Philo and Sophia work through every part of the Reading paper together
Every question is worth one mark, and there's no penalty for a wrong guess — so Philo and Sophia's golden rule is: never leave an answer blank.
You'll read six short, real-world texts — signs, notices, labels, and messages — and choose which of three sentences best matches what each one means.
What does this sign tell you?
A and C both mention things the sign never actually says — "reading" and "borrowing" aren't mentioned at all. B matches the real instruction: return scrolls to the matching shelf.
Three short texts share a topic, and you match seven short descriptions of people to the text that fits each one best. More than one description can match the same text.
Read the three texts first and jot down one word for what makes each one different. Then read each person's description and ask which text solves their particular problem.
| Text | What it offers |
|---|---|
| A — The Map Room | Charts and drawings of coastlines and stars; quiet, no talking allowed. |
| B — The Copying Hall | Scribes copy scrolls to order; you can request a copy of any text in the collection. |
| C — The Reading Garden | An outdoor courtyard where visitors may read and talk quietly together. |
1. Marcos wants a copy of an old poem to take home with him.
Answer: B — "request a copy of any text" is exactly what he needs.
2. Demetria wants to sit with a friend and discuss a play she just read.
Answer: C — the Garden is the only place that allows talking together.
You'll read one longer text — often a short story or a piece about real life — and answer five three-option questions about specific details and the writer's meaning.
Why did Sophia arrive early?
The text says she'd "heard that a new shipment of scrolls had come" — that's her reason. Nothing is said about helping the guard or a special opening time.
Why was the librarian surprised?
"seemed surprised that anyone was already there" gives the answer directly — B.
A short text has six gaps. For each gap, you choose the correct word from three similar options — this part tests vocabulary, not grammar.
1.
Only "finished" fits with "a book" — you don't "make" or "do" a book.
2.
All three are grammatically fine, but only "good" naturally leads to "I read it twice" as a reason — the exam usually rewards the option that fits the whole sentence's logic, not just single words. (In a real question all three might be tested for exact shade of meaning — read the whole sentence, not just the gap.)
An email or short letter has six gaps, but this time there are no options — you write in one word yourself. This part tests grammar words: articles, prepositions, pronouns, and auxiliary verbs.
1. Answer: for
"Thank you for" is a fixed preposition pattern.
2. Answer: to
"writing to tell" — infinitive of purpose.
Read the whole sentence around the gap before guessing — small grammar words depend on the words next to them, not just the general topic.
6 marks — one per question
7 marks — one per question
5 marks — one per question
6 marks — one per question
6 marks — one per question
That's 30 marks for Reading, combined with 30 marks from the two Writing tasks (Parts 6–7) to make the full Reading and Writing paper. There's no negative marking, so every gap and every question should get an answer — even a guess has a chance of being right.