A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Helping Hands at School 4
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Helping Hands at School
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Talking with our hands
13-year-old Jack writes about a new language club at his school.
My name is Jack, and I am 13 years old. Last year, I wanted to learn something completely new. I spent a lot of time watching videos on the internet and learned basic sign language. This is a brilliant way of talking to people by making different shapes with your hands. I loved it, so I decided to start a new club at my school to teach my friends how to communicate in this special way.
Five of my classmates came to the first club meeting in the school library. I wanted to teach them the alphabet first. I stood at the front and showed them how to make a different hand shape for every letter. However, we soon had a big problem. My friends found it very difficult to remember all the signs. After ten minutes, they felt tired and said the club was just too boring.
I didn't want my friends to leave the group, so I knew I had to think of a better idea. I decided to stop teaching them the alphabet slowly. Instead, I turned the lesson into a fast and fun game. I asked my friends to spell their own names with their hands as quickly as possible. The student who did it the fastest was the winner of the game.
Suddenly, everyone was laughing and having a really great time. The spelling game made learning much easier for them. Now, there are ten students in the club, and they can all sign their names perfectly! We practice together every Tuesday after school. Next term, we are going to invite some of our teachers to the club and show them how to say hello with their hands, too!
14 Why did Jack start a new club at his school?
A to help his friends learn a new way to talk
B to find some people to make internet videos with
C to show his teachers a brilliant new language
15 What was the problem at the first club meeting?
A Jack couldn't remember the letters of the alphabet.
B The students thought the hand shapes were hard to learn.
C There were too many people inside the school library.
16 What did Jack do to make the club more interesting?
A He asked his friends to do a spelling activity.
B He taught the alphabet to everyone much more slowly.
C He gave a special prize to the fastest student.
17 After Jack changed the lesson, the students
A invited ten more friends to practice on Tuesdays.
B decided to stop learning and just play games.
C became very good at making the signs for their names.
18 What is Jack planning to do next term?
A start a completely new club for the adults at his school
B ask his teachers to learn a little bit of sign language
C teach the students how to say hello to their teachers
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says Jack started the club to "teach my friends how to communicate in this special way" (help his friends learn a new way to talk). Option B is a wrong logic trap; he watched internet videos to learn, he didn't start a club to make them. Option C is a partial truth trap; he does plan to show his teachers, but that is his plan for next term, not why he started the club.
15 B - Explanation: In paragraph 2, the text states that Jack's friends "found it very difficult to remember all the signs" (the shapes were hard to learn). Option A is a wrong reference trap; the friends had trouble remembering the signs, not Jack. Option C is a wrong logic trap; only five classmates came to the library, so there weren't too many people.
16 A - Explanation: In paragraph 3, Jack explains that he "turned the lesson into a fast and fun game" and asked his friends to "spell their own names". Option B is a wrong logic trap; the text says he decided to stop teaching them slowly. Option C is a partial truth trap; there was a "winner of the game", but the text never mentions giving out a special prize.
17 C - Explanation: In paragraph 4, the text says the game made learning easier and the students "can all sign their names perfectly" (they became very good at making the signs). Option A is a wrong reference trap; there are ten students in the club in total now, they didn't invite ten more friends. Option B is a wrong logic trap; they played a game, but they used it to learn, they didn't stop learning.
18 B - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Jack states, "Next term, we are going to invite some of our teachers to the club and show them how to say hello with their hands" (ask his teachers to learn some sign language). Option A is a partial truth trap; he is inviting adults (teachers) to his current club, he isn't starting a new one. Option C is a wrong logic trap; Jack and his friends are going to teach the teachers, they are not teaching the students.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The rubbish competition
Fourteen-year-old Kelly writes about cleaning up her school.
I am Kelly, and I am fourteen years old. Last month, our school playground was very dirty. Students often left their empty crisp packets and drink bottles on the grass. Because I care about the environment, I wanted to fix this problem. So, I decided to turn picking up rubbish into a fun competition between all the different classes.
At first, the competition was a great success. Every day during the lunch break, students ran outside with plastic bags. They worked really hard to collect as much litter as possible. Everyone wanted their class to collect the most bags because our headteacher promised to give a huge chocolate cake to the winners.
However, on the third day, we had a big problem. Some students in year nine really wanted to win that cake! Instead of looking for rubbish on the school grass, they brought two heavy bags of old rubbish from their own homes. When I saw this, I felt quite angry. It just wasn't fair to all the other children who were trying to play the game properly.
Because of this, I had to make a strict new rule. I told all the classes that they could only collect school food wrappers and empty juice cups. If they found any different rubbish, it didn't count. This easy rule stopped the cheating immediately.
In the end, the competition was a fantastic idea. After just one week, our playground was completely clean and looked beautiful again. Because it worked so well, I am already making plans for the future. Next spring, I am going to ask the students to help me plant colourful flowers next to the sports field!
14 Why did Kelly start the competition?
A Her teachers asked her to help the environment.
B She wanted to make the school playground cleaner.
C She wanted to learn how to play a new game.
15 What did the students do during their lunch break?
A They went outside to pick up rubbish.
B They ate a huge chocolate cake.
C They ran to the shops to buy plastic bags.
16 How did Kelly feel when some students brought rubbish from home?
A surprised that they had so much old rubbish
B worried that the bags were too heavy for them to carry
C annoyed because they were not playing fairly
17 What was Kelly's new rule?
A Students could only use empty juice cups to hold their rubbish.
B Students had to stop playing the game immediately.
C Students must only pick up rubbish from the school's food and drinks.
18 What is Kelly planning to do next spring?
A ask students to work together to grow things at the school
B start a new competition to find the most colourful flowers
C clean the sports field so people can play games on it
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The text states that the playground was very dirty and Kelly "wanted to fix this problem." Option B perfectly paraphrases her goal to clean it up. Option A is a wrong reference trap; the text says she cares about the environment, but her teachers didn't ask her to do this—she decided to do it herself. Option C is wrong logic; she turned cleaning into a game, but she wasn't trying to learn a new game.
15 A - Explanation: The text says that during the lunch break, students "ran outside with plastic bags" and "worked really hard to collect as much litter as possible." Option A is a simple paraphrase of this action. Option B is a wrong logic trap; the headteacher promised a cake to the winners at the end, but they weren't eating it during the lunch break. Option C is a wrong logic trap; they ran outside with plastic bags, not to the shops to buy them.
16 C - Explanation: The text explains that when Kelly saw the rubbish from home, she "felt quite angry" because "It just wasn't fair to all the other children". Option C matches this feeling and reason exactly. Option A is wrong logic; she was angry, not surprised about the amount of rubbish. Option B is a partial truth trap; the bags were "heavy," but she was never worried about the students carrying them.
17 C - Explanation: Kelly's new rule was that students "could only collect school food wrappers and empty juice cups." Option C correctly paraphrases this limit to only school food and drink rubbish. Option A is wrong logic; the empty cups were the rubbish they were picking up, not what they used to hold the rubbish. Option B is wrong logic; the new rule stopped the cheating immediately, but it did not stop the game.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Kelly states her future plan: "Next spring, I am going to ask the students to help me plant colourful flowers next to the sports field!" Option A perfectly summarises this plan to grow things together. Option B is wrong logic; she wants to plant flowers, not start a competition to find them. Option C is a wrong logic trap; she is going to plant flowers next to the sports field, she is not planning to clean the field so people can play on it.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A New School Guide
15-year-old Leo writes about his digital project for new students.
My name is Leo and I am 15 years old. This year, my teachers asked me to make a special guide for all the new students at our school. When new people arrive, they often feel worried because they don't know where their classrooms are or what the school rules are. So, I decided to create a digital handbook to help them find their way around the school easily. I wanted them to feel welcome and safe.
I spent three weeks writing the guide, and I included a lot of useful information in it. There are maps of the building, the times of all the classes, and a list of the sports clubs. When I finished, I showed it to my teachers. They loved it and said it was a fantastic idea. We decided to send the handbook as a big PDF file to the mobile phones of all the new students.
However, there was a big problem with this plan. The PDF file had lots of photos and maps, so it was very large. When the students tried to download it, it used too much memory on their phones. Some students couldn't open the file at all, and others said it made their phones work really slowly. I felt sad because my useful guide was actually causing problems for people.
Because of this, I have a different plan for next year. I strongly recommend creating a simple, free website instead of a big file. A website is much better because students won't have to download anything. They can just click a link on their phones to read the rules and see the maps. I think this will be the best way to help new students in the future.
14 Why did Leo decide to make the guide?
A to show new students where things are
B to help his teachers feel more welcome
C to stop students from forgetting the rules
15 What does Leo say about the information in the guide?
A It took him three weeks to learn it all.
B It was a very good idea from his teachers.
C It included details about different school activities.
16 What problem did the students have with the PDF file?
A The file was too big to keep on their phones.
B The file didn't have enough photos and maps.
C The file made them feel sad because it didn't open.
17 What does Leo advise the school to do next year?
A give the new students a free mobile phone
B put all the school information online instead
C send students a smaller file to download
18 What is Leo doing in this text?
A explaining how to fix a slow mobile phone
B describing a project and how to improve it
C asking students what they want to read online
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, Leo says he created the handbook to help new students "find their way around the school easily," which matches A (show them where things are). B is a wrong reference trap; he wanted the students to feel welcome, not the teachers. C is a partial truth trap; he mentions school rules, but his main purpose was to help them find their way and feel welcome, not to stop them from forgetting rules.
15 C - Explanation: In paragraph 2, Leo states that the guide contains "a list of the sports clubs," which matches C (details about different school activities). A is wrong logic; he spent three weeks writing the guide, not learning the information. B is a wrong reference trap; the teachers asked him to make a guide, but adding all the useful information inside was Leo's idea.
16 A - Explanation: Paragraph 3 explains that the large file "used too much memory on their phones," which makes A the correct answer (too big to keep). B is wrong logic; the file was too large exactly because it had "lots of photos and maps," not because it didn't have enough. C is a wrong reference trap; some files didn't open, but Leo felt sad, not the students.
17 B - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Leo recommends "creating a simple, free website" so they "can just click a link on their phones," which matches B (put information online). A is wrong logic; he says to make a free website, not give away free phones. C is a partial truth trap; he mentions files and downloading, but he explicitly says a website is better so students "won't have to download anything."
18 B - Explanation: This is a global question. Throughout the blog, Leo describes the handbook project he made, the problems it caused, and his recommendation to improve it by making a website next year, making B the correct answer. A is wrong logic; he mentions phones working slowly, but doesn't explain how to fix them. C is wrong reference; he is suggesting a website for students to read, not asking for their opinions.