Implementing the Cycle of Success: A Case Study: reading answers and analysis
To cut Australia's high labour costs, AHI's new Sydney Airport hotel used three management levels instead of seven, hired service-minded staff into balanced teams of leaders and followers, trained everyone in multiple skills, benchmarked its service processes, and ran a 'Take Charge' feedback scheme that acts on staff suggestions within 48 hours.
Questions 1-13 · 13 marks · 2 question blocks
Where the answers sit
The multiple choice (1-5) covers the first four paragraphs. The summary (6-13) is the last four paragraphs, as the instructions say.
Questions 1-5
The problem is Australia's high labour costs, so staff. Having 25% fewer management positions means 75% of the old number remain. The new structure meant changing how staff were hired. 120 jobs were advertised, and the A-B-C categories were used to build teams.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | — |
| 2 | A | — |
| 3 | C | — |
| 4 | B | — |
| 5 | B | — |
Questions 6-13
The summary follows the benchmarking and Take Charge paragraphs. The exercise was benchmarking, the processes compared were service delivery, and the results were performance measures for productivity. Take Charge gathers feedback, acts on employee suggestions within 48 hours, and investigates others for up to 30 days.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | benchmarking | — |
| 7 | service delivery | a range of service delivery |
| 8 | measures | performance measures |
| 9 | productivity | — |
| 10 | Take Charge | 'Take Charge' |
| 11 | feedback | — |
| 12 | employee | employees / employees' / staff |
| 13 | 30 days | thirty days |
The questions most people get wrong
A (75%). 'Twenty-five per cent fewer' positions leaves three-quarters of the old number. B reverses the maths.
B (120). 280 was the shortlist competing for jobs, and the 70 management and shift-leader posts were mostly filled by transfers, not advertised.
Suggestions needing analysis get up to '30 days'. The 48-hour limit is for simple suggestions, the answer before it.
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 2 Test 2 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 2, Reading Passage 1. The passage name belongs to Cambridge University Press. No passage text or question wording is reproduced on this page. The answers are published for self-marking, and the analysis is our own.