only when people cannot see it.
B combine being tough with discussing situations with others.
C try not to upset too many people.
D aim to be an invisible leader.

17 According to the text, how can CEOs be successful in their job?

A By getting people to be supportive of their ideas.
B By taking advantage of all the power they have available.
C By concentrating on winning the small battles.
D By taking difficult decisions quickly.

18 What role can shareholders have in a CEO’s career?

A They can dismiss a CEO if they do not agree with his/her choices.
B They can pressurise a CEO into taking a certain decision.
C They can be influential in the decision to fire a CEO.
D They can take decisions on behalf of a CEO.

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PART FOUR
Questions 19-33

• Read the advice below about designing a business website.

• Choose the best word to fill each gap from A B C or D.
• For each question 19-33, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
• There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:
A When B Once C Then D Besides

0 A B C D

(0) ……… it was possible to simply have a static site, with just the basic information (19) ……… your company
much like a printed brochure only online. This is not possible any (20) ……… . This does not mean that you
have to fill your site with flashy animations and special effects, but it must be updated regularly and fresh
content added. Your business has to compete (21) ……… lots of other businesses in the same sector or
location so in order to stand (22) ……… from the competition it is important to be creative and dynamic.
Unless you are an expert or have a lot of time to dedicate to designing a website, it is best to (23) ……… a
professional web designer. It will be money well (24) ……… .
You will also need to have someone (25) ……… for updating the site regularly. They should also be able to
(26) ……… with any simple problems. With regards to the design, the layout needs to be clear and consistent
(27) ……… the site, with interesting but not overpowering colours, photos and graphics.
(28) ……… clients need to be able to find what they are (29) ……… quickly or they will (30) ……… and click
onto another site. Also don’t waste their time with pages that (31) ……… ages to download. (32) ………
but not least, you have to make sure your site is easy to find. This means advertising online with search
(33) ………, banner ads and links, as well as offline.

19 A regarding B reference C involving D relating

20 A further B case C longer D time
21 A by B with C over D for
22 A for B by C down D out
23 A rent B hire C lease D charge
24 A spent B expended C paid D consumed
25 A in charge B liable C responsible D dependent
26 A handle B manage C supervise D deal
27 A during B throughout C all D while
28 A Promising B Potential C Projected D Theoretical
29 A searching B navigating C exploring D looking for
30 A give up B drop out C do without D put off
31 A make B use C take D waste
32 A Finally B Ultimately C Last D In the end
33 A tools B engines C motors D packages

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PART FIVE
Questions 34-45

• Read the article below about stress in the workplace.

• In most of the lines 34-45, there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does
not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.
• If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.
• If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your
Answer Sheet.
• The exercise begins with two examples (0) and (00).

Example:
0 CORRECT
00 SEEN

Work-related stress

0 Long hours and a heavy workload can cause stress. While some degree of pressure

00 at work can be seen motivating, when it becomes excessive it can lead to work-related

34 stress. Symptoms of this can be with heart palpitations, headaches, other aches

35 and pains, and a loss of appetite. Triggers of stress are much varied and can be caused

36 by bullying and victimisation in the work place, as well as extreme pressure,

37 deadlines and changes to the management. Stress can lead to unhealthy behaviour,

38 such as smoking and drinking too much, which in turn that can increase the risk of

39 other health problems. There is also the risk so that the effects of work-related

40 stress will affect your personal, family and social life. It is therefore vital for to

41 your overall physical and mental health to can manage stress correctly.

42 You must need to recognise the symptoms of stress early and get help from

43 someone within your company. Remember that employers have a responsibility

44 towards the health and welfare of their workers. If you will prefer, it is also possible

45 to contact an external organisation for help dealing with stress.

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