www.thelisteningbusiness.comDistributed with kind permission from the BBC The Listening Business 2012BBC RADIO 4 NEWS Tuesday, 31st January 2012 10.00am ELEMENTARY: CORRECT THE MISTAKE IN EACH SENTENCE1. The first story is about vacational qualifications. 2. These qualifications count towards a schools performance in league tables in the UK. 3. At the moment more than 300 courses are worth GCSEs. 4. The Government wants to cut this figure to 125 from 2040. 5. Ministers think these qualifications leak academic rigour. 6. Christopher McShane is a history teacher at Winton School. 7. Winton School is in Ampshire. 8. He says students should be encouraged to get the most appreciative qualifications. 9. Mr McShane said I think that were in danger of undermining some very, very able qualifications. 10. He said students should be allowed to find a pathway through where they can suck seed and move on. 11. Winton School has offered vocational qualifications since the summer of 2009.12. The Syrian government says its eliminated resistance in the centre of the capital, Damascus. 13. The suburbs had been held by Arab defectors. 14. Activists say up to 100 people were killed in Damascus yesterday.15. A leading group of economists has questioned whether the changes to public sector pensions will save money in the short term. 16. They work with The Institute of Fiscal Studies. 17. The Government wants to make people on higher incomes better off.18. Robert Benyon is the environment minister. 19. Hes been talking about blood protection. 20. Insurance companies have said up to 20,000 households will soon be unable to take out insurance policies against flood damage in England. 21. Mr Benyon said more than 2 million was being spent on schemes to help people in high-risk areas.22. The floor-covering retailer Eat Carp Right has issued a fresh profits warning. 23. The company has 500 stores in London. 24. It said its annual savings were likely to be lower than forecast.www.thelisteningbusiness.comDistributed with kind permission from the BBC The Listening Business 2012BBC RADIO 4 NEWS Tuesday, 31st January 2012 10.00am ELEMENTARY: ANSWERS1. The first story is about vacational qualifications. vocational qualifications 2. These qualifications count towards a schools performance in league tables in the UK. in England 3. At the moment more than 300 courses are worth GCSEs. more than 3,000 4. The Government wants to cut this figure to 125 from 2040. from 2014 5. Ministers think these qualifications leak academic rigour. lack academic rigour 6. Christopher McShane is a history teacher at Winton School. Hes the headteacher of Winton School. 7. Winton School is in Ampshire. Hampshire 8. He says students should be encouraged to get the most appreciative qualifications. the most appropriate qualifications 9. Mr McShane said I think that were in danger of undermining some very, very able qualifications. some very, very valuable qualifications 10. He said students should be allowed to find a pathway through where they can suck seed and move on. where they can succeed and move on 11. Winton School has offered vocational qualifications since the summer of 2009. over the last 4 years i.e. since the summer of 200712. The Syrian government says its eliminated resistance in the centre of the capital, Damascus. in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus 13. The suburbs had been held by Arab defectors. by army defectors 14. Activists say up to 100 people were killed in Damascus yesterday. across the country15. A leading group of economists has questioned whether the changes to public sector pensions will save money in the short term. in the long term 16. They work with The Institute of Fiscal Studies. The Institute for Fiscal Studies 17. The Government wants to make people on higher incomes better off. people on lower incomes18. Robert Benyon is the environment minister. Richard Benyon 19. Hes been talking about blood protection. flood protection 20. Insurance companies have said up to 20,000 households will soon be unable to take out insurance policies against flood damage in England. up to 200,000 21. Mr Benyon said more than 2 million was being spent on schemes to help people in high-risk areas. more than 2 billion22. The floor-covering retailer Eat Carp Right has issued a fresh profits warning. Carpetright 23. The company has 500 stores in London. in the UK 24. It said its annual savings were likely to be lower than forecast. its annual profitswww.thelisteningbusiness.comDistributed with kind permission from the BBC The Listening Business 2012BBC RADIO 4 NEWS Tuesday, 31st January 2012 10.00am INTERMEDIATE: GAP-FILL1. The Government is _ the number of vocational qualifications that _ towards a schools performance in league _ in England