CAMBRIDGE · READING DESCRIPTION
Cambridge English Reading
Reading is the one score every Cambridge exam reports and the one where the task types repeat most from level to level. Learn how a gapped text or a multiple-matching task works at B1 and you already know the method at C2 — what changes is the text you apply it to.
What the Reading Score Covers
At A2 Key reading shares a paper with writing; at B1 Preliminary it is a paper of its own; from B2 First upwards it shares the Reading and Use of English paper, where it takes four of the seven or eight parts. The table shows exactly which parts count towards the Reading score at each level.
| Exam | Paper | Parts | Raw marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 Key | Reading and Writing | Part 1: Short Texts (Multiple Choice) (Q1-6) Part 2: Multiple Matching (Q7-13) Part 3: Long Text Multiple Choice (Q14-18) Part 4: Multiple-Choice Cloze (Q19-24) Part 5: Open Cloze (Q25-30) | 30 |
| B1 Preliminary | Reading | Part 1: Short Texts (Multiple Choice) (Q1-5) Part 2: Multiple Matching (Q6-10) Part 3: Long Text Multiple Choice (Q11-15) Part 4: Gapped Text (Q16-20) Part 5: Multiple-Choice Cloze (Q21-26) Part 6: Open Cloze (Q27-32) | 32 |
| B2 First | Reading and Use of English | Part 1: Multiple-Choice Cloze (Q1-8) Part 5: Long Text Multiple Choice (Q31-36) Part 6: Gapped Text (Q37-42) Part 7: Multiple Matching (Q43-52) | 42 |
| C1 Advanced | Reading and Use of English | Part 1: Multiple-Choice Cloze (Q1-8) Part 5: Long Text Multiple Choice (Q31-36) Part 6: Cross-Text Multiple Matching (Q37-40) Part 7: Gapped Text (Q41-46) Part 8: Multiple Matching (Q47-56) | 50 |
| C2 Proficiency | Reading and Use of English | Part 1: Multiple-Choice Cloze (Q1-8) Part 5: Long Text Multiple Choice (Q31-36) Part 6: Gapped Text (Q37-43) Part 7: Multiple Matching (Q44-53) | 44 |
The multiple-choice cloze looks like a grammar and vocabulary task, and it is — but Cambridge reports it under Reading at every level. At A2 Key and B1 Preliminary the open cloze counts towards Reading too. Its method is on the Open Cloze page.
The Task Types
Signs, notices, labels and messages, each with one question about what it actually means. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary.
A set of questions or descriptions matched to texts or sections of a text. Fast scanning first, careful reading second. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency.
One long text, a handful of questions on detail, opinion, attitude and the meaning of the whole. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency.
Sentences or whole paragraphs removed from a text and put back by following its argument and its reference words. B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency.
Four writers on one topic. The questions ask who agrees or disagrees with whom, so you read across texts, not down one. C1 Advanced.
A short text with gaps and a choice of words for each. It tests collocation, fixed phrases and the grammar around a word. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency.
Where the Marks Are
From B2 First upwards the long reading parts are worth two marks a question and the short ones one. On B2 First, the six multiple-choice questions in Part 5 are worth as much as the ten multiple-matching questions in Part 7 plus two more. Time spent reading the Part 5 text properly is time well spent.
| Exam | Parts at 2 marks a question | Parts at 1 mark |
|---|---|---|
| A2 Key | — | All reading parts |
| B1 Preliminary | — | All reading parts |
| B2 First | Part 5 multiple choice, Part 6 gapped text | Part 1 cloze, Part 7 matching |
| C1 Advanced | Parts 5, 6 and 7 | Part 1 cloze, Part 8 matching |
| C2 Proficiency | Part 5 multiple choice, Part 6 gapped text | Part 1 cloze, Part 7 matching |
Managing the Time
Nobody is timed per part, so the clock is yours to divide. What the handbooks do tell you is how much text there is to read: about 2,200 to 2,500 words on the B2 First Reading and Use of English paper, and about 3,000 to 3,500 at C1 Advanced, inside 75 and 90 minutes respectively, with the Use of English parts to answer as well.
- Do the cloze and transformation parts first if they are quick for you, but set a hard limit — about 25 minutes on B2 First Parts 1-4 — so the two-mark reading parts are never rushed.
- Read the questions before the text in multiple matching. You are scanning for ten specific ideas, not reading for pleasure.
- On paper, transfer answers as you finish each part. There is no extra time for the answer sheet on Reading papers.
Common Mistakes
- Matching words instead of meaning. The option that repeats a word from the text is usually the distractor; the key paraphrases.
- Answering from general knowledge. Every answer must be supported by the text in front of you, even when the text says something you disagree with.
- Reading gapped texts one gap at a time. The sentence that fits a gap has to fit what comes after it too.
- Leaving blanks. There is no penalty for a wrong answer anywhere in Cambridge Reading.
How to Prepare
- Read at your target level every day: news features and long-form magazine articles for B2 and C1, essays and literary non-fiction for C2.
- After each practice part, find the exact words in the text that prove each answer. If you cannot point to them, you guessed.
- Keep a list of the paraphrases that caught you out. They repeat.
- Time complete parts, not single questions.
Complete practice parts for all five exams, with answer keys and explanations, are on the Cambridge Reading samples page. How raw marks become a score is on the Cambridge Reading scoring page.
