Sample task type 9.Read the passage below

West Thames College (initially known as

Hounslow Borough College) came into

existence in 1976 following the merger of

Isleworth Polytechnic with part of

Chiswick Polytechnic. Both parent

colleges, in various guises, enjoyed a long

tradition of service to the community

dating back to the 1890s.

The college is located at London Road,

Isleworth, on a site occupied by the

Victorian house and grounds of the Pears

family. Previously this had been the

location of Spring Grove House, the home

of Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist who

named Botany Bay with Captain Cook in

1770. Later he founded Kew Gardens.

Situated at the heart of West London, West

Thames College is ideally placed to serve

the training and education needs of local

industry and local people. But its influence

reaches much further than the immediate

locality.

Under its former name, Hounslow Borough

College, it had already established a

regional, national and international

reputation for excellence. In fact, about

eight per cent of its students come from

continental Europe and further afield,

whilst a further 52 per cent are from

outside the immediate area. Since 1 April

1993, when it became independent of the

local authority and adopted its new title,

West Thames College has continued to

build on that first class reputation.

These days there is no such thing as a

typical student. More than half of West

Thames College’s 6000 students are over 19

years old. Some of these will be attending

college parttime

under their employers’

training schemes. Others will want to learn

new skills purely out of interest, or out of a

desire to improve their promotion chances,

or they may want a change in career.

The college is also very popular with 1618

year olds, who see it as a practical alternative

to a further two years at school. They want

to study in the more adult atmosphere the

college provides. They can choose from a

far wider range of subjects than it would be

practical for a sixth form to offer. If they

want to go straight into employment they can

still study at college to gain qualifications

relevant to the job, either on a dayrelease

basis or through Network or the Modern

Apprenticeship Scheme.

Questions 14 – 20

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

In boxes 1420

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 Chiswick Polytechnic was closed at the same time West Thames was opened.

15 Most of the students at the college come from outside the local area.

16 The college changed its name to West Thames College in 1993.

17 There are currently 6000 students over the age of 19 attending the college.

18 Students under the age of 16 cannot attend any of the courses offered by the

college.

19 The college offers a more mature environment in which to learn than a school.

20 There are fewer subjects to study in the sixth form of a school than at the college.

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