PAGS English Mock Exam 92 | Demography, Pensions & Welfare State | NeuroEnglishMMP

English for Adults PAGS / Grado Superior · Preparation 2026/2027

Demography and population change: PAGS Model 92 on pensions and the welfare state

PAGS MODEL 92 · DEMOGRAPHY & SOCIETY

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Population change, pensions, the welfare state and professional English.

Examen Interactivo N.º 92

45 Minutos Recomendados

TEXT 1: Spain’s Demographic Challenge

Spain is experiencing a long-term demographic challenge, with births at historically low levels and fertility well below the level associated with population replacement in the absence of migration. Recent data have placed the total fertility rate at roughly 1.1–1.2 children per woman, compared with a replacement benchmark of about 2.1. Demographers therefore examine how low fertility, longer life expectancy and migration may reshape Spain’s population structure and public services.

España se enfrenta actualmente a una profunda crisis demográfica estructural, caracterizada por una de las tasas de natalidad más bajas del mundo entero. En 2024, el país registró alrededor de 318.000 nacimientos, la cifra más baja desde que comenzaron los registros hace ochenta años. La tasa de fecundidad ha caído drásticamente a aproximadamente 1,1 hijos por mujer. Esto está peligrosamente por debajo del umbral de 2,1 requerido para un reemplazo generacional estable...

1. According to the text, what does the fertility rate of 1.1 children per woman imply for Spain?

El texto especifica: "dangerously below the 2.1 threshold required for a stable generational replacement". Es decir, no nacen suficientes niños para reemplazar a la generación actual.

a. It guarantees that the population will keep growing extremely fast. b. It is well below the approximate replacement level in the absence of migration. c. It means that the economy is perfectly balanced for the next eighty years. d. It shows that Spanish women are having more children than ever before.

TEXT 2: Reasons Behind the Decline

The decline in births is linked to a complex mix of economic, social and personal factors. Many young adults face insecure employment, modest salaries and difficulty accessing affordable housing. People are also forming families later than previous generations, while education, career plans, childcare, housing and individual preferences can all influence decisions about parenthood. Demographers therefore avoid reducing the trend to a single cause.

La continua caída de las tasas de natalidad está impulsada por una compleja mezcla de factores económicos y sociales. Los jóvenes españoles se enfrentan a un entorno financiero hostil... Además, hay un cambio cultural significativo: las mujeres están retrasando la maternidad para priorizar la estabilidad profesional. Según proyecciones recientes, casi el 43% de las mujeres españolas no tendrán hijos, en gran parte debido al inmenso desafío de conciliar...

2. What is the primary cultural and social reason mentioned in the text for women delaying motherhood?

El texto diferencia la parte económica de la cultural ("cultural shift"). El texto presenta varios factores y no atribuye las decisiones familiares a una única causa. Entre ellos aparecen la educación, los planes profesionales, la vivienda y la estabilidad económica.

a. Because they simply do not like children anymore. b. Because the government forces them to wait until they are older. c. Because education, career plans and economic stability can influence the timing of parenthood. d. Because they spend all their time traveling and buying houses.

3. Message Interpretation: Read the following corporate email sent from the HR Department and decide what the employee must do.

"Dear Employee, please note that all requests for paternity and maternity leave must be submitted to the HR portal at least 15 days prior to the expected delivery date to ensure proper shift coverage."

"Estimado empleado, tenga en cuenta que todas las solicitudes de baja por paternidad y maternidad deben enviarse al portal de RR.HH. al menos 15 días antes de la fecha prevista de parto para garantizar la cobertura adecuada de los turnos."

"At least 15 days prior to" significa "Como mínimo 15 días antes de". "Expected delivery date" es la fecha en la que se espera que nazca el bebé.

a. They must return to work exactly 15 days after the baby is born. b. They are only allowed to take 15 days of vacation for their newborn. c. They must ask their colleagues to cover their shifts directly. d. They must submit their leave request a minimum of 15 days before the baby is born.

4. Grammatical Transformation: Choose the option that correctly transforms the following active sentence into the PASSIVE VOICE while maintaining the original Present Perfect tense: "The government has approved new financial support for young families."

Transformación gramatical: Elige la voz pasiva correcta de: "El gobierno ha aprobado nuevas ayudas económicas para las familias jóvenes."

"Has approved" es Present Perfect. El nuevo sujeto ("New financial support") es plural. Por lo tanto, la estructura pasiva debe ser "have been + Participio": "have been approved".

a. New financial support have been approved by the government for young families. b. New financial support were approved by the government for young families. c. New financial support has been approved by the government for young families. d. New financial support had been approving by the government for young families.

5. Formal Register: Choose the best formal phrase to INTRODUCE an academic essay about the consequences of an ageing population.

Elige la mejor frase formal para INTRODUCIR un ensayo académico sobre las consecuencias del envejecimiento de la población.

Un ensayo formal no usa expresiones como "let's talk", "I want to say" o "crazy". Debe ser objetivo e impersonal: "This essay will comprehensively analyze..." (Este ensayo analizará exhaustivamente...).

a. It's totally crazy that there are so many old people and no babies. b. This essay will examine the main socio-economic implications of an ageing population. c. I am writing this to tell everyone why having an old population is bad. d. Let's chat about what happens when nobody wants to have kids anymore.

6. Advanced Linking Words: Fill in the blank with the correct connector to express a CONSEQUENCE: "The birth rate has reached historic lows; _________, the public pension system is facing extreme financial pressure."

Conectores avanzados: Rellena el espacio para expresar una CONSECUENCIA: "La tasa de natalidad ha alcanzado mínimos históricos; _________, el sistema público de pensiones se enfrenta a una presión financiera extrema."

La segunda frase es el resultado de la primera. "Consequently" significa "En consecuencia / Por consiguiente". "Despite" y "However" indican contraste.

a. Despite b. However c. Consequently d. Although

TEXT 3: The Pension System at Risk

The Spanish pension model operates on a "pay-as-you-go" system, meaning that the taxes of current active workers directly fund the pensions of current retirees. However, the rapidly ageing population and the imminent retirement of the massive "baby boom" generation are completely breaking this delicate balance. Estimates suggest that by 2050, more than 30% of the population will be over 65 years old. With fewer than two workers supporting each pensioner, the system will face significant financial pressure.

El modelo de pensiones español opera con un sistema de reparto ("pay-as-you-go"), lo que significa que los impuestos de los trabajadores activos actuales financian directamente las pensiones de los jubilados actuales. Sin embargo, el rápido envejecimiento... y la inminente jubilación de la enorme generación del "baby boom" están rompiendo por completo este delicado equilibrio. Las estimaciones sugieren que para 2050, más del 30% de la población tendrá más de 65 años.

7. How does the Spanish "pay-as-you-go" pension system work according to the text?

El texto lo define literalmente: el sistema es principalmente de reparto: las cotizaciones sociales actuales de trabajadores y empresas contribuyen a financiar las pensiones actuales.

a. The government pays the pensions using the money tourists spend on their holidays. b. People save money in their own private bank accounts to pay for their future pensions. c. Pensions are completely free and funded by European Union donations. d. Current social-security contributions from workers and employers help finance current pensions.

8. Formal Correspondence: You are writing an email to a government agency to ask for information about how to get the "Child Benefit Grant" (Ayuda por hijo). Which phrase is the most appropriate for a formal email?

Correspondencia formal: Escribes un email a una agencia gubernamental para pedir información sobre cómo obtener la "Ayuda por hijo a cargo". ¿Qué frase es la más apropiada?

"I would be grateful if you could provide me with..." (Estaría agradecido si pudieran proporcionarme...) es la estructura perfecta. Nunca exijas ("Give me") ni uses un tono demasiado directo ("Tell me how").

a. I would be grateful if you could provide me with the necessary requirements to apply for the child benefit grant. b. Tell me how I can get the money for my baby right now. c. I want the child benefit, send me the papers fast. d. How much money do you give to parents? Send me an email.

TEXT 4: The Welfare State at a Crossroads

Population ageing affects more than pensions. A higher share of older citizens can increase demand for healthcare, long-term care and social services while changing the size and composition of the workforce. The effect on the welfare state depends on many factors, including employment, productivity, migration, taxation, family policy and the design of public services. Policymakers therefore debate a range of possible responses rather than a single inevitable outcome.

Esta transformación demográfica va más allá de las pensiones; amenaza a todo el Estado del Bienestar. La pirámide poblacional invertida significa que una base cada vez más pequeña de jóvenes contribuyentes debe mantener una cima cada vez mayor de ciudadanos mayores. Esta dinámica ejerce una enorme presión no sólo sobre el sistema financiero, sino también sobre la sanidad pública y los servicios sociales. Los expertos argumentan que sin políticas drásticas... el modelo actual colapsará inevitablemente.

9. What effect does the "inverted population pyramid" have on the Welfare State?

El texto advierte que esto "places enormous pressure not only on the financial system but also on public healthcare and social services" (ejerce enorme presión en la sanidad y servicios sociales).

a. It creates a massive surplus of money for the government to spend on holidays. b. It can increase pressure on pensions, healthcare and social services while changing the contributor base. c. It completely fixes the problems of the public healthcare system. d. It allows the government to easily lower taxes for all young citizens.

10. Identify the "False Friend": In English, the word "Jubilation" means extreme happiness or celebration. What is the correct English word for "Jubilación" (stopping work due to old age)?

Identifica el Falso Amigo: En inglés, la palabra "Jubilation" significa felicidad extrema o celebración. ¿Cuál es la palabra correcta para "Jubilación" (dejar de trabajar por la edad)?

¡No te dejes engañar! Decir "Happy Jubilation" al terminar la vida laboral es un error en inglés. La palabra correcta para Jubilación es Retirement.

a. Pensioner b. Holidays c. Retirement d. Firing

11. Public Notice Interpretation: You see this sign at the entrance of a Social Security Office. What does it mean?

"SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE. Appointments for retirement planning and maternity benefits must be booked online. No walk-ins accepted."

Aviso público: "OFICINA DE LA SEGURIDAD SOCIAL. Las citas para la planificación de la jubilación y las prestaciones por maternidad deben reservarse por internet. No se aceptan personas sin cita previa (walk-ins)."

"Booked online" = reservado por internet. "No walk-ins accepted" significa literalmente que no se atiende a quien entre caminando por la puerta sin haber pedido cita previa.

a. You can just walk into the office and someone will attend you immediately. b. You cannot enter the office without having scheduled an appointment on the internet first. c. The office is closed permanently and you can only do things by telephone. d. You must walk outside the office to book your retirement.

12. Identify the sentence that uses a CLEFT structure to emphasize exactly WHO pays the pensions in Spain:

¿Qué frase usa una estructura hendida (Cleft Sentence) para enfatizar QUIÉN paga las pensiones en España?

Para recalcar a las personas que hacen la acción, usamos la estructura "It is [Personas] who...". Ejemplo: "It is the current active workers who...".

a. It is the current active workers who pay for the pensions. b. The current active workers are the ones paying the pensions. c. The pensions are fully paid by the current active workers. d. Who pays for the pensions? The current active workers do.

TEXT 5: Potential Solutions

Economists and policymakers discuss several responses to population ageing. Proposals include encouraging employment, adapting retirement rules, improving productivity, supporting families, strengthening care services and facilitating the integration of migrants into the labour market. Each option involves economic and social trade-offs, so demographic policy is usually approached as a combination of measures rather than a single solution.

Para evitar el colapso del sistema socioeconómico, el gobierno debe implementar contramedidas agresivas. Algunos economistas proponen extender significativamente la edad legal de jubilación y modificar el cálculo de las pensiones... Otros argumentan que el único salvavidas viable es atraer una afluencia masiva de inmigrantes jóvenes y calificados para impulsar inmediatamente la fuerza laboral activa. Independientemente del camino elegido, se avecinan decisiones dolorosas.

13. Which pair of measures is included among the possible responses mentioned in the text?

El texto cita dos grupos de economistas. Entre las medidas citadas están adaptar las reglas de jubilación y facilitar la integración de los migrantes en el mercado laboral, junto con otras políticas de empleo, productividad, familias y cuidados.

a. Lowering the retirement age and stopping all immigration to the country. b. Forcing elderly people to work in agriculture and reducing their pensions to zero. c. Making young people pay double taxes and forbidding them from leaving Spain. d. Adapting retirement rules and facilitating migrants’ integration into the labour market.

14. Language Interference (Spanglish): In Spanish we say "Estoy embarazada". However, many Spanish students confuse this word with an English "False Friend". Which of the following sentences contains a typical GRAMMATICAL/VOCABULARY ERROR based on this confusion?

Identificación de errores: En español decimos "Estoy embarazada". Sin embargo, muchos estudiantes lo confunden con un Falso Amigo en inglés. ¿Qué frase contiene un ERROR típico por esta confusión?

"Embarrassed" NO significa embarazada; significa "avergonzado". Si vas a tener un bebé, la palabra correcta es "Pregnant". Decir "I am embarrassed" para anunciar un embarazo es un error garrafal.

a. My sister is pregnant, she will have a baby in two months. b. I am very embarrassed because I am going to have a baby soon. c. She told the company she was pregnant and needed maternity leave. d. We are very happy because my wife is pregnant with our first child.

15. Professional Communication: The Human Resources department has offered you an early retirement package. However, you want to keep working. Select the most polite and professional way to DECLINE the offer.

Comunicación profesional: RR.HH. te ha ofrecido un paquete de jubilación anticipada, pero tú quieres seguir trabajando. Selecciona la forma más educada de RECHAZAR la oferta.

Un rechazo profesional agradece primero la propuesta ("Thank you for the proposal") y justifica educadamente tu decisión ("I intend to continue my professional career").

a. I don't want to retire, I am not old yet so leave me alone. b. Are you trying to fire me? I refuse to accept this horrible deal. c. Thank you for the proposal, but I intend to continue my professional career for a few more years. d. No thanks, your retirement package is not enough money for me to live.

16. Listening Comprehension Tasks

Podcast: Demographic Trends (Audio Simulation - 1:30 min)

Full Audio Script:

Welcome to Demographic Trends. Today we look at Spain’s changing population. Births have fallen substantially over the past decade, while the total fertility rate remains well below the approximate replacement level. Researchers link this trend to several factors, including employment insecurity, housing costs, later family formation and changing personal choices. Population ageing also matters for the public pension system. Spain mainly uses a pay-as-you-go model, so current social-security contributions help finance current pensions. As the baby-boom generations retire, the relationship between contributors and pensioners will change. This does not mean that one outcome is inevitable. Governments can respond through employment and productivity policies, retirement reforms, family support, migration and changes to revenue or expenditure. The central challenge is how to adapt public services and social protection to a different population structure.

Audio Summary (Español): El podcast analiza el cambio demográfico en España. Relaciona la caída de los nacimientos con varios factores económicos, sociales y personales y explica cómo el envejecimiento modifica la relación entre cotizantes y pensionistas. No presenta un colapso inevitable: señala que las políticas de empleo, productividad, jubilación, apoyo familiar, migración e ingresos y gastos públicos pueden formar parte de la respuesta.

16.1 What does the podcast say about births in Spain over the past decade?

a. By exactly 1.1 percent. b. They haven't dropped; they have increased by 50 percent. c. They have fallen substantially. d. By more than 80 percent.

16.2 Which factors does the podcast link to lower birth rates?

a. Employment insecurity, housing costs, later family formation and changing personal choices. b. The lack of internet and smartphones in rural areas. c. The incredibly long holidays they have every summer. d. Because hospitals refuse to attend to young mothers.

16.3 What demographic change does the podcast highlight regarding the baby-boom generations?

a. They will all start working again to help the economy. b. They will stop receiving pensions voluntarily to help the youth. c. They will move to other countries to retire in peace. d. Their retirement will change the relationship between contributors and pensioners.

16.4 According to the podcast, how can governments respond to demographic change?

a. Stop paying the pensions completely to save the system. b. They can combine employment, productivity, retirement, family, migration and fiscal policies. c. Ask the pensioners to pay the government back every month. d. Print new money exclusively for the baby boomer generation.

Preguntas de Reserva (Ampliadas)

TEXT 6: Migration and the Labour Force

Migration can influence a country’s age structure and labour force. When migrants participate in formal employment, they also contribute to social-security revenues, although the long-term demographic and fiscal effects depend on employment, age, skills, integration and many other factors. Most researchers therefore treat migration as one element of a broader demographic and economic policy mix, not as a complete solution on its own.

Muchos sociólogos creen firmemente que el invierno demográfico sólo puede resolverse mediante una política de inmigración altamente regulada y eficiente. Al integrar con éxito a miles de jóvenes trabajadores extranjeros en el mercado laboral formal, el Estado podría aumentar inmediatamente sus cotizaciones a la seguridad social. Aunque esto presenta desafíos de integración cultural, la realidad económica dicta que la mano de obra extranjera es absolutamente vital.

17. How can immigration help solve the pension crisis according to the text?

El texto explica el mecanismo económico: integrarlos en el mercado laboral "could immediately increase its social security contributions" (aumentaría inmediatamente las cotizaciones).

a. By increasing the number of active workers who pay social security contributions. b. By sending foreign workers to fix the empty hospitals in rural areas. c. By replacing all the old Spanish pensioners with young foreign workers. d. By making immigrants pay double taxes just for arriving in the country.

18. Grammatical function: What does the linking word "Although" indicate in the last sentence of the text?

Gramática aplicada: ¿Qué indica la palabra de enlace "Although" (Aunque) en la última frase del texto?

"Although" (Aunque) siempre se usa para introducir una concesión o un contraste entre dos ideas (ej: "Aunque es un reto, es vital hacerlo").

a. It indicates the exact time the immigrants will arrive in the country. b. It adds extra, identical information to the main argument. c. It introduces a contrast or concession to the main idea. d. It expresses the direct result or consequence of a problem.

Glosario Demográfico y Social V.92

Term	Meaning
Fertility rate	Tasa de fecundidad (hijos por mujer)
Time bomb	Bomba de relojería
Pay-as-you-go system	Sistema de pensiones de reparto
Welfare State	Estado del bienestar
Retirees / Pensioners	Jubilados / Pensionistas
Maternity leave	Baja por maternidad
To be pregnant	Estar embarazada (no "embarrassed")
Retirement	Jubilación (no "jubilation")

CLAVE DE RESPUESTAS V.92

01. B

02. C

03. D

04. A

05. B

06. C

07. D

08. A

09. B

10. C

11. B

12. A

13. D

14. B

15. C

16.1 C

16.2 A

16.3 D

16.4 B

17. A

18. C

© 2026 Manuel Molina Porlán. All rights reserved. Part of the NEUROEDUCATION Educational Publishing Project. Original articles, educational materials, activities, illustrations and multimedia content are protected by intellectual property legislation.

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