Reading: Exam Technique and Practice

You have now covered all the reading skills you need for the Level 1 English exam. This lesson focuses on how to apply those skills under exam conditions. You will learn how to approach each question type, manage your time, avoid common mistakes, and work through fully explained examples.

Good exam technique can be the difference between passing and failing. Many learners know the content but lose marks because of how they approach the paper — they spend too long on one question, they do not read carefully enough, or they do not answer what is being asked. This lesson will help you avoid those problems.

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What the Reading Paper Looks Like

The Level 1 reading paper typically includes:

Feature	Detail
Time allowed	Approximately 1 hour
Number of texts	Usually 2–3 texts on a common theme
Text types	Everyday texts: emails, letters, notices, articles, leaflets, adverts
Question types	Multiple-choice, short answer, and sometimes matching or ordering
Total marks	Usually around 30 marks
Pass mark	Approximately 55–65%

The texts are always straightforward — they use everyday language and cover familiar topics like work, health, community, and daily life.

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A Step-by-Step Approach to the Exam

Follow this approach every time you sit a reading paper:

Step 1: Read the Instructions (2 minutes)

Read the front page carefully. Check how many questions there are and how much time you have. Make sure you know whether to write your answers in the question booklet or on a separate answer sheet.

Step 2: Skim All the Texts (5 minutes)

Before answering any questions, skim all the texts in the booklet. Read headings, subheadings, and the first line of each paragraph. This gives you an overview, so when you see a question, you already know roughly where to find the answer.

Step 3: Read Question 1 Carefully (then answer)

Read the question. Underline the key words. Go to the relevant text and find the answer. Write your response. Move on.

Step 4: Work Through All Questions in Order

Questions usually follow the order of the texts. Question 1 will relate to the beginning of the first text, Question 2 to a later part, and so on. This makes it easier to find answers.

Step 5: Check Your Answers (5 minutes)

Leave 5 minutes at the end to re-read your answers. Check you have answered every question and that your answers make sense.

graph TD
    A[Start: Read Instructions 2 min] --> B[Skim All Texts 5 min]
    B --> C[Read Question 1]
    C --> D[Find the Answer in the Text]
    D --> E[Write Your Answer]
    E --> F{More Questions?}
    F -->|Yes| C
    F -->|No| G[Check All Answers 5 min]
    G --> H[Finish]

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Question Types and How to Answer Them

Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions give you four options and you choose the correct one. They test whether you can find and understand information from the text.

How to approach them:

1. Read the question carefully — what exactly is it asking?
2. Read all four options before choosing
3. Go back to the text and find the relevant section
4. Eliminate wrong answers first
5. Choose the answer that best matches the text

Common Traps	How to Avoid Them
An option uses exact words from the text but answers a different question	Re-read the question and check the option actually answers it
Two options seem correct	Look for the one that is most precise and most directly supported by the text
An option is partly correct but includes something wrong	Read every word of the option — one wrong detail makes the whole option wrong
An option uses common sense rather than the text	Always base your answer on what the text says, not on general knowledge

Exam Tip: If you are stuck between two options, go back to the text and find the exact sentence that supports one of them. The correct answer can always be found in or supported by the text.

Short Answer Questions

Short answer questions ask you to write a response in your own words or using words from the text. The marks allocated tell you how much to write.

Marks	How Much to Write
1 mark	One clear point — a word, phrase, or short sentence
2 marks	Two clear points
3 marks	Three clear points
4 marks	Four clear points, or two points with explanation

How to approach them:

1. Read the question — note how many marks it is worth
2. Locate the relevant part of the text
3. Write your answer clearly
4. If the question asks for two things, make sure you give two things

Example:

Question: "Give two reasons why the community centre is closing temporarily." (2 marks)

Bad answer: "It is closing for a while." (This does not give reasons — it just repeats the question.)

Good answer: "The centre is closing because the roof needs repairing and the heating system is being replaced." (This gives two clear reasons — one mark for each.)

Matching or Ordering Questions

These ask you to match items together (e.g. match a person to their opinion) or put events in the correct order. They test whether you can locate and organise information.

How to approach them:

1. Read all the items before matching
2. Start with the ones you are most sure about
3. Go back to the text to check
4. Use elimination — once an item is matched, cross it off

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Time Management

Time management is critical. Here is a suggested time plan for a 1-hour reading paper with 30 marks:

Activity	Time	Running Total
Read instructions	2 minutes	2 minutes
Skim all texts	5 minutes	7 minutes
Answer questions	45 minutes	52 minutes
Check answers	5–8 minutes	57–60 minutes

This gives you roughly 1.5 minutes per mark for answering questions. A 1-mark question should take about 1.5 minutes. A 4-mark question should take about 6 minutes.