Paper 1 (Reading Exam) - Part 2 (Gapped text)

In part 2 of Paper 1, you are given a text with seven gaps.  You have to fill in each gap with the correct sentence. 

Tip 1

The first thing you should do is read the text quickly.  This way you will get an idea of what the text is about.  At this stage, you should try and ignore the gaps. 

Below is an article called "Career success in sales".  Read the article quickly (ignoring the gaps) and answer the question.

A. What is the purpose of the text?

Career success in sales

Jon Greenwell, a target thrashing salesman, gives advice on how to succeed in a career in sales.

I asked Jon how he got started and what requirements there are. “Well, to get into the field, you don’t really need any formal qualifications. I went to university and got a degree in French and German and believe me, I never use these languages. 1. _______. If you demonstrate that you have these characteristics, and that you’re a hard and competitive person, you should be given a chance. Something that’s really important to consider is what you wear to the interview. Always dress to impress. You want to look the part”. 2. _______. 

Later I asked Jon if he had any advice for those contemplating a career in the field. “Of course, first thing’s first, you need to be trustworthy. This means always putting the customer first. It takes a certain kind of person to convince someone that they need something. 3. _______”. Like any profession, if your client doesn’t trust you, he’ll be less willing to work with you. 

He then went on to highlight the importance of empathy and reading people’s thoughts and emotions. “It is vital that you understand your client. This means finding out what they want and why. 4. _______. In addition to this, you should pay attention to your customer’s reactions. This means observing their facial expressions and body language, as this can tell you about what they are really thinking. Guessing what the customer is objecting to, will help you respond tactfully and persuasively”. 

“You also need to be an expert in your field. This means knowing everything there is to know about your products and your competitor’s products. If you know this information, you will be able to answer all of your customer’s queries and not look new to the job or lacking in confidence”. 5. _______. 

Commission can form a big part of a salesperson’s working life. According to Jon, salespeople need to “Be logical as when you first start out you will inevitably be working on commission. This means you will get a small percentage of everything you sell. For this reason, it is tempting to up-sell but don’t force things. 6. _______. This will gain you more respect and trust and could potentially lead to future sales”. Following this advice will help you to increase your numbers and get you a little closer to your target.     

He also explains how and why ‘post-sales’ care is important. “You need to always go the extra mile. This means following up with your client once they have purchased something from you to ensure they are 100% happy with their purchase”.  

The last piece of advice he gives is “Forget bad sales! There might be times when you are unable to sell or you are unlucky enough to have a sale fall through. 7. _______. Once you have learned how to do this, you will become a better salesperson”.

Tip 2

Once you have read the text quickly and worked out its purpose, you should then read the sentences. 

Here are the sentences that have been removed from paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.

A.     Being fully prepared with all of this beforehand makes it easier to get a sales position

B.     Identifying your customer’s desires and adopting them yourself with turn you into a great salesman

C.     When you meet with an employer, you need to come across as a confident person with good personal skills

D.     You need to show sincerity and make the sale being assertive, firm and honest

Tip 3

Read each sentence and identify the topic.  Once you have identified the topic,

see if you can match it to the topic of the paragraph.  Always pay attention

to what comes directly before and after the gap.  Always look out for similarities in

language e.g. the same tense, pronouns, etc. 

B. Match the sentences to the gaps.

Career success in sales

Jon Greenwell, a target thrashing salesman, gives advice on how to succeed in a career in sales.

I asked Jon how he got started and what requirements there are. “Well, to get into the field, you don’t really need any formal qualifications. I went to university and got a degree in French and German and believe me, I never use these languages. 1. _______. If you demonstrate that you have these characteristics, and that you’re a hard and competitive person, you should be given a chance. Something that’s really important to consider is what you wear to the interview. Always dress to impress. You want to look the part”. 2. _______. 

Later I asked Jon if he had any advice for those contemplating a career in the field. “Of course, first thing’s first, you need to be trustworthy. This means always putting the customer first. It takes a certain kind of person to convince someone that they need something. 3. _______”. Like any profession, if your client doesn’t trust you, he’ll be less willing to work with you. 

He then went on to highlight the importance of empathy and reading people’s thoughts and emotions. “It is vital that you understand with your client. This means finding out what they want and why. 4. _______. In addition to this, you should pay attention to your customer’s reactions. This means observing their facial expressions and body language as this can tell you about what they are really thinking. Guessing what the customer is objecting to will help you respond tactfully and persuasively”.

1 =

2 =

3 =

4 =

C. Below are the first three complete paragraphs.  There are five words in bold.  What do they refer to? e.g. 'I' refers to the writer. 

Career success in sales

Jon Greenwell, a target thrashing salesman, gives advice on how to succeed in a career in sales.

(1) I asked Jon how he got started and what requirements there are. “Well, to get into the field, you don’t really need any formal qualifications. I went to university and got a degree in French and German and believe me, (2) I never use these languages. When you meet with an employer, you need to come across as a confident person with good personal skills. If you demonstrate that you have these characteristics, and that you’re a hard and competitive person, you should be given a chance. Something that’s really important to consider is what you wear to the interview. Always dress to impress. You want to look the part”. Being fully prepared with all of this beforehand makes it easier to get a sales position.

Later I asked Jon if he had any advice for those contemplating a career in the field. “Of course, first thing’s first, you need to be trustworthy. This means always putting the customer first. It takes a certain kind of person to convince someone that they need something. You need to show sincerity and make the sale being assertive, firm and honest”. Like any profession, if your client doesn’t trust you, (3) he’ll be less willing to work with you. 

He then went on to highlight the importance of empathy and reading people’s thoughts and emotions. “It is vital that you understand with your client. This means finding out what they want and why. Identifying your customer’s desires and adopting them yourself with turn you into a great salesman. In addition to (4) this, you should pay attention to your customer’s reactions. This means observing (5) their facial expressions and body language as this can tell you about what they are really thinking. Guessing what the customer is objecting to will help you respond tactfully and persuasively”.

D. Here are the sentences for the rest of the article.  Complete the gaps. 

Please note that there is one sentence that you do not need to use.  Remember to think about what comes before and after the gap and also if there are any significant language features. 

A.    Try and balance your desire to make a sale with considering what makes sense for the customer

B.    When this happens, don’t get frustrated. It can be discouraging but put it behind you and approach new opportunities

C.    This tip can really help all of those new to the business look more experienced than perhaps they are

D.    Identifying your customer’s desires and adopting them yourself with turn you into a great salesman

Second part of the text

---------------

“You also need to be an expert in your field. This means knowing everything there is to know about your products and your competitor’s products. If you know this information you will be able to answer all of your customer’s queries and not look new to the job or lacking in confidence”. 5. _______. 

Commission can form a big part of a salesperson’s working life. According to Jon, salespeople need to “Be logical as when you first start out you will inevitably be working on commission. This means you will get a small percentage of everything you sell. For this reason, it is tempting to up-sell but don’t force things. 6. _______. This will gain you more respect and trust and could potentially lead to future sales”. Following this advice will help you to increase your numbers and get you a little closer to your target.     

He also explains how and why ‘post-sales’ care is important. “You need to always go the extra mile. This means following up with your client once they have purchased something from you to ensure they are 100% happy with their purchase”.  

The last piece of advice he gives is “Forget bad sales! There might be times when you are unable to sell or you are unlucky enough to have a sale fall through. 7. _______. Once you have learned how to do this, you will become a better salesperson”.

Now listen to your teacher re-cap on how to carry out part 2. Make notes.

(Video 3.1)

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Answers

A.

2. To advise those considering this career.

B.

1 = C

2 = A

3 = D

4 = B

C.

1. I = the writer
2. I = the salesman
3. He = the client
4. This = identifying your client's desires and adopting them yourself
5. Their = the customers

D.

5 = D

6 = C

7 = A

8 = B