Reading 2 — a job advert and how to apply
Section 2 of the General Training paper is built from two texts about work, and the pairing here is one of the most common in real life: a job advertisement and the employer's guidance on how to apply for it. The advert is for a tenancy support officer at a housing trust — contract, salary, what the job involves, what you "will need" and what "would be an advantage", the hours and the closing date. The guidance has six short sections: the form, the supporting statement and how shortlisting works, references, the interview, the conditions attached to an offer, and adjustments for candidates who need them. Thirteen questions and eleven vocabulary flashcards go with the two texts.
Documents like these are consulted, not read from start to finish, and they are written with great precision. The difference between "essential" and "an advantage" decides who is shortlisted. "CVs are not accepted on their own, although you may attach one" allows one thing and rules out another in the same sentence. An offer is "conditional on" two things, and neither of them is the probationary period. The questions are built on exactly those distinctions, and several of them need both texts at once: what a candidate with no qualification can expect, or what really happens to the points listed as advantages.
Three questions complete a sentence from four possible endings — the form in which multiple choice often appears on the paper. One asks which section of the guidance contains a particular piece of information. Three use the inverted True/False/Not Given layout of this category: four statements, and you find the one never stated, the one contradicted or the one actually stated. The Not Given statement is, as usual, the plausible one — a benefit most employers offer and this advert never mentions. One question asks what a phrase means in context, and one asks for two answers from a list of five.
On test day Section 2 also uses completion tasks, where you write words from the text into notes or sentences; a quiz cannot set those, so practise them separately on published sample material. The skill underneath is the same: find the sentence, then read it to the end, where the condition usually is.
The trust, the post and every term in the advert are invented, and nothing here is advice about a real application. The flashcards cover the fixed vocabulary of recruitment — fixed-term contract, probationary period, caseload, arrears, time off in lieu, shortlist, referee, conditional on — which is also useful for the General Training Task 1 letter.
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- Separate what a job advert calls essential from what it calls an advantage
- Complete a sentence with the one ending the text supports among four
- Locate which section of a set of guidance deals with a given situation
- Combine two workplace texts to answer one question
- Build the vocabulary of recruitment: fixed-term contract, caseload, time off in lieu, shortlist, referee, conditional on
Practice material written by Zestly, based on the ielts.org description of General Training Reading Section 2 (two texts on work topics, such as job descriptions and contracts).
Sample question
Reading Section 2 — a job advertisement and the employer's guidance for applicants TEXT 1 LOCHSIDE HOUSING TRUST — TENANCY SUPPORT OFFICER Full-time, 37 hours a week. Fixed-term contract for 12 months, with the possibility of extension. Salary £27,400 a year, rising to £28,900 on successful completion of a six-month probationary period. Based at our Kelso Road office, with regular visits to tenants' homes across the district. A full driving licence and the use of a car are essential; mileage is paid. The role: you will be the first point of contact for new tenants during their first year, helping them to set up gas, electricity and water accounts, to claim any benefits they are entitled to, and to deal with problems before they turn into rent arrears. You will manage a caseload of around 40 households and work closely with our repairs and income teams. You will need: experience of working with the public in an advice or support role (paid or voluntary); a good working knowledge of the benefits system; the ability to keep clear and accurate records. It would be an advantage if you have: a relevant qualification, for example in housing or advice work — we will support the right candidate to gain one; a second language spoken in the district. Hours are mainly 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday, but you will be expected to work one evening a week, until 7pm, to see tenants who are at work during the day. Time off in lieu is given for these hours. Closing date: 12 noon on Friday 6 November. Interviews: week beginning 16 November. TEXT 2 HOW TO APPLY — GUIDANCE FOR CANDIDATES 1 Application forms. Please apply using our application form. CVs are not accepted on their own, although you may attach one to a completed form. Forms received after the closing time will not be considered, whatever the reason for the delay. 2 Supporting statement. This is the most important part of the form. Shortlisting is based on it and on nothing else: the panel will not look at your CV or at the employment history section when deciding whom to invite. Take each point under 'You will need' in turn and give an example showing how you meet it. Points under 'It would be an advantage' are used only to decide between candidates who meet all the essential ones. 3 References. Give the names of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer. If you have never been employed, a tutor or someone who knows you through voluntary work may be named instead. We will not contact your referees without your permission until an offer has been made. 4 Interview. Shortlisted candidates will be told by email within five working days of the closing date. The interview lasts around 45 minutes and includes a short written exercise, for which you will have 20 minutes. You do not need to prepare anything in advance. 5 Before you start. Any offer is conditional on satisfactory references and on proof of your right to work in the UK. Please bring your passport or another identity document to the interview. Reasonable travel expenses for attending the interview will be refunded. 6 Adjustments. If you need any adjustment in order to take part in the interview — for example, extra time for the written exercise — please tell us when you accept the invitation. — How much will the officer be paid once the probationary period has been completed successfully?
- £27,400 a year
- £28,900 a year
- £27,400 plus mileage only
- It depends on whether the contract is extended
See the answer
£28,900 a year
Text 1 says the salary is £27,400 "rising to £28,900 on successful completion of a six-month probationary period". £27,400 is the starting figure; mileage is paid in addition at either stage and is not the salary; and the possible extension of the contract is not linked to pay at all.