Session One, Level 5 Written Paper

LABEL

Paper Reference(s)

4152/01 4065/01

London Tests of English

Level 5

May 2007
Time: 2 hours 55 minutes

Materials required for examination

Items included with question papers

Cassette player

Information sheets

1 Cassette per 10 Candidates

Instructions to Candidates

Your candidate details:

Step 1: Write your surname, initials and signature in the boxes at the top right of the page.

Step 2: - If you have been given a label containing your details then stick it carefully in the box at

the top left of the page.

- If you have not been given a label, then write your centre number and candidate number in

the boxes at the top left of the page.

Do not use pencil. Use blue or black ink. Some tasks must be answered with a cross in a box ( ). If you

change your mind about an answer, put a line through the box ( ) and then mark your new answer with

a cross ( ). For Task 5 indicate which question you are answering by marking the box ( ).

Answer ALL the questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided in this question paper.

Information for Candidates

The marks for the various tasks are shown in round brackets: e.g. (15 marks).

There are 5 tasks in this question paper. The total mark for this paper is 100.

There are 24 pages in this question paper. Any blank pages are indicated.

Advice to Candidates

Write your answers neatly.

You should remove information sheets 1 and 2 (pages 11–14) to answer Task Three.

You should remove information sheet 3 (pages 17–20) to answer Task Four.

Examiner’s use only

Team Leader’s use only

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Initial(s)

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Hello everyone! Today’s test is the London Tests of English Level Five. The theme of
this test is Fashion. This test lasts two hours and fifty-five minutes. There are five tasks.
Tasks One and Two are listening. You must listen to the tape and write your answers in
this booklet. Good luck!

1. Task One: Interview with Fashion Designer Tina Forbes (15 marks)

You are doing a class project on fashion and you hear a radio interview with a young
fashion designer. Listen to the interview and read the questions below. For each question,
put a cross ( ) in the box A, B, C or D next to the correct answer, as in the example.

You will hear the interview twice. Do as much as you can the first time and finish your
work the second time.

You have one and a half minutes to read the questions.

Example: How popular is the profession of fashion designer today?

A not at all popular

B not very popular

C quite popular

D extremely popular

1. What kind of business is the fashion industry, according to the interviewer?

A It can be a dangerous business.

B Everyone tries to do better than everyone else.

C There’s a mixture of cooperation and competition.

D It’s no different from any other business.

2. At what stage in her career is Tina Forbes?

A Her talents are not yet recognised.

B She’s becoming more and more well-known.

C She is at the height of her career.

D Her career is now in decline.

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3. What initial impression did Tina make on the interviewer?

A She was a highly attractive woman.

B She was wearing distinctive clothes.

C Her smile contrasted with her body language.

D She smiled in an attractive way.

4. Which of the following influenced her as a young girl?

A fashion designers

B a teacher at school

C computer design

D playing with toys

5. What are her designs based on?

A what might suit other people

B the clothes she wears herself

C other designers’ ideas

D the demand for creative clothing

6. Why does her own personal style keep changing?

A She’s influenced by her own label.

B She doesn’t know why.

C She works in the fashion industry.

D She’s a unique individual.

7. What kind of people tend to wear Tina’s clothes?

A virtually anyone

B girls who prefer comfort to fashion

C strong-minded girls

D girls who don’t mind being looked at

8. What does Tina like her clothes to be seen as?

A classic but stylish

B exclusive and new

C unusual but affordable

D individual and desirable

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9. What does Tina consider the fashion industry to be like?

A very glamorous

B over-competitive

C too commercialised

D rather disappointing

10. What advice does she give to people who want to become fashion designers?

A Get to know the market.

B Study design at college.

C Make a lot of contacts.

D Don’t listen to others’ opinions.

(Total 15 marks)

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2. Task Two: Globalisation and Fashion (15 marks)

You hear a lecture on globalisation and fashion. Listen to the lecture and complete the
sentences below as briefly as you can, as in the example.

You will hear the lecture twice. Do as much as you can the first time and finish your work
the second time.

You have one minute to read the sentences.

That is the end of the listening tasks. The other tasks test your reading and writing of

English. Now go on to Task Three.

(Total 15 marks)

Example: When people buy clothes, they are connecting with

............................................................................

1. In Britain it is not necessary for clothing to indicate the

............................................................................

2. Shops are engaged in a constant ......................................................................... .

3. The fall in clothing and footwear prices is similar to that in the

...........................................................................

industry.

4. In real terms the price of clothing has gone down by

............................................................................

5. Globalisation means that retailers are looking for less expensive

............................................................................

6. In the 1990s Britain’s biggest growth in clothing sales was in the area of

.............................................................................

7. The profit made by Newcastle United Football Club on each shirt is

.............................................................................

8. Marks and Spencer shops are most famous for selling

.......................................................... and ......................................................... .

9. Apart from Marks and Spencer, most British shops sell clothes produced

.............................................................................

10. Marks and Spencer work with producers who care about

.......................................................... and ......................................................... .

the global market

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3. Task Three: The Future of Fashion

Your teacher gives you an article to read on the future of fashion.

Task Three (a): Reading (10 marks)

Read the article on Information Sheet 1 and choose the best title (A–M) for each of the
numbered paragraphs (1–11) in the text. Put a cross ( ) in the appropriate box, as in the
example.

Be careful. There are two more titles than you need. Do not use a letter more than once.

Paragraph Title

A. Who Knows What the Future Holds? H. Practical Economics will Decide in the End

B. The Prospect of Mutant Clothing

I. Where Fashion Meets Science Fiction

C. Another Step Forward in Fabrics

J. The Latest in Made-to-Measure, at a Price

D. Sportswear Leads the Way

K. New Technology, New Terminology

E. New Scientific Research

L. Where to Buy the New Clothing

F. The Gender Divide

M. A Small Proportion, but Set to Grow Quickly

G. Extreme Ideas

Paragraph Title

Paragraph

Number

Q3(a)

(Total 10 marks)

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Task Three (b): Reading and Writing (20 marks)

You have been asked by the editor of the college magazine to write an article about current
and future developments in fashion.

Use only information from Information Sheet 1 and Information Sheet 2 to write your
article, covering all of the following points

•

fashion and information technology

•

some examples of current and future developments

•

the speed of changes in fashion nowadays

•

the alternative of a more classic style.

Write 230–260 words. Use your own words as much as possible.

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Q3(b)

(Total 20 marks)

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Task 3
Information Sheet 1

The Future of Fashion

Forget fancy camcorder phones and wireless Internet routers; the future’s most

innovative gadgets come in a strapless size 4. And we’re not talking about just any size 4.
These fetching gowns will come complete with remote controls, global positioning systems
and radio frequency identification tags, making catwalk shows look more like scenes from
Mission Impossible than showcases of exclusive designer wear.

Designers have been experimenting with innovative materials for years. Once-

revolutionary synthetic fabrics such as polyester, Spandex and Ultrasuede are now used in a
wide range of apparel and footwear. Things have moved on apace. Recently, hip Los Angeles-
based denim designer Serfontaine Jeans started using denim made from multicomponent yarns
to create stretch jeans that don’t lose their elasticity, thereby virtually eliminating the need for
a belt.

But we’re not just talking about clothes made with cool fabrics that retain their shapes or

better resist stains – what’s known as “smart clothing.” We’re also talking about clothes with
new technology incorporated into its design, a.k.a. “wearable technology”. Many companies
are already blending fashion and technology (which is what wearable technology is) in a
limited way: snowboard maker Burton sells the Clone Mini Disc Jacket, which is a coat with
a built-in Sony mini disc player and a remote control sewn into the sleeve. And the Japanese
company Kuuchoufuku makes jackets with built-in fans.

But the real high-tech designs of the future have yet to reach the stores. These will

consist mainly of technologically enabled fabrics and garments that are only being sketched
out in ateliers and research labs around the world. The mind boggles as to what ideas the most
revolutionary designers are cooking up!

According to Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of the NPD group, wearable

technology still accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. fashion industry’s retail sales. Although
this sector is still in its infancy, the fashion industry as a whole is exhibiting solid growth.
However, Cohen says wearable technology will eventually become a basic commodity, much
like the blue jean. “Why buy a basic pair of khakis when future ones will be able to keep your
legs warm with heating coils built into the lining?”

As usual, expect to see wearable tech and smart clothing first adopted by fringe groups

such as skiers and students before it catches on with the mainstream. NPD expects that skiwear
and active-wear companies, such as Nike, Adidas and Timberland will be the most likely to
drive development. Last year, Adidas released a running shoe with an embedded microchip
that monitors the terrain underfoot and adjusts the level of shock absorption provided by the
shoe’s heel.

Students at the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe young

men with a keen interest in technology are more likely to embrace wearable technology
trends than are women, who will prefer “computational-clothing,” which does not sacrifice its
aesthetic value for the sake of technology.

In London, it is not just clothing that is becoming technical – designers are innovating

with the way clothes are fitted. Bodymetrics, a London-based fashion-technology firm, and
Serfontaine Jeans have joined to create the world’s first pair of perfectly fitted jeans (well, we
do have different shape legs, don’t we?). Using a light scanner, Bodymetrics has created a pod
to scan a client’s body and record their exact body measurements. These are then recorded and
a pair of “perfect-fit” jeans arrive in the mail within two weeks – for $530 a pop, or more than
twice the price of a regular pair of Serfontaine jeans.

But innovative clothing need not be so expensive. Students at MIT’s Media Lab are also

experimenting with affordable wearable tech. Using fabrics imbued with various metals, such
as copper, carbon and stainless steel, they have produced conductive clothing that is still soft
to the touch. Amanda Parkes, an MIT student, has been studying how nitinol, a material that
contains a nearly equal mixture of nickel and titanium, changes shape during fluctuations in
temperature. With the application of a small amount of heat, a nitinol-based long-sleeve shirt
can become short sleeved in seconds, while still being able to revert back to its original shape.
Perhaps mass production of such goods will drive prices down in the future.

Some suggestions are even more radical. Suzanne Lee, a senior professor at St. Martin’s

School of Fashion in London and the author of Fashioning the Future, describes a “spray-
on dress” made from a chemical formula that allows you to create a temporary dress from
virtually nothing. The chemical is sprayed directly onto the skin to form a cloud of nonwoven
cloth, which can be styled as desired. At the MIT Media Lab, students have also conjured up
“epi-skin,” a piece of jewelry made from skin cells grown in a test tube.

Some of the concepts being explored, such as air-conditioned jackets and wrinkle-

resistant sweaters, will probably be on the market before long. But others, such as hug shirts
and airplane dresses, may never see the light of day – no matter how cool they sound. Because,
ultimately, people will only produce things that sell. Now if we can get a pair of sneakers that
give us a good workout without us having to move, we’d be set.

(Source: www.wired.com)

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Task 3
Information Sheet 2

Technology and Fashion

Technology is becoming an increasing consideration in fashion design, but so far there
has been little in the way of commercial product. This will change dramatically, however,
if British Telecom futurologist Ian Pearson is correct. At a recent briefing at the London
College of Fashion (LCF), Pearson outlined how futuristic technologies could play a part
in fashion.
Pearson’s ideas are based on future projection, taking developments that are happening
now and following them forward to a logical conclusion. There are no guarantees, and
many of his suggestions are hypothesis, but several are also rooted in actual research that
is happening now.
Many of Pearson’s key ideas are based on using fashion as communication, with advances
in technology increasing the ways that this is possible. An ego badge is one idea, which
is an intelligent personal information exchange between people via a piece of jewellery.
Similar in idea is the business card ring, where people can swap information either by
shaking hands or by radio/infrared transmissions.

(Source: www.usabilitynews.com)

New Directions in Fashion

There is now a major shift in designer-inspired fashion trends. That new look implies more
serious grown-up fashion trends of elegant dressing. This new gracefulness in dress will
also suit those tired of the concept of fashion racing. Dissemination of information via the
internet, emails and mobile phones means that fashion is too often racing ahead of itself, and
the result is some fads survive for no more than a week. 100 years ago in Edwardian Britain,
fashion had speeded to an almost yearly cycle, but by comparison we are now bombarded
with new fashion ideas daily. A return to a more classic way of dressing will suit many who
feel as if they are constantly striving to get it right. Some will think it far more beautiful
and timeless.

(Source: www.fashionera.com)

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4. Task Four: Different Fashions Around the World (20 marks)

As part of your research into fashion, you find a magazine article about fashions around
the world.

Read the article on Information Sheet 3 and complete the tasks that follow.

Task Four (a): (8 marks)

Read the statements about the information in the text. Put a cross ( ) in the correct box
in the table below to indicate whether the statement is True, False, or Not Stated, as in the
example.

Statement

True

False

Not

Stated

Example: The fashion industry is a complex one.

1. The branches of the fashion industry were

called ‘needle trades’ because a lot of the
work was done with a needle.

2. The gender imbalance in the fashion industry

is determined by demand.

3. European designers tend to make fun of

American styles.

4. North American designers no longer

distinguish between the couture and ready-to-
wear fields.

5. Couture houses make most of their money

through sales of related goods.

6. Italian ready-to-wear fashion shows take place

at the same time as the French ones.

7. Clothing designed for men in Italy is better

quality than that designed in London.

8. In non-western countries, most people reject

the idea of following fashion.

Q4(a)

(Total 8 marks)

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Task Four (b): (4 marks)

Explain what the word “they” (shaded in the text) refers to in the following contexts, as in
the example.

Example: they (para 2) ............................................................................

1. they (para 5) .............................................................................

2. they (para 6) .............................................................................

3. They (para 9) ..............................................................................

4. They (para 12) ...............................................................................

Task Four (c): (8 marks)

Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as each of the following. Write your
answers below, as in the example.

Paragraph Meaning

Word or phrase from text

consists of

comprises (example)

obvious

for example

competed with each other

at least

monitor

equivalents

famous

strange-looking

Q4(c)

(Total 8 marks)

Q4(b)

(Total 4 marks)

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Task 4
Information Sheet 3

Fashion Around the World

The fashion business comprises many different industries, from textiles and chemicals

to apparel manufacturing and retail merchandising. The branches of the industry were once
known as needle trades, but despite the name, sewing clothes with a needle and thread never
formed more than a small part of the industry. In fact, the trade is much more high-tech than
you might imagine in all its various manifestations – with Computer Aided Design being used
extensively to create clothing patterns and envision a new collection.

Women’s apparel is the most conspicuous sector in the fashion business. This may seem

odd in these days of apparent equality, but the market seems to be dictating this particular
state of affairs! Perhaps things will change in the future but, right now, women are still given
far more attention than men by the fashion industry. Fashion designers working in this field
may become famous, whether they are working in couture or ready-to-wear. Designers in
the menswear or children’s wear industries are generally less known. The apparel industries
produce dresses, suits, coats, sportswear, and underwear as well as accessories such as shoes,
jewellery, handbags, hosiery, gloves, and hats.

The great expansion of department, chain, and mail-order stores in the 20th century

paralleled the development of the apparel industry. The retail business itself embraces the
fields of marketing and merchandising. Fashion media, including magazines and broadcasting,
require fashion editors, photographers, stylists, and many other professionals. And in an
increasingly prosperous world (with people spending relatively more and more on clothes) this
trend is likely to continue. Young people today are more likely to want to enter into the fashion
industry than, say, mining.

New York City has been the fashion capital of the United States throughout the nation’s

history, and Toronto and Montréal have vied for dominance in Canada’s fashion industry. For
many years North American fashion was dependent on the creative leadership of Europe,
especially Paris. Paris remained the international capital of women’s fashion from the 17th
century until well into the 20th century. London was the capital of fine menswear from the
18th century until the 1950s. New York meanwhile became the capital of ready-to-wear men’s
clothing. Over the course of the 20th century, however, the fashion industries in the United
States and Canada have moved beyond their dependence on Paris and London. This is the
cause of some nationalistic pride, and clothes designed in North America are no more the butt
of European jokes.

Today the fashion industries in North America are interconnected with the international

fashion system. Textiles and apparel for the U.S. fashion industry are increasingly produced
overseas where wages are lower than they are in the United States. The government has supported
Canada’s fashion industry and apparel has become one of Canada’s most important industries
and a major export. Alfred Sung is one of the Canadian designers who has gained an
international reputation.

Most apparel manufacturers in the United States and Canada prepare for four selling

seasons within the calendar year: winter, spring, summer, and fall. However, in practice, efforts
are usually concentrated on the spring and fall collections. Perhaps this is because there is a
distinct change from cooler to warmer weather (or vice versa), and people’s attentions turn
towards changing and/or expanding their wardrobe. Manufacturers show their new line to
retailers a good six months before the garments appear in stores. For example, they generally
introduce spring styles during September. This means, strangely, that we see clothes in the
shops that are not all suitable for the weather at the time of viewing.

Many North American fashion professionals, despite their rising independence, also visit

foreign fashion markets, because they need to keep their eye on any emerging trends. The most
important European market is Paris. Fashion in Paris is designed and presented on two levels:
the haute couture (literally “fine dressmaking”), the custom dressmaking established in mid-
19th-century Paris by designers such as Charles Worth, and the prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear).
As you can imagine, there isn’t much love lost between these two sectors, with the haute-
couture establishments looking down on the ready-to-wear ones, while the ready-to-wear ones
consider themselves to be just as good as their snobbish counterparts. The couture houses show
their collections twice yearly: the spring/summer shows in January and the fall/winter shows
in July.

Because relatively few people can afford couture clothes, the couture houses make

most of their profits by licensing their names. Many more people can buy a bottle of Chanel
#5 perfume, for example, than can afford a custom-fitted Chanel suit. Many couturiers also
produce ready-to-wear collections that are sold at fine department stores or at couture boutiques
around the world – which suggests that a lot of money can be made by selling clothes in larger
volumes but at significantly cheaper prices. Each outlet will have its own business model.

The French ready-to-wear industry has thrived since the 1960s. Fashion designers

of ready-to-wear, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, are known as créateurs
(creators), as opposed to couturiers. They show their collections in March and October.

Italy is France’s most serious rival in the field of high fashion. Italy has long had couture

houses, mostly in Rome, and these houses show their collections one week before the French
shows. More important, however, is the trendsetting Italian ready-to-wear industry, which
is based primarily in Milan, one of the most renowned centres for fashion in the world. Top
fashion designers who head their own firms include Armani and the Missoni family. They
coordinate their ready-to-wear collections with the French shows.

London was for many years the world’s centre of high-quality menswear, although Italy

(with its reputation for flair and design) has overshadowed it in recent years by producing
more innovative menswear. London also has a small couture industry and a lively ready-to-
wear industry (mainly quite outlandish street fashion). The eccentric Vivienne Westwood is
probably Britain’s most important designer today, although she has often chosen to show her
collections in Paris rather than in London.

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But let’s not forget the rest of the world. Germany, Spain, and a few other European

countries have small fashion industries. The German designer best known in North America is
Margaretha Ley of the fashion house Escada. Meanwhile, in South America, Brazil is a major
producer of shoes. Furthermore, Asia also has a substantial fashion presence – indeed, United
States imports more apparel from East Asia than from any other area in the world. And as far as
production is concerned, designers from around the world, including Pierre Cardin of France
and Calvin Klein of the United States, have used Hong Kong’s manufacturing facilities. This
is probably because the labour costs are relatively low but the quality of the finished goods is
very high. So far, however, only Japan has produced fashion designers with an international
influence. They include Hanae Mori, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo.
Although fashion trade shows are held in Tokyo, Japan, in January and July, some Japanese
designers prefer (like Westwood) to present their collections in Paris.

People all around the world like to follow fashion, although their styles are not always

Western. The reality on the ground is that they may combine elements of international fashion
with elements of their own culture’s traditional dress, or they may choose to wear primarily
traditional dress. In India, for example, where many women wear the sari, fashion magazines
carry pictures of international fashion and also interpret the sari in terms of fashion. In this
system, the colours and patterns of the sari change according to the latest fashion, and fashion
designers, photographers, editors, and models promote the season’s fashionable saris.

(Source: www.encarta.msn.com)

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5. Task Five: Writing (20 marks)

As the final part of your project, your teacher gives you a choice of writing tasks.

Choose

ONE of the following.

EITHER

A “Producing ridiculous, overpriced clothes that people will never wear – is there any

human activity more pointless than the fashion industry?”

Write an essay discussing this question.

If you refer to information and ideas from other parts of the test, you should use
your own words as much as possible.

B Read this notice from a magazine.

Write an article for the magazine.

If you refer to information and ideas from other parts of the test, you should use
your own words as much as possible.

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There’s no escaping from it: just choosing
the clothes, hairstyle etc that suit you
determines your personal style, and even
choosing not to follow fashion is a style
in itself. So, what’s your personal style,
and how does it reflect your character?
Write an article about this – if it’s good,
we’ll print it.

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Put a cross ( ) in the box next to the task you have chosen.

Write 300–350 words.

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TOTAL FOR PAPER: 100 MARKS

THAT IS THE END OF THE TEST

(Total 20 marks)

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