welcome to C2 level english exam!
Congratulations on reaching this level – it's a significant milestone in mastering English. This exam is divided into two main sections to assess your advanced skills:
Listening Section: This part includes two listening exercises designed to evaluate your comprehension of spoken English in complex contexts.
Reading Section: Here, you'll find two reading passages, each followed by a series of questions. This section assesses your ability to interpret nuanced written material and analyze textual information.
Take your time, and best of luck as you demonstrate your proficiency at this advanced level!
play the audio and then begin answering questions!
PART 1
Questions 1 – 7
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Opportunities for voluntary work in Southoe village Library
● Help with 1 …………………… books (times to be arranged)
● Help needed to keep 2 …………………… of books up to date
● Library is in the 3 …………………… Room in the village hall
Lunch club
● Help by providing 4 ……………………
● Help with hobbies such as 5 ……………………
Help for individuals needed next week
● Taking Mrs Carroll to 6 ……………………
● Work in the 7 …………………… at Mr Selsbury’s house
Questions 8-10
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Village social events
-
Date: 19 Oct
Event: 8 ………………
Location: Village hall
Help needed: providing refreshments
-
Date: 18 Nov
Event: dance
Location: Village hall
Help needed: checking 9 ………………
-
Date: 31 Dec
Evemt: New Year’s Eve party
Location: Mountfort Hotel
help needed: designing the 10 ………………
write down your answers in the section bellow
Play the audio first and then answer the questions!
PART 2 (the audio might say question 31-40, but please disregard this.
Questions 11 – 20
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
The impact of digital technology on the Icelandic language
The Icelandic language
● has approximately 11 …………………… speakers
● has a 12 …………………… that is still growing
● has not changed a lot over the last thousand years
● has its own words for computer-based concepts, such as web browser and 13 ……………………
Young speakers
● are big users of digital technology, such as 14 ……………………
● are becoming 15 …………………… very quickly
● are having discussions using only English while they are in the 16 …………………… at school
● are better able to identify the content of a 17 …………………… in English than Icelandic
Technology and internet companies
● write very little in Icelandic because of the small number of speakers and because of how complicated its 18 …………………… is
The Icelandic government
● has set up a fund to support the production of more digital content in the language
● believes that Icelandic has a secure future
● is worried that young Icelanders may lose their 19 …………………… as Icelanders
● is worried about the consequences of children not being 20 …………………… in either Icelandic or English
write down yur answers in the section bellow!
C2 level english exam reading test
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Stonehenge
For centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument that took an estimated 1,500 years to erect. Located on Salisbury Plain in southern England, it is comprised of roughly 100 massive upright stones placed in a circular layout.
Archaeologists believe England’s most iconic prehistoric ruin was built in several stages with the earliest constructed 5,000 or more years ago. First, Neolithic* Britons used primitive tools, which may have been fashioned out of deer antlers, to dig a massive circular ditch and bank, or henge. Deep pits dating back to that era and located within the circle may have once held a ring of timber posts, according to some scholars.
Several hundred years later, it is thought, Stonehenge’s builders hoisted an estimated 80 bluestones, 43 of which remain today, into standing positions and placed them in either a horseshoe or circular formation. These stones have been traced all the way to the Preseli Hills in Wales, some 300 kilometres from Stonehenge. How, then, did prehistoric builders without sophisticated tools or engineering haul these boulders, which weigh up to four tons, over such a great distance?
According to one long-standing theory among archaeologists, Stonehenge’s builders fashioned sledges and rollers out of tree trunks to lug the bluestones from the Preseli Hills. They then transferred the boulders onto rafts and floated them first along the Welsh coast and then up the River Avon toward Salisbury Plain; alternatively, they may have towed each stone with a fleet of vessels. More recent archaeological hypotheses have them transporting the bluestones with supersized wicker baskets on a combination of ball bearings and long grooved planks, hauled by oxen.
As early as the 1970s, geologists have been adding their voices to the debate over how Stonehenge came into being. Challenging the classic image of industrious builders pushing, carting, rolling or hauling giant stones from faraway Wales, some scientists have suggested that it was glaciers, not humans, that carried the bluestones to Salisbury Plain. Most archaeologists have remained sceptical about this theory, however, wondering how the forces of nature could possibly have delivered the exact number of stones needed to complete the circle.
The third phase of construction took place around 2000 BCE. At this point, sandstone slabs – known as ‘sarsens’ – were arranged into an outer crescent or ring; some were assembled into the iconic three-pieced structures called trilithons that stand tall in the centre of Stonehenge. Some 50 of these stones are now visible on the site, which may once have contained many more. Radiocarbon dating has revealed that work continued at Stonehenge until roughly 1600 BCE, with the bluestones in particular being repositioned multiple times.
But who were the builders of Stonehenge? In the 17th century, archaeologist John Aubrey made the claim that Stonehenge was the work of druids, who had important religious, judicial and political roles in Celtic** society. This theory was widely popularized by the antiquarian William Stukeley, who had unearthed primitive graves at the site. Even today, people who identify as modern druids continue to gather at Stonehenge for the summer solstice. However, in the mid-20th century, radiocarbon dating demonstrated that Stonehenge stood more than 1,000 years before the Celts inhabited the region.
Many modern historians and archaeologists now agree that several distinct tribes of people contributed to Stonehenge, each undertaking a different phase of its construction. Bones, tools and other artefacts found on the site seem to support this hypothesis. The first stage was achieved by Neolithic agrarians who were likely to have been indigenous to the British Isles. Later, it is believed, groups with advanced tools and a more communal way of life left their mark on the site. Some believe that they were immigrants from the European continent, while others maintain that they were probably native Britons, descended from the original builders.
If the facts surrounding the architects and construction of Stonehenge remain shadowy at best, the purpose of the striking monument is even more of a mystery. While there is consensus among the majority of modern scholars that Stonehenge once served the function of burial ground, they have yet to determine what other purposes it had.
In the 1960s, the astronomer Gerald Hawkins suggested that the cluster of megalithic stones operated as a form of calendar, with different points corresponding to astrological phenomena such as solstices, equinoxes and eclipses occurring at different times of the year. While his theory has received a considerable amount of attention over the decades, critics maintain that Stonehenge’s builders probably lacked the knowledge necessary to predict such events or that England’s dense cloud cover would have obscured their view of the skies.
More recently, signs of illness and injury in the human remains unearthed at Stonehenge led a group of British archaeologists to speculate that it was considered a place of healing, perhaps because bluestones were thought to have curative powers.
_________
* Neolithic – The era, also known as the New Stone Age, which began around 12,000 years ago and ended around 3500 BCE
** Celtic – The Celts were people who lived in Britain and northwest Europe during the Iron Age from 600 BCE to 43 CE
Questions 1-8
Complete the notes below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet, in the section bellow.
Stonehenge
Construction
Stage 1:
● the ditch and henge were dug, possibly using tools made from 1……………….
● 2………………. may have been arranged in deep pits inside the circle
Stage 2:
● bluestones from the Preseli Hills were placed in standing position
● theories about the transportation of the bluestones:
archaeological:
builders used 3………………. to make sledges and rollers
4………………. pulled them on giant baskets
geological:
they were brought from Wales by 5……………….
Stage 3:
● sandstone slabs were arranged into an outer crescent or ring
Builders
● a theory arose in the 17th century that its builders were Celtic 6……………….
Purpose
● many experts agree it has been used as a 7………………. site
● in the 1960s, it was suggested that it worked as a kind of 8……………….
Questions 9-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9 During the third phase of construction, sandstone slabs were placed in both the outer areas and the middle of the Stonehenge site.
10 There is scientific proof that the bluestones stood in the same spot until approximately 1600 BCE.
11 John Aubrey’s claim about Stonehenge was supported by 20th-century findings.
12 Objects discovered at Stonehenge seem to indicate that it was constructed by a number of different groups of people.
13 Criticism of Gerald Hawkins’ theory about Stonehenge has come mainly from other astronomers.
Reading passage 2
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
An ideal city
Leonardo da Vinci’s ideal city was centuries ahead of its time
The word ‘genius’ is universally associated with the name of Leonardo da Vinci. A true Renaissance man, he embodied scientific spirit, artistic talent and humanist sensibilities. Five hundred years have passed since Leonardo died in his home at Chateau du Clos Luce, outside Tours, France. Yet far from fading into insignificance, his thinking has carried down the centuries and still surprises today.
The Renaissance marked the transition from the 15th century to modernity and took place after the spread of the plague in the 14th century, which caused a global crisis resulting in some 200 million deaths across Europe and Asia. Today, the world is on the cusp of a climate crisis, which is predicted to cause widespread displacement, extinctions and death, if left unaddressed. Then, as now, radical solutions were called for to revolutionise the way people lived and safeguard humanity against catastrophe.
Around 1486 – after a pestilence that killed half the population in Milan, Italy – Leonardo turned his thoughts to urban planning problems. Following a typical Renaissance trend, he began to work on an ‘ideal city’ project, which – due to its excessive costs – would remain unfulfilled. Yet given that unsustainable urban models are a key cause of global climate change today, it’s only natural to wonder how Leonardo might have changed the shape of modem cities.
Although the Renaissance is renowned as an era of incredible progress in art and architecture, it is rarely noted that the 15th century also marked the birth of urbanism as a true academic discipline. The rigour and method behind the conscious conception of a city had been largely missing in Western thought until the moment when prominent Renaissance men pushed forward large-scale urban projects in Italy, such as the reconfiguration of the town of Pienza and the expansion of the city of Ferrara. These works surely inspired Leonardo’s decision to rethink the design of medieval cities, with their winding and overcrowded streets and with houses piled against one another.
It is not easy to identify a coordinated vision of Leonardo’s ideal city because of his disordered way of working with notes and sketches. But from the largest collection of Leonardo’s papers ever assembled, a series of innovative thoughts can be reconstructed regarding the foundation of a new city along the Ticino River, which runs from Switzerland into Italy and is 248 kilometres long. He designed the city for the easy transport of goods and clean urban spaces, and he wanted a comfortable and spacious city, with well-ordered streets and architecture. He recommended ‘high, strong walls’, with ‘towers and battlements of all necessary and pleasant beauty’.
His plans for a modem and ‘rational’ city were consistent with Renaissance ideals. But, in keeping with his personality, Leonardo included several innovations in his urban design. Leonardo wanted the city to be built on several levels, linked with vertical outdoor staircases. This design can be seen in some of today’s high-rise buildings but was unconventional at the time. Indeed, this idea of taking full advantage of the interior spaces wasn’t implemented until the 1920s and 1930s, with the birth of the Modernist movement.
While in the upper layers of the city, people could walk undisturbed between elegant palaces and streets, the lower layer was the place for services, trade, transport and industry. But the true originality of Leonardo’s vision was its fusion of architecture and engineering. Leonardo designed extensive hydraulic plants to create artificial canals throughout the city. The canals, regulated by clocks and basins, were supposed to make it easier for boats to navigate inland. Leonardo also thought that the width of the streets ought to match the average height of the adjacent houses: a rule still followed in many contemporary cities across Italy, to allow access to sun and reduce the risk of damage from earthquakes.
Although some of these features existed in Roman cities, before Leonardo’s drawings there had never been a multi-level, compact modem city which was thoroughly technically conceived. Indeed, it wasn’t until the 19th century that some of his ideas were applied. For example, the subdivision of the city by function- with services and infrastructures located in the lower levels and wide and well-ventilated boulevards and walkways above for residents – is an idea that can be found in Georges-Eugene Haussmann’s renovation of Paris under Emperor Napoleon III between 1853 and 1870.
Today, Leonardo’s ideas are not simply valid, they actually suggest a way forward for urban planning. Many scholars think that the compact city, built upwards instead of outwards, integrated with nature (especially water systems), with efficient transport infrastructure, could help modem cities become more efficient and sustainable. This is yet another reason why Leonardo was aligned so closely with modem urban planning and centuries ahead of his time.
Questions 14-20
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
14 People first referred to Leonardo da Vinci as a genius 500 years ago.
15 The current climate crisis is predicted to cause more deaths than the plague.
16 Some of the challenges we face today can be compared to those of earlier times.
17 Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘ideal city’ was constructed in the 15th century.
18 Poor town planning is a major contributor to climate change.
19 In Renaissance times, local people fought against the changes to Pienza and Ferrara.
20 Leonardo da Vinci kept a neat, organised record of his designs.
Questions 21-27
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 34-40 on your answer sheet.
Leonardo da Vinci’s ideal city
A collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s paperwork reveals his design of a new city beside the Ticino River. This was to provide better 21………………. for trade and a less polluted environment. Although Leonardo da Vinci’s city shared many of the ideals of his time, some of his innovations were considered unconventional in their design. They included features that can be seen in some tower blocks today, such as 22………………. on the exterior of a building.
Leonardo da Vinci wasn’t only an architect. His expertise in 23………………. was evident in his plans for artificial canals within his ideal city. He also believed that the height of houses should relate to the width of streets in case earthquakes occurred. The design of many cities in Italy today follows this 24………………. .
While some cities from 25………………. times have aspects that can also be found in Leonardo’s designs, his ideas weren’t put into practice until long after his death. 27………………. is one example of a city that was redesigned in the 19th century in the way that Leonardo had envisaged. His ideas are also relevant to today’s world, where building 27………………. no longer seems to be the best approach.
write your answers in the section bellow!
What's Your score?
Note down all the answers you got correct! match your number here!
45 - 50 Correct Answers: Outstanding Proficiency
Exceptional mastery of C2 level English; demonstrates near-native fluency, with deep comprehension in complex and abstract contexts.
40 - 44 Correct Answers: Excellent Proficiency
Shows a very strong command of C2 level skills, comfortably handling intricate language structures and advanced vocabulary.
35 - 39 Correct Answers: Advanced Proficiency
High proficiency in C2 level English; demonstrates the ability to understand and use nuanced language accurately in most scenarios.
30 - 34 Correct Answers: Proficient
A solid level of competence with a good grasp of complex structures, though minor gaps may appear with certain specialized topics.
25 - 29 Correct Answers: Competent
A good understanding of C2 material, performing well in most tasks, though occasional clarification may be needed for certain complexities.
20 - 24 Correct Answers: Intermediate-Advanced
Shows reasonable proficiency and can manage many C2 tasks, but might struggle with highly technical or abstract language.
15 - 19 Correct Answers: Intermediate
Moderate understanding of C2 material, able to handle simpler C2 contexts but often requires support with complex structures.
10 - 14 Correct Answers: Basic Intermediate
Basic grasp of C2 level, primarily comfortable with simpler elements, and likely needs further development for advanced tasks.
5 - 9 Correct Answers: Elementary
Limited grasp of C2 material; capable of understanding simple ideas but lacks ability to apply complex language or vocabulary.
0 - 4 Correct Answers: Beginner
Minimal understanding of C2 level English, with little ability to comprehend or produce advanced structures.