A2 Key and B1 Preliminary (KET, PET) · Cambridge English · B1 Preliminary (PET)

B1 Preliminary (PET) 剑桥B1初级考试 Reading opens with the same two beasts as A2 Key, one level bigger: Part 1, five short notices with three options each, and Part 2, five people matched to eight short texts.

• Everything from A2 Key still applies: correct answers are paraphrased 改述; traps repeat the text's words.
• The B1 upgrade: the texts are longer, the paraphrase is deeper, and the distractors 干扰项 are smarter.
• Memory hook: at A2 the trap repeats the words; at B1 the trap repeats the idea, wrongly. Read for meaning, or the trap wins.
• Reading is 45 minutes for six parts. Budget: Parts 1–2 are the fast ones — about 10 minutes together.

Five short real-world texts: a sign, a message, a timetable note. Three options each.

• The options are now two-step paraphrases: the text says "students must return books before the last week of term", the answer says "books cannot be kept until the holidays". Same fact, new clothes.
• ⚠ Watch for scope 范围 words: all / most / some / must / can / may. The trap changes may ke must and hopes you're tired.
• Strategy: as at A2, say the text's meaning in one Chinese sentence, then match the meaning — never the words.

Five people with needs; eight short texts (courses, hotels, films, museums). Match five.

• The A2 rule grows teeth: wrong texts satisfy two of three needs — and at B1, some satisfy three of four. Count every requirement 要求, including the quiet ones like "cheap" atau "for beginners" 初学者.
• Strategy: write each person's needs as a checklist 清单 of three or four items, then tick texts against it. The text with semua ticks wins.
• ⚠ Two people can never share a text. If two answers point at the same text, one of them is wrong. Re-read both checklists.

• ⚠ The deeper paraphrase punishes word-matching harder. At B1, the correct answer may share sifar content words with the text. Trust your one-sentence meaning, not your eyes.
• ⚠ Scope words are the mark-stealers. some, most, all, only, except — underline them in both text and options before choosing.
• ⚠ Don't drift over time. Parts 1–2 fund the rest of the paper. Ten minutes, then move; the long texts in Part 3–4 eat whatever you leave them.
• ⚠ Answer sheet discipline 答题卡纪律: Reading has no transfer time. Mark as you go.

Notice: "Swimming pool: weekday mornings are for school groups only. Public swim starts at 12. Weekends: open to all from 9."

The notice says the public can swim: A) every morning B) weekday afternoons and weekends C) only at weekends. Answer: B. A is the scope trap (mornings belong to schools), C forgets the weekday afternoons.

Person: "Jia wants a two-day course, in the evening, for beginners, under 200 yuan." — a checklist of four. A text missing any one of the four is not her course.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. The correct option shares zero content words with the text. — Fine. Meaning, not words: the B1 paraphrase.
2. may in the text, must in the option. — The scope changed; it's a trap.
3. A text satisfies three of Jia's four requirements. — Not the answer. Checklists don't negotiate.
4. Two people matched to the same text. — One of them is wrong. Re-read both checklists.
5. Spending 15 minutes on Part 1. — Too slow. Parts 1–2 fund the paper; ten minutes, then move.

Reading Parts 3 and 4 are the long texts. Part 3: one text with five 4-option questions on detailed meaning 细节理解. Part 4: a text with five sentences removed — you put them back from a list of eight. That second part is the famous one, and the one students fear most.

• Part 3 is A2's Part 3 grown up: questions in text order, answers paraphrased, feelings and opinions now included.
• Part 4 is a jigsaw 拼图: the removed sentences are held in place by glue — pronouns, time words, linkers and repeated ideas.
• Memory hook: Part 3 asks what does it mean? Part 4 asks where does it snap in? Meaning in one, cohesion 衔接 in the other.

Five questions, four options each, in text order.

• The questions now ask about opinion, attitude 态度 and implication 言外之意: What does the writer think about…? What does she suggest?
• The correct option paraphrases the text; the traps are half-true: right fact, wrong judgement.
• ⚠ "What does the writer suggest?" is not "what does the text say?" Suggestion lives in should, might, it's worth, if I were you. Hunt the modal words.
• Strategy: question → locate the paragraph → read two lines around it → paraphrase it yourself → match. The A2 map still works; the roads are longer.

Five gaps, eight sentences. Three sentences are decoys 诱饵.

• The glue is visible. Check both sides of each gap:
  • Pronouns 代词: he, it, they, this — the sentence before must contain the person or thing.
  • Time and order words: then, after that, at first, finally.
  • Linkers: but, however, so, although — the two sides must contrast or agree as the linker demands.
  • Repeated ideas: the gap's neighbours and the sentence must be about the same thing.
• Strategy: fill the easiest gap first. Each placed sentence shrinks the decoy list.

• ⚠ The decoys are written to fit grammatically. Grammar alone can't solve the jigsaw; meaning and cohesion can. A decoy fits the grammar and betrays the logic.
• ⚠ Pronoun hunting is the highest-value habit. Setiap he/this/it in a candidate sentence must have an owner in the text before the gap. No owner, no place.
• ⚠ Implication questions: the answer is not written in the text — it is justified 有依据 by it. The difference: the text never says it directly, but says everything needed to conclude it.
• ⚠ Don't spend ten minutes on one gap. Place the easy ones, take the best guess on the last, and move. A guess beats a gap, and the clock is a budget.

Text with a gap: "…the bakery opens at six. ___. By eight, the queue reaches the corner." Candidate: "The smell of fresh bread fills the street by seven." — fits: the time chain (six → seven → eight) and the bakery idea. A decoy about "My grandfather loved fishing" fits neither; grandfather, fishing and the queue never meet.

Part 3 style: "I wouldn't say the course was easy, but it was worth every evening." The writer's attitude: positive, with effort — the but carries it.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. "What does the writer suggest?" — hunt the modal words: should, might, it's worth.
2. A candidate sentence starts with "He" — find the owner before the gap. No owner, no place.
3. A decoy fits the grammar perfectly — still wrong if it breaks the logic. Cohesion over grammar.
4. Part 4's three extra sentences — decoys. Place the easy gaps first and watch the list shrink.
5. "It wasn't easy, but worth every evening." — the attitude is positive with effort; the but carries it.

Reading Parts 5 and 6 are the clozes 完形填空 at B1: Part 5, six gaps with four options each (vocabulary and collocation); Part 6, six gaps with no options (grammar words).

• Part 5 is the A2 shelf with a fourth option and meaner choices: the four words are often near-synonyms 近义词, and only one collocates 搭配.
• Part 6 is the open cloze: articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries, linkers — the small words, one per gap.
• Memory hook: Part 5 is a chess opening 国际象棋开局 — many moves look natural, one is right. Part 6 is still the kitchen: cook the word yourself.

Four options that all mean almost the same thing: say / tell / speak / talk.

• Collocation decides. She ___ me a story. → told (tell a story). say takes the words, speak takes languages, talk takes about.
• Check the preposition after the verb: listen ke, depend on, baik at. The gap often owns its neighbour.
• ⚠ Meaning alone is not enough. All four options "fit" the meaning; the grammar of the company they keep decides. The sentence is a party; the wrong word doesn't know anyone.

Same kitchen as A2 Part 5, with a bigger menu: the grammar words now include the B1 machinery.

• The relative pronouns join the menu: the shop ___ I bought it → where. B1's grammar pays its rent here.
• ⚠ One word per gap, spelled right, capital letter when the gap opens a sentence. The A2 rules never retired.

• ⚠ The four-option friendliness is fake. At A2, two options were obviously wrong. At B1, all four look friendly. Slow down and check collocation.
• ⚠ Chinese verb-noun pairs don't map. 做作业 is do homework, 犯错误 is make a mistake — the pair must be learned as a pair. The cloze is where unlearned pairs come to collect their debt.
• ⚠ Read the sentence after the gap too. The answer often hides in the next line, especially prepositions: "she insisted ___ going" — the gap and its after-word decide together.
• ⚠ Don't leave the have/has/had chain broken. "I ___ never seen snow" → have. The perfect needs its helper; the gap is often exactly that helper.

Part 5 style: "We ___ a lot of photos during the trip." A) made B) took C) did D) got → took (take photos).

Part 6 style: "The film ___ we watched last night was amazing. I had never seen anything like it." → that/which. The relative clause from B1 topic 9, collecting marks.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. She ___ me a story. — told. tell a story; the collocation decides.
2. listen ___ music — ke. The gap often owns its neighbour.
3. the shop ___ I bought it — where. The relative joins the menu.
4. I ___ never seen snow. — have. The perfect needs its helper.
5. fàn cuòwù — make a mistake. Pairs are learned as pairs; the cloze collects debts.

B1 Preliminary Writing Part 1: a responsive email 回信 — about 100 words, replying to a friend's email. The friend's email contains four cues 提示点, marked or unmarked: two questions, plus things to react to — an invitation, news, an apology, a suggestion.

• The marks: kandungan (all four cues answered), communicative tone (friendly, natural), organisation (paragraphs, greeting, closing), and language (correct and varied).
• Memory hook: the incoming email is a baton 接力棒 with four ribbons on it. Your reply must touch every ribbon.
• 45 minutes for two writing parts; give the email about 20.

A reply has four parts, and the anatomy 结构 never changes:

1. Salam pembuka: Hi Sam, / Dear Mia,
2. React first: Thanks for your email! Great news about the competition! — react before answering; it's what makes it a reply, not a form.
3. Answer each cue, one short paragraph or two sentences each, in the email's order.
4. Tutup: Write soon. / See you Friday! / Best, + your name.

Model (cue: invited to a weekend trip; asked what to bring, when to leave, and about the weather):

Hi Alex, Thanks for the invite — I'd love to come! A weekend at the lake sounds brilliant. You asked what to bring: I'll pack my sleeping bag and some snacks for the journey, because the village shop is always closed. Tell me if we need anything else. Leaving at eight on Saturday is fine with me; I'm an early bird anyway, so I'll meet you at the station ten minutes before. And don't worry about the rain! Last time it rained we just played cards in the tent, and it was the best part of the trip. See you soon, Lin

Four ribbons touched, 101 words, warm tone. Read it and find the four cues: the reaction, the bringing, the leaving time, the rain.

• ⚠ The reaction sentence is the cheapest mark on the paper. Students who skip it write a correct, cold robot 机器人 email. Robots score lower.

• ⚠ Answer all four cues. The mark scheme counts them. A beautiful email answering three cues loses to a plain one answering four.
• ⚠ Tone: warm and personal. I am writing to inform you ✗ — that's a business letter. Thanks for your email! ✅. The register is friendship.
• ⚠ Chinese letter habits don't travel: no 「祝学习进步」-style fixed closing wishes. Write soon / See you / Best is the whole wardrobe.
• ⚠ Don't copy the question sentences into your answer. "You asked what I will bring." ✗ — just bring it: I'll bring…. Reported speech is for B1 grammar, not for B1 emails.
• ⚠ Leave two minutes to check: articles, third-person -s, past-tense verbs. The same three classics as A2, worth the same marks.

Your friend Ana: "I can't come to your party on Saturday — I'm so sorry! Something came up. Can we meet next weekend instead? Which day is better for you? And tell me how the party goes!"

Cues: the apology, the new plan, the day question, the party news. Write ~100 words.

Model (98 words): Hi Ana, Don't worry at all — we'll miss you, but these things happen! Next weekend works well for me. How about Sunday afternoon? I could come to your place at about three o'clock, and we can finally watch that film you told me about. Saturday is harder for me, because I have football practice until six. Don't be sad about missing the party: I'm planning some really silly games, and my mum is baking a huge chocolate cake. I'll take lots of photos and tell you all the gossip when I see you on Sunday. Write soon! Bo

Find the four cues in the model: the apology (line 1), the new plan (Next weekend works), the day question (Sunday afternoon, with a reason Saturday is hard), the party news (games, cake, photos).

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. How many cues? — Four. Touch every ribbon.
2. First sentence of the reply — a reaction: Great news! / Don't worry at all. Replies react; forms don't.
3. I am writing to inform you… — ✗ → Thanks for your email! Friendship register.
4. "You asked which day is better." — ✗ → Sunday is better for me. Answer, don't report.
5. Length — about 100 words. Twenty minutes, then Part 2.

Writing Part 2 gives you a pilihan 二选一: an article 文章 for a magazine or website (~100 words, with a title question like "What's your favourite place?"), or a story starting from a given sentence.

• Both are ~100 words. Both want organisation, a clear voice, and correct, varied language.
• Memory hook: the article answers the reader; the story moves the reader. Pick the one you can write better today — there is no prize for choosing the harder one.
• Choose fast: 30 seconds of deciding, not five minutes. The clock is a budget.

Structure: title question → your answer → two reasons or examples → a closing line, all with personality 个性.

• Open by answering directly: My favourite place is the school roof at sunset. Then two reasons: what you see, how it feels. Close with an invitation: Go there once. You'll see.
• ⚠ An article is not an essay 议论文. It's a magazine page: direct, personal, a little lively. You-questions are welcome: Have you ever watched the sky turn pink?
• The examiners reward a voice 声音: an opinion, an example, a small joke. Correct and boring is a C; correct and alive is a B.

The task gives the first sentence: "The door opened slowly, and I couldn't believe my eyes."

• The given sentence is a springboard 跳板: continue it, don't restart it. It sets tense (past), place and mood — inherit 继承 all three.
• The story machine from A2 Part 7 works here: background (past continuous), events (past simple), one feeling per paragraph, connectors to move time.
• End with a turn 转折 or a feeling: I never found out who left the key. I never needed to.
• ⚠ 100 words is short. One scene, one moment, one turn. A story that tries to fit a whole week reads like a timetable.

• ⚠ Don't write the 八股. The template essay — Nowadays… With the development of… In conclusion… — is instantly recognisable and quietly penalised 扣分. Write like a person with a favourite place.
• ⚠ Choose one task and commit. Marking both costs you nothing except the better mark: only one is marked — pick, write, check.
• ⚠ The article needs the title question answered in line one. Don't warm up for three sentences; the reader (and the examiner) is impatient.
• ⚠ The story must stay in the past. The given sentence is past tense; the story follows it. Drift is the mark-loser, as always.

Article: "What's the best season in your city?" — answer in line one, two reasons, an invitation at the end.

Story: "When I opened the box, I found something I had lost three years ago." — continue: what was it, how did it leave, how does it feel to hold it again.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. Article or story? — The one you write better today. No prize for difficulty.
2. The article's first line — answers the title question directly.
3. The story's given sentence — inherit its tense, place and mood.
4. Nowadays, with the development of… — ✗ → write like a person, not a template.
5. Length — ~100 words, one scene, one turn. A week in 100 words reads like a timetable.

The second half of the listening paper: Part 3, a talk with six note gaps to fill, and Part 4, a longer interview 访谈 with six 3-option questions on detail and attitude.

• Part 3 is the A2 note-gap part grown up: a guided tour, a course description, a talk about a club — fill a word or number per gap.
• Part 4 is an interview with a guest: a musician, a student who did something unusual 不寻常的. Questions follow the interview order and dig into attitude.
• Memory hook: Part 3 is a form 表格 — fill it. Part 4 is a podcast 播客 — follow the guest's story.

Six gaps in notes about a talk: names, dates, prices, places, websites.

• The gaps are signposted 有路标 by the notes themselves: Day: ___ tells you a day is coming. Preview and predict.
• ⚠ The spelling rule is absolute: names and websites are spelled aloud; write the letters as they come. W-E-B-S-I-T-E arrives letter by letter; the recording waits for no one.
• ⚠ The correction rule applies: "It costs fifteen — sorry, fifty." The sorry is the signal. Numbers self-correct; wait for it.
• ⚠ Plural endings are audible 可听见的: three weeks atau three week — the -s is part of the answer.

An interview with six questions, in order, asking detail dan attitude.

• The attitude questions ask: How did she feel about…? What does he say about…? — the cushion trap from Part 2 applies here too.
• The detail questions paraphrase: the guest says "we slept in tents for two weeks"; the option says "they camped 露营".
• ⚠ Interviewers ask the question, guests wander. The answer comes when the guest finally answers, sometimes after a story. Patience is a listening skill.
• ⚠ Watch the guest's but: "It was exhausting, but amazing." The word after but is the attitude; the word before it is the bait.

• ⚠ The note gaps punish slow writers. Write the short form while listening (wk for week), complete the word at the pause. The recording doesn't wait for your handwriting 笔迹.
• ⚠ Interview attitude ≠ your attitude. What does the guest say about the journey? — the guest's word after but, not your opinion of tents.
• ⚠ Websites and emails are dictated 听写: "that's travel-now, all one word, dot com". Practise writing dictated strings; they come exactly once per sitting.
• ⚠ Miss one, move on. The interview continues; a gap you chase is two answers you miss.

Teacher-read rehearsal: no recording here — your teacher reads the voice aloud twice, like the exam, and you fill the notes by listening. The printed words are the script, not the task.

Notes: "Course: Photography — Day: ___ · Price: £___ · Website: ___" The voice: "It runs on Thursdays… The price? Fifty pounds — no, sorry, fifteen. And it's all on shootsmart, one word, dot com." Answers: Thursdays · 15 · shootsmart.com — the sorry corrected the price; the website was dictated.

Interview: "The two weeks in tents were exhausting, but amazing." — the attitude is amazing. The but flipped it.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. "It costs fifteen — sorry, fifty." — fifty. The sorry is the signal.
2. A name spelled aloud — write the letters as they come.
3. three week(s)? — the -s is audible and part of the answer.
4. "Exhausting, but amazing." — the attitude is amazing. The word after but.
5. A gap you can't fill — move on. The interview continues.

The B1 Preliminary Speaking test: 10–12 minutes, with a partner, in four parts: the interview, the long turn 个人陈述 (a photo description), the collaborative task 协作任务 (a decision with your partner), and the discussion.

• Part 1: interview questions about you — the A2 sandwich still applies.
• Part 2: each of you describes a photo, alone, for about a minute.
• Part 3: you and your partner discuss options and reach a decision 决定.
• Part 4: a discussion about the Part 3 topic, with the examiner joining in.
• Memory hook: the four parts are a meal 一顿饭: the appetiser 开胃菜 (interview), the solo 单人表演 (photo), the cooking together (the decision), and the conversation over coffee (discussion).

A colour photo of people doing something. Describe it for about a minute.

• The recipe 配方: place → people → action → detail → guess. "In this photo, there's a kitchen. A woman and a girl are cooking. The girl is mixing something in a bowl. They're both smiling — they look like they're having fun."
• Use the present continuous for the action (A2's camera), and look like / seem / maybe / probably for your guesses. The photo can't confirm; you speculate 推测.
• ⚠ Don't just list objects. "There is a table. There is a bowl." is an inventory 清单, not a description. The recipe moves from scene to people to feeling.
• ⚠ Finish with a guess or an opinion. "I think they're enjoying it" is the sentence that turns description into English.

Five or six options (pictures or words) and a task: "Which two should the school choose?" — discuss with your partner and decide.

• The machinery: suggest (How about…?), respond (Good idea, but…), compare (The library is more useful than…), decide (So, we agree on…).
• ⚠ The decision must be mutual 双方的. Steamrolling 强行推进 your partner scores worse than a friendly compromise 妥协. "OK, let's choose yours — the library makes sense."
• ⚠ Don't agree to everything. "Yes, yes, yes" shows no English. "I see what you mean, but…" shows all of it.

• ⚠ The photo description has no 有口无心 template. "This is a picture of…" then silence is a lost minute. The recipe: place, people, action, detail, guess.
• ⚠ In Part 3, silence is the only failure. Anything grammatical beats quiet. When stuck: "What do you think about this one?" — the question machine restarts the conversation.
• ⚠ Part 4 widens the topic: give reasons. Do you like cooking? — Yes, I do. is thin. Yes — I cook at weekends, because it's relaxing and the results are edible 可食用的. The sandwich again, one level up.
• ⚠ Watch your partner's signals. If they haven't spoken, invite them: "What do you think?" Inviting your partner is itself marked — it shows interaction management 互动管理.

Run a full practice round with a partner.

• Interview: What do you like doing after school? — sandwich answers.
• Photo minute: find any photo on your phone (a meal, a street, a game) and describe it for sixty seconds: place, people, action, detail, guess.
• The decision: your class can start one club — music, coding, cooking, basketball, drama. Choose one together. Disagree politely. The drama club overhears everything.
• Discussion: Do you prefer learning in groups or alone? — answer, detail, reason.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. The photo recipe — place → people → action → detail → guess.
2. Guessing language — look like / seem / maybe / probably. The photo can't confirm; you speculate.
3. Part 3: your partner is silent — invite them: What do you think about this one? Interaction management is marked.
4. "Yes, yes, yes" to everything — ✗ → I see what you mean, but… Disagreement shows the English.
5. Part 4 answers — the sandwich, one level up: answer, detail, reason.