A2 Key และ 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 ไป 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" หรือ "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 ทั้งหมด 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 ศูนย์ 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.

B1 Preliminary Listening opens with short extracts 短对话: Part 1, seven short recordings with three-option questions (several with pictures); Part 2, six short recordings, each asking for the meaning 含义 — the speaker's feeling, opinion, purpose or the main point.

• Everything from A2 listening still applies: played twice, preview the questions, the first number is bait.
• The B1 upgrade: extracts are longer, and Part 2 asks so what? — attitude 态度 and intention 意图, not just facts.
• Memory hook: Part 1 is the photo — one detail, exactly. Part 2 is the review — what the speaker really meant.

Seven short extracts; each question targets one detail: a time, a place, an object, a reason.

• Preview the question and the options; name the difference before the recording starts (the A2 clock trick, one level faster).
• ⚠ All three options are mentioned. The extract corrects itself: "I wanted the morning train, but I missed it, so I'm on the afternoon one." The correction is the answer.
• The pictures differ by one detail; the words come reworded. a dog → "my pet"; a bicycle → "I cycled".

Six extracts; each asks for the speaker's feeling, opinion, purpose or the main point.

• Listen for the evaluation 评价 words: amazing, disappointed, not bad, a waste of time, worth it.
• ⚠ The polite no is the classic B1 sound: "The film was… well, the music was nice." — the opinion is negative; the compliment was a cushion 垫子. English criticism arrives wrapped in a compliment; unwrap it.
• ⚠ "I expected more" = disappointed. "It exceeded my expectations" = impressed. The expectation verbs carry the attitude; learn to hear them.

• ⚠ The cushion trap. Chinese politeness often says the negative directly; English wraps it. "The food was interesting" after a strange dish is not praise. Tone and the pause before the word tell the truth.
• ⚠ Numbers and corrections are still bait. thirteen/thirty, first the wrong price, then the right one. Wait for the correction.
• ⚠ Don't answer from your own opinion. The question asks what the speaker thinks, not what you think. The option you agree with is a trap wearing your face.
• ⚠ Answer on the first play, check on the second. The second listening is for the unsure, not the unprepared.

Teacher-read rehearsal: this page has no recording. Your teacher reads each extract aloud twice, exactly like the exam; the printed text is the script, not the task.

Extract: "The concert? Well, the singer was amazing. The seats were a bit far from the stage, honestly." How does he feel about the concert? A) completely positive B) positive, with a complaint C) negative. Answer: B — amazing plus the cushion complaint.

Detail: "I wanted the morning train, but I missed it, so I'm on the afternoon one." → the afternoon train.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. All three options mentioned in the extract — normal at B1. The correction is the answer.
2. "The music was nice, honestly." (about a bad concert) — a cushion: the opinion is negative.
3. "I expected more." — disappointed. The expectation verb carries the attitude.
4. The option you personally agree with — a trap wearing your face. The speaker's opinion, not yours.
5. The second listening — for checking, not for starting.

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 หรือ three week — the -s is part of the answer.

An interview with six questions, in order, asking detail และ 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.