Picture this: You’re in your B2 First exam and you’ve finished the Use of English part. You can put it behind you for good – but it’s not over yet! Now you have to navigate your way through the Reading section of the exam.
Depending on your preferences, you may love or hate this section. To help make things a little easier, we’re going to walk you through this stage of the exam, starting with the very first long form reading you need to do – Part 5.
Let’s begin!
Many people like Reading Part 5 as it is a multiple choice task. You will see a text on one page and 6 multiple choice questions, each with 4 options (A, B, C and D), on the next.
Typically, the text will be something you might see in a news or magazine article, blog post or extract from a book. Non-fiction topics tend to vary and can be anything from ballet dancing to footballers, climate change to motorbike stuntmen.
On the other hand, fiction texts can be anything from novels to memoirs. See this extract from a Cambridge B2 First past paper (zip) of a fiction text example.
When it comes to the questions, there are two important things to remember:
1. Some questions are often more general, asking something about the writer’s opinion or attitude.
2. Some are more focused on the text itself. For example, you may be asked what a word in a line means. Here, you need to look at the specific part of the text for more detailed information.
Reading and Use of English Part 5 aims to test your general comprehension of a text, as well as your ability to spot key details. Not only will you have to skim read the whole text for the main idea, but you will also have to read certain parts more carefully for details, opinions, the tone and purpose.
Remember, you need to choose the multiple choice option that best fits the meaning you understand from the text. Some of the options look quite similar, but there will be subtle differences in vocabulary and meaning that will guide you to the correct answer.
Now you know all about Part 5, it’s time to get down to business! Follow these simple 5 steps to answering the questions:
Firstly, skim read the entire passage to get an overall understanding of it. This will help you to answer the first and last more general questions about the text as a whole.
Next, read the questions but ignore options A–D for now! Underline the most important words in each question so that you can focus on them when looking for the correct answer.
Now go back to the start of the text and look for the section that relates to question 1. When you find it, underline this section so that you can check it against the options A–D.
At this point, you can read the options A–D and decide which option most closely matches the part of the text you have underlined. Perhaps there is a synonym for a word in the option that fits the information in the text. If this is the case, it’s likely to be the correct answer.
Now you’ve got the hang of it, you can complete the rest of the questions in the same way. Make sure to underline all the sections of the text that correspond to the answer. This will make it much easier for you to check your answers at the end.
Don’t focus on individual words – When skim reading the text, don’t worry about individual bits of vocabulary that you don’t know. The most important thing is to get the general idea of the text.
Read more in your free time – Reading books, articles or blogs is a great way for you to practise learning new vocabulary and getting the gist of larger texts in English.
Make a note of synonyms – When practising, if you come across a word that you don’t know, look up the meaning in your dictionary and make a note of its synonyms. This will help you when choosing the correct options in the exam.
Check over your answers – Don’t forget to check over all of your answers at the end. Make sure to look back to the underlined sections of the text to check they correspond to the correct option.
For a little more practice, download these two free B2 First sample tests from Cambridge English.
Find more online resources for practising for Cambridge English exams.
If you’re interested in learning how to get top marks in the other Reading and Use of English sections, check out these posts:
Reading and Use of English Part 1
Reading and Use of English Part 2
Reading and Use of English Part 3
Reading and Use of English Part 4
Preparing for the B2 can be tough! If you’re thinking about taking the exam, or studying for it now, we’re here to help. We offer exam courses that help get you prepared for the exam. Sign up now!
Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.
For good (exp): forever.
Stuntmen (n): people who take an actor’s place when performing in dangerous scenes.
Spot (v): to see, notice or recognise something.
Subtle (adj): using clever and indirect ways to achieve something.
Get down to business (exp): to begin doing something.
Spot (v): see, notice or recognise something that is difficult to see.
Get the hang of something (exp): to have the skills needed to do something, after a period of learning.
Gist (n): the general meaning of a speech or text.
Tough (adj): difficult.
Key
exp = expression
n = noun
v = verb
adj = adjective
28/02/2024
16/02/2024
24/01/2024
10/01/2024
19/12/2023
13/12/2023
21/11/2023
13/11/2023
30/10/2023
18/10/2023
04/10/2023
23/08/2023
09/08/2023
02/08/2023
21/06/2023
31/05/2023
17/05/2023
03/05/2023
19/04/2023
05/04/2023
22/03/2023
08/03/2023
22/02/2023
08/02/2023
17/01/2023
04/01/2023
21/12/2022
07/12/2022
16/11/2022
02/11/2022
19/10/2022
12/10/2022
28/09/2022
14/09/2022
24/08/2022
10/08/2022
27/07/2022
06/07/2022
15/06/2022
01/06/2022
18/05/2022
04/05/2022
20/04/2022
06/04/2022
02/03/2022
15/02/2022
02/02/2022
19/01/2022
05/01/2022
15/12/2021
01/12/2021
24/11/2021
10/11/2021
20/10/2021
06/10/2021
22/09/2021
15/09/2021
25/08/2021
11/08/2021
21/07/2021
07/07/2021
23/06/2021
16/06/2021
01/06/2021
19/05/2021
05/05/2021
21/04/2021
07/04/2021
29/03/2021
24/03/2021
10/03/2021
17/02/2021
03/02/2021
20/01/2021
07/01/2021
16/12/2020
02/12/2020
24/11/2020
11/11/2020
03/11/2020
19/10/2020
05/10/2020
24/09/2020
09/09/2020
20/08/2020
06/08/2020
20/07/2020
02/07/2020
25/06/2020
09/06/2020
27/05/2020
13/05/2020
29/04/2020
22/04/2020
21/04/2020
15/04/2020
03/04/2020
25/03/2020
18/03/2020
13/03/2020
11/03/2020
04/03/2020
26/02/2020
19/02/2020
12/02/2020
05/02/2020
29/01/2020
21/01/2020
15/01/2020
09/01/2020
07/01/2020
23/12/2019
19/12/2019
11/12/2019
26/11/2019
25/11/2019
13/11/2019
07/11/2019
31/10/2019
23/10/2019
17/10/2019
18/09/2019
04/09/2019
28/08/2019
22/08/2019
15/08/2019
07/08/2019
31/07/2019
24/07/2019
17/07/2019
03/07/2019
26/06/2019
19/06/2019
05/06/2019
29/05/2019
23/05/2019
15/05/2019
23/04/2019
10/04/2019
03/04/2019
27/03/2019
20/03/2019
13/03/2019
06/03/2019
20/02/2019
13/02/2019
07/02/2019
30/01/2019
23/01/2019
04/01/2019
12/12/2018
21/11/2018
14/11/2018
07/11/2018
31/10/2018
24/10/2018
04/10/2018
25/09/2018
19/09/2018
13/09/2018
06/09/2018
29/08/2018
22/08/2018
16/08/2018
02/08/2018
18/07/2018
03/07/2018
27/06/2018
20/06/2018
14/06/2018
06/06/2018
31/05/2018
22/05/2018
09/05/2018
02/05/2018
26/04/2018
18/04/2018
13/04/2018
04/04/2018
29/03/2018
21/03/2018
14/03/2018
07/03/2018
28/02/2018
22/02/2018
15/02/2018
07/02/2018
31/01/2018
24/01/2018
17/01/2018
10/01/2018
27/12/2017
20/12/2017
13/12/2017
07/12/2017
29/11/2017
22/11/2017
08/11/2017
01/11/2017
25/10/2017
18/09/2017
11/11/2015
22/09/2015
Oxford House Language School
C/Diputació 279, Bajos
(entre Pau Claris y Passeig de Gràcia).
08007 - Barcelona (Eixample)
Tel: 93 174 00 62 | Fax: 93 488 14 05
info@oxfordhousebcn.com
Oxford TEFL SL
C.I.F.: B61740551
Inscrita en el R.M. de Barcelona: Tomo 30959, Folio 0037, Hoja B182188, Inscripción 2ª
Oxford TEFL Barcelona
Oxford House Prague
Leave a Reply