Reading
60 minutes · 3 sections · 40 questions · 25% of your band · the texts differ by pathway
There is no extra transfer time — answers go on the answer sheet as you go. Both papers use the same question types; only the texts and the band boundaries change.
Three long texts (2,150–2,750 words in total) from journals, books, magazines and newspapers. Written for a non-specialist reader, but academic in style.
| Passage | Focus | Format | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long text 1 | 700–900 words · descriptive or factual, from journals, books or magazines | 13–14 |
| 2 | Long text 2 | Often more analytical, may include a diagram or figure | 13–14 |
| 3 | Long text 3 | The hardest text — argument, opinion or research discussion | 13–14 |
1 · Long text 1
Matching headings, True/False/Not Given, sentence completion.
What it tests: Gist, main ideas, locating specific detail quickly.
2 · Long text 2
Matching information to paragraphs, summary completion, labelling.
What it tests: Paraphrase recognition and scanning across a whole text.
3 · Long text 3
Yes/No/Not Given, matching writer's views, multiple choice.
What it tests: Inference, writer's stance and separating claim from fact.
Official samples
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Academic