C1 How To Do Reading Part 5

What do you have to do in Part 5?
Part 5 – multiple choice: You read a longer text which is followed by six
multiple-choice questions. Each question comes with four possible answers A-
D and you have to choose the correct option.
The 3 most common problems with Part 5

As Reading and Use of English Part 5 is the first part of this exam paper where
you have to read a longer text, it comes with its own unique challenges and
traps. Some problems show more often than others so I’m going to give you
the three most common ones before we talk about their solutions.
Candidates get ahead of themselves

I see it way too often that my students, as soon as they see the task, start
answering the questions straight away. Unfortunately, this often leads to
mistakes as they are not aware of the little distracting elements and traps
embedded in the text.
In my opinion, a slower process has its benefits as you can follow a clear step-
by-step plan (more on this later on) that prevents you from falling into the
traps that Cambridge has set up for you.
Candidates fall for the wrong answers

This might sound like a logical thing because people choose the wrong answers
and that’s just what happens. You are right, but I’m not talking about the fact
that they choose a wrong answer itself but the way in which they do it.
You can normally find information for all the different possible answers
somewhere in the text and it is really easy to pick the wrong one if you don’t
know what exactly you are looking for. In Reading and Use of English Part 5,
each question might test a different aspect of understanding a text, for
example, opinions, attitude, specific detail and many other things. It is your job
to understand what you need to find before you go and look for it.
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Time management
The last problem I want to mention is really one that affects Reading and Use
of English as a whole. While other parts of the paper require you to analyse
shorter texts in depth in order to find missing grammar or vocabulary, Part 5 is
a long text so you have to show reading speed and understanding of little
details within a very limited time frame.
For many candidates, this can become an issue which then might affect the
rest of the exam as well. Therefore, good time management is crucial for your
success in C1 Advanced so make sure you have a strategy that helps you to be
time-efficient and effective.
Tips and strategies for Part 5

I know it can be daunting to just think about C1 Advanced with all its different
papers, tasks, time limits and other requirements. Many people get
overwhelmed at least once during their preparation because there is just so
much to keep in mind.
The best way to get started is to start today. Don’t waste any more time and
get yourself in the right mindset. Develop a routine early on so you can benefit
sooner rather than later.
General practice
It happens quite quickly that students focus a lot on the exam, the different
tasks and what do you with them, and while this is definitely useful and
important you shouldn’t forget about your language development.
In C1 Advanced, and especially in Reading and Use of English, your language

skills are put to the test so make sure that you don’t neglect any of this.
For the reading tasks in this exam paper (parts 5-8), the best way to improve is
– you guessed it – regular reading practice. Only by forming a routine around
reading in English can you improve your speed and understanding even of
more complex texts. You can invest as little as five minutes a day and see
changes so there are no excuses. Choose a topic you like and read articles
online or grab a good book and go one page at a time.
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Apart from reading, you can start using today’s platforms like YouTube, Netflix
or some of the thousands of podcasts to practise whilst enjoying yourself.
English doesn’t have to be just boring grammar practice – the possibilities are
endless.
Follow a plan
This might be the most valuable tip I can give you not only for Reading and
Use of English Part 5, but for C1 Advanced in general. Too many candidates
go into the exam with no clue what they have to do so they work on one task
for a bit then move on to the next one and before you now they have run out
of time and complain about it.
Every single task in Reading and Use of English needs special care and that
includes Part 5. Don’t think that you can do this easily just because your
reading speed is decent. Make a plan before you go into battle and familiarise
yourself with what exactly is expected of you.
Luckily, I have already done some of the work for you. Throughout all the
years that I have been teaching exam preparation classes and helped
candidates to prepare for their Cambridge exams on this very website, I found
a plan that works for the majority of them. Note that it might not be perfect for
you, but feel free to adapt and adjust it to your needs so it fits your
preferences perfectly.
Without further ado, here is what it looks like:
1. Read the title and text quickly.

2. Analyse the questions
3. Try to answer the questions
4. Compare your own answers with options A-D
As this is just a list of different steps, let’s get into a little bit more detail.
Read the title and text quickly

Starting the task by first having a look at the title and text can be beneficial.
First of all, you warm up and switch from language work in Parts 1-4 to
reading, which is the focus in Reading and Use of English Parts 5-8. There is
less analysing of grammar and vocabulary and more understanding of what
the writer wants to express so you need to make sure that you transition
smoothly from one task type to the next.
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Secondly, and probably more importantly, you find out from the get-go what
the text is about and what the characters’ or writer’s general attitudes and
opinions are, which will help you once you start looking at the questions. You
could say that you get a little head start so why waste the opportunity?
Analyse the questions

This is a pretty tricky part because it is important to ignore the possible
answers at this stage. In my preparation classes, I even tell my students to
cover the answer options in order for them not to get distracted.
Instead, your full focus should be on the questions and what exactly you need
to find in the text.
Try to answer the questions

Now that we know what to look for, it is time to go to work. The most
important part about this step is that you still have to ignore the possible
answers. Cambridge designs the questions and answers in order to make them
as confusing as possible and what is the best way not to get distracted?
Exactly, ignorance! Simply ignore what might confuse you and you won’t get
confused.
Compare your own answers with options A-D

Only at this point are we going to look at the possible answers and we carry
our own answer in front of us like a protective shield against the lies and
confusion that Cambridge calls possible answers.
Be smart like Wonder Woman and prepare for all the wrong answers.
As soon as you think you’ve found what you came for, grab it and run.
Repeat the previous step and this one for the other questions and you should
be fine.
Other tips
Be aware that in Reading and Use of English Part 5, you can gain two marks for
each correct answer. It is, therefore, advisable to spend a little bit more time
on this one. If you can score full marks in this task, you are already a big step
closer to passing the reading portion of C1 Advanced so don’t waste the
opportunity.
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Last but not least, it is also a good idea to think about the order in which you
want to tackle the different parts in Reading and Use of English. While most
candidates go by the numbers and follow the same order as in the exam paper,
there might be some benefits in changing said order a little bit. If you want to
find out a little bit more about it, follow the link below.
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C1 How To Do Reading Part 5

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What do you have to do in Part 5?

The 3 most common problems with Part 5

Candidates get ahead of themselves

Candidates fall for the wrong answers

Tips and strategies for Part 5

In C1 Advanced, and especially in Reading and Use of English, your language

Without further ado, here is what it looks like:

1. Read the title and text quickly.

Read the title and text quickly

Analyse the questions

Try to answer the questions

Compare your own answers with options A-D

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