B1 Preliminary for Schools

Developing reading skills for

Cambridge English Qualifications:
A guide for teachers
 Contents
Who this guide is for ........................................................................................................................................ 3

How to use this guide....................................................................................................................................... 3

Key terminology.................................................................................................................................................. 4

Challenges of reading..................................................................................................................................... 6

Developing your learners’ reading skills..................................................................................................7

Assessing your learners’ reading skills.................................................................................................... 8

Preparing learners for the B1 Preliminary for Schools Reading paper.................................. 9

How the paper is assessed......................................................................................................................... 10

Part 1 activities ..................................................................................................................................................12

Part 2 activities .................................................................................................................................................14

Part 3 activities..................................................................................................................................................18

Part 4 activities................................................................................................................................................ 20

Part 5 activities..................................................................................................................................................22

Part 6 activities.................................................................................................................................................24

Extra resources..................................................................................................................................................27

2
Who this guide is for

Who this guide is for

Teachers spend many hours helping to prepare learners for the different types of
reading tasks that are assessed in Cambridge English Qualifications. This guide is for
you. With lots of practical tips and real examples, it will help you to develop and practise
learners’ reading skills in preparation for B1 Preliminary for Schools.
About B1 Preliminary for Schools

 Tests reading, writing, speaking and listening skills  Comes after A2 Key for Schools and
before B2 First for Schools
 Shows that learners have mastered the basics in
English, including:  Like B1 Preliminary, tests learners at
CEFR Level B1
• r eading simple textbooks and articles
• writing letters and emails on everyday subjects  Unlike B1 Preliminary, is aimed at
school-age learners rather than
• understanding factual information
adults
• showing awareness of opinions and mood
 Can be taken on paper or on a
computer

You can find out more about B1 Preliminary for Schools and other levels on our website.
See cambridgeenglish.org/schools.

How to use this guide

To get the most from this guide:
• Try the practical ideas and reflect on how these techniques affect the processes of
learning and teaching in your classroom.
• Throughout the guide, there are links to activities, other online resources, and there
are feature boxes such as ‘Further practice’ and ‘Top tips’ for you to try out in your
classroom.
• There is a Handout attached, containing the
example exam questions, which you can print
out and photocopy for your learners.
You can navigate the document by using the hyperlinks in the text and the buttons on
each spread:

Previous page  Next page First page Previous view


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 Key terminology
Language assessment is a specialist field and there is some common terminology
which might be unfamiliar to you. Learning to recognise these terms will help you to
understand this guide.

Term Definition

cohesive Words or phrases that are used to connect ideas between different parts of
devices a text. They include pronouns, synonyms, and transitional words such as and,
but, also etc.

collocation A word or phrase that sounds natural and correct when it is used together
with another word or phrase, e.g. heavy rain or, Can I ask a question? not, Can
I make a question?

distractors A wrong answer that is similar to the correct answer, designed to see
whether the person being tested can notice the difference.

gapped text A text with some sentences removed. Learners have to select the correct

 L1
sentence to complete it.

A speaker’s first or native language.

learner/ A learner is someone who is learning English, usually in a classroom. A

candidate candidate is someone who takes an exam.

multiple-choice A text with gaps which learners complete by selecting from multiple-choice
(m/c) cloze options.

open cloze A text with gaps which learners complete with a suitable word.

rubric Instructions on an exam paper that tell learners how to complete questions.

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 Key terminology
When other terms appear in this guide, you’ll find an explanation nearby in a glossary box:

Key terminology CEFR scale

The Common European Framework of

Reference (CEFR) is an international standard
for describing language ability. It uses a six-point
scale, from A1 for beginners up to C2 for those
who have mastered a language. This makes it
easy for anyone involved in language teaching
and testing, such as teachers or learners, to see
the level of different qualifications.

A1 Movers

A1 Movers
Digital

Pre A1
Starters
Pre A1
Starters
Digital


5
 Challenges of reading
Reading is a skill that presents many challenges that learners and teachers need to
deal with to prepare learners for success in our exams.

For the teacher

• We are sometimes reluctant to spend class time on reading – it is often seen as less
interesting or a less effective use of time than practising speaking.
• Motivating learners who don’t read much even in their own language is difficult.
• It can be time consuming and hard to find texts and materials that are interesting.
• Most classes will usually have learners with a range of reading abilities and who will
read at different speeds, so teachers need to be ready for the early finishers.
For the learner
• Learners say that understanding vocabulary is the greatest challenge to
comprehension.


• Wanting to understand every word but not being able to do so can be very
demotivating.
• Having enough time is another common issue – especially in an exam context.
• Non-literal language and multi-word verbs can be difficult for learners’
comprehension.
• ‘False friends’ – words which seem to be similar to a word in your learners’ own
language (L1), but which have a different meaning in English – can also present a
challenge.
• How a text is structured and the cohesive devices that hold it together may be very
different in a learner’s L1.

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Developing your learners’ reading skills

Developing your learners’

reading skills
Top tips
 Do … give your learners plenty of practice, in class and at home, of reading a variety of different genres
and text types. These might be both authentic and adapted – magazines, social media, news and sports
websites, newspapers, text chats and graded readers.

 Do … make sure your learners know clearly what each exam task type is asking them to do. Is it a multiple-
choice task? Do you have to fill the gap? How many words do you need to write? How much time do you
have? Always quickly check these kinds of questions in class so learners get into the habit of asking
themselves too.

 Don’t … forget to tell your learners that it’s a good idea to underline the key words in an exam question to
help focus on the instructions.

 Do … get learners to practise skimming and scanning both shorter and longer texts. It’s a good idea to
encourage learners to always skim-read the text quickly first to get a general idea of what it’s about.
There is an example of this in the Part 3 Activity.

 Do … help learners think about different ways they read texts. For example, if they are reading an
information leaflet, ask them to scan the text to find some specific information. However, if they are
reading a message, then ask them to think about how they would reply.

 Do … encourage your learners to try to work out or guess the meaning of words they don’t know. Get them
to use the context and the rest of the text to help. Ask learners to think about the part of speech (noun,
verb, adjective etc.), if the word has a positive or negative feeling, if there are any similarities to other
words they know or to words in their L1.

 Don’t … let your learners waste time. Tell them that if they don’t know a word and they can’t guess the
general meaning from the other words around it, to skip it and just keep on reading the text.

 Do … ask learners to predict what the answer might be before looking at the multiple-choice options, then
look at the options and choose the one closest to their prediction. There is an example of how to do this in
the Part 3 Activity.

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 Assessing your learners’ reading skills
The key to understanding how well your learners’ reading skills are developing is
through regular, effective assessment. It’s a good idea to use a mix of teacher, peer
and self-assessment during an exam preparation course. This variety can make lessons
more interesting and engaging.

Top tips
 Do … ask your learners to think about why an answer is right or wrong. This will help you to assess whether
they have understood what is being tested in each question.

 Do … demonstrate why the answers are correct, and why some possible choices are wrong. This will
show your learners how to analyse the questions and help them get to the correct answers. See the task
familiarisation sections starting on page 12.

 Do … get your learners to justify and explain their answer choices to each other. See an example of this in
the Part 2: Task familiarisation and activity on pages 16–17.

  Do … talk to your learners about what feedback they appreciate and work together to find what works
best. Adopting different approaches to giving feedback is particularly helpful to support learners with
specific learning needs, such as dyslexia.

 Don’t … forget that assessment isn’t just about correcting mistakes – formative assessment is about
learning from feedback.

 Don’t … just give tests to assess your learners. Assessment doesn’t have to be formal. You can also use games and
quizzes such as Kahoot! to create fun activities which assess learners’ understanding.

Key terminology

Peer assessment is when learners give feedback on each other’s language, work, learning strategies, or
performance. Research shows that people who are similar to the learner in age, gender, first language and
learning goals are very motivating as role models.
Self-assessment is when learners decide for themselves if they think their progress or language use is good
or not. Developing good self-awareness is important for becoming an effective independent learner.
Formative assessment is when a teacher gives learners feedback on their progress during a course, rather
than at the end of it, so that the learners can learn from the feedback.

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Preparing learners for the B1

Preparing learners for the B1

Preliminary for Schools Reading paper
Preliminary for Schools Reading paper
In order to become a good reader, there are many habits and qualities that you can
encourage learners to try and develop.

A good reader:
• reads a wide range of things and reads regularly
• uses different skills such as skimming and scanning
• guesses the meaning of words they don’t know
• reflects on what they have read
• records useful new vocabulary and tries to use it in their language practice.

To do well in Cambridge English Qualifications, learners must also understand:

• how the B1 Preliminary for Schools Reading paper is organised and assessed
• their own strengths and weaknesses

• how they can improve any areas of weakness.

Key terminology

Skimming is when you read quickly. For example, to

understand the main ideas in the text and discover
what type of text it is – Is it a serious news article, a
notice, a magazine?
Scanning is when you read quickly to find specific
information. For example, scanning a cinema guide
to find a specific film, or film times.

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 How the paper is assessed
The B1 Preliminary for Schools Reading paper has six parts and lasts for 45 minutes in
total. There is no extra time to copy answers to the answer sheet (if candidates are taking
the paper-based test).

Part Task types What do candidates have to do?

Read five real-world notices, messages and other

1 3-option multiple choice
short texts for the main message.

Match five descriptions of people to eight short texts

2 Matching
on a topic, showing detailed comprehension.

Read a longer text for detailed comprehension and

3 4-option multiple choice global meaning, as well as the writer’s attitude and
opinion.

Read a longer text from which five sentences are

4 Gapped text removed. Show understanding of how a coherent,
 well-structured text is formed.

Read a shorter text and choose the correct

5 4-option multiple-choice cloze
vocabulary items to complete the gaps.

Read a shorter text and complete six gaps with one

6 Open cloze word. Show knowledge of grammatical structures,
phrasal verbs and fixed phrases.

Important note: The example exam tasks used in this guide are provided to give you
and your learners an idea of the format of the exam and what is being tested in each
part. The tasks have not been fully pretested and calibrated like our published exams.
To assess your learners’ readiness for a live exam, use one of the official sample tests on
cambridgeenglish.org, or go to our Mock Test Toolkit for tips on using sample tests.

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The next section of this guide will look at each part of the Reading paper for B1

How the paper is assessed

Preliminary for Schools. We will analyse why the answers are correct, and why other
choices are wrong. Demonstrating this will show your learners how to analyse the
questions and help them get to the correct answers.

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 Part 1: Task familiarisation
Aims: To demonstrate the format of Part 1 and what is needed to get the correct answer; to raise awareness
of text types and functional language (e.g. giving advice, apologising etc.).
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 1 without answers in the attached Handout.
Steps: You can use the answers and explanations below to show learners how this exam part works either
before you do the Part 1: Activity 1 and Part 1: Activity 2, or afterwards as further practice.

Here is an example of one question from Part 1.

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Zara intends to: Answer key

A look after her brother.  Although a brother is mentioned, he is

not Zara’s brother.
Dad, our tennis match
was cancelled due to B take part in a sport.  The tennis match was cancelled so Zara
the weather, so a few
of us are going to is not taking part in a sport. Also, taking
watch a film round at
Anya’s. Mum’s taking is included in the text, but not with the
Jack and Anya’s little meaning of take part in something.
brother to the pool.


Zara C hang out with friends.  Correct! hang out with is an informal
multi-part word meaning to spend time
with someone, and Zara is going to do
that when she watches a film with a
few friends.

Further practice
Here is a lesson plan which gives learners more
practice in identifying the functions of real-world
notices.

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 Part 1
Part 1: Activity 1
Aims: To help learners become familiar with Part 1; to skim and scan the text.
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 1 without answers in the attached Handout.

Steps:
1. Show learners only the text message, not the question or options, and ask:
• What type of real-world text does the artwork show? (How do you know?)
• Who is the message for? Who is it from?
•  hat is the main reason for the message? (If learners need help prompt them with some questions:
W
Is it to give advice, ask for help or give information?)
Point out that this strategy will remind learners to read the text first before rushing in to answer the question.

2. Now show learners the rubric with the three options A, B and C. Ask learners:
• How many people are mentioned in the message?
• Who does the rubric ask you about?
This will help learners scan to find names in the text before concentrating on the question and to identify the
correct person to find explicit information about. 
3. Put learners in pairs and ask them to answer the question and discuss why that option is, or is not possible,
as shown in the answer key in the Part 1: Task familiarisation section. At this stage, do not give the answers,
as you will be going through the vocabulary and answers in Part 1: Activity 2.

 emonstrating this strategy will show your learners how to analyse the questions and help them get to the
D
correct answers.

Go to Part 1: Activity 2

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 Part 1: Activity 2
Aims: To raise awareness of multi-word verbs; to practise using and remembering vocabulary.
Preparation: Prepare a list of direct questions, which contain multi-word verbs, as a gap-fill.

Steps:
1. Give each learner a printed copy of your list of gap-fill questions. See the examples in the table below.

2. Learners complete the questions by writing the missing part of the multi-word verb in the Missing
Word column.

3. Feedback with the class to check they have completed it correctly.

4. Tell learners to fold their paper so they cannot see the Missing Word.

5. Learners can then ask and answer their questions with a partner while having to remember the target
language.

6. They should make a note of their partner’s answers in the Answer column, before they report back to the
class with some interesting information that they have learned.

 7. You could then get learners to repeat this several times with different partners, moving around the
classroom to create some energy.

Below is an example using vocabulary from the Part 1: Task familiarisation. The first row has been completed
as an example to demonstrate the activity to your learners.

Fold

Question Answer Missing Word

Who do you like to hang ………… with at the

1
weekends?
My best friend Ana. out

2 Have you ever taken part ……… a competition?

3 Who looks ……… you when you are ill?

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 Part 1
Top tip
Vocabulary list
It’s a good idea to see the range of multi-word
verbs that are assessed at this level. Cambridge
Assessment English produces a B1 Preliminary for
Schools vocabulary list that contains the non-
literal multi-word verbs, with example sentences,
which learners will need to know.

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 Part 2: Task familiarisation
Aims: To demonstrate the format of Part 2 and what is needed to get the correct answer; to identify the
different things that the people in the photo want.
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 2 without answers in the attached Handout.
Steps: You can use the answers and explanations below to show learners how this exam part works either
before you do the Part 2: Activity or afterwards as further practice.

Here is an example of one description followed by two possible matches from Part 2. The different
coloured highlighting in the question matches the answers and distractors in texts A and B.

The young people below all want to visit an interesting museum.

Decide which museum would be the most suitable for the people below.

Yuki and Hitashi are keen to discover how children played in the past. Their parents
want to visit a historical building, but also spend time in the open air.


A O’ Farrell’s
This museum has a fantastic collection of items from ancient times. See the things people used every
day, including hair decorations, eating bowls and children’s games from centuries ago. Learn about
how they hunted animals for food. Then visit the restaurant and gift shop on the fourth floor.

B Glaze House
Experience how people used to live at this 18th-century house, surrounded by a beautiful park,
where you can have a picnic. The rooms are filled with thousands of ordinary objects such as a great
collection of doll’s houses, early puzzles and games, as well as clothes from the period!

Answer key
 Candidates might choose A as the text mentions items from ancient times and they might make a
connection between ancient and historical in the question, but it is not a historical building.
 A also mentions children’s games and the question asks for a place to discover how children played in the
past. But this is only one of the family’s preferences, they also want to visit a historical building and spend time
in the open air.
 The correct choice is B as this includes all three of the family’s preferences.

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 Part 2
Part 2: Activity
Aims: To assess if your learners can read short descriptions of people and match information to short texts on
a particular topic in a fun, interactive activity.
Preparation: Print the questions and the eight texts from a B1 Preliminary for Schools Reading paper, Part 2.

Steps:
1. Give one Part 2 (Questions 6–10) to each pair or small group of learners.

2. Ask them to highlight or underline three things the people want, as shown in the Part 2: Task
familiarisation section.

3. Check learners have underlined the correct parts.

4. Then ask them to write the three items on a small piece of paper.

5. Learners then swap their paper with another group. While they are doing this, put the eight possible
answer texts on the walls around the classroom.

6. Next, tell the learners to go around the classroom with their partner(s) and find the one text that best 
matches the three things that they want. One person from the pair or small group could make notes for
the feedback stage.

7. Feedback by checking answers and asking the learners to explain why they chose the answer they did.

Further practice
Here is another lesson plan that gets learners
thinking about the strategies needed to answer
this type of question.

17
 Part 3: Task familiarisation
Aims: To demonstrate the format of Part 3 and what is needed to get the correct answer; to read a longer
text for detailed comprehension and global meaning.
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 3 without answers in the attached Handout.
Steps: You can use the answers and explanations below to show learners how this exam part works either
before you do the Part 3: Activity or afterwards as further practice.

Here is an example of one question from Part 3.

Choose the correct answer.

Being a volunteer at a school computer programming club

By Tess Landen, age 15
One day, my little brother came home from primary school upset because the after-school computer
club that he hoped to join was full. Since I’m studying computers in high school, I contacted the teacher
in charge of the club, Mr Kane, and said I would help if other children, including my brother, could join.
The reply was one word – yes! So, Mr Kane put up a notice saying that the club could take additional
members, and I started helping the very next week.
The primary school has recently improved its computer room, which has facilities that are just the right

 size for kids. Even after a whole day at school, the kids were full of energy and were very creative when
they were asked what they wanted their programmes to do. I did notice, however, that if something they
were working on didn’t make them laugh, they weren’t so keen to do it.

11 Why did Tess become a volunteer at the

computer programming club?
Exam strategy
A in order to allow more students to attend it Remember that Questions 11–14 in the paper
B because they advertised for people to help follow the same order as the information in
the text, while the last question focuses on the
C because her little brother asked her to do it
general meaning of the whole text – the ‘global
D in order to please her high school teacher meaning’.

Answer key
 D The text says Tess is studying at high school, but doesn’t say pleasing her teacher so it is wrong.

 C The text mentions her brother as a reason why she volunteers, but not that the brother asks her.

 B Mr Kane put up a notice (similar to advertisement) but this is after Tess has agreed to help out.

 A is correct because the text says, other children … could join and take additional members.

18
 Part 3
Top tip Further practice
Words from the multiple-choice options can be Part 3 also requires learners to be able to
repeated in the text, but might not be the correct identify people’s attitude, opinion and feeling in
answer. e.g. in the Part 3: Task familiarisation, brother is a text. Here is a lesson plan to practise this.
in the text but little brother in option C. This can easily
cause learners to choose the wrong option. One way to
train learners not to simply match words from options to
the text, is not to give them the multiple-choice options
until they have thought about possible answers. See
step 4 in the Part 3: Activity.

Part 3: Activity
Aims: To train learners to avoid distractors; to practise justifying and explaining answers.
Preparation: Print out copies of the Part 3: Activity example without multiple-choice options in the attached
Handout.

Steps:
1. Put the title of the text on the board and ask learners to predict what the text will be about.

2. Then ask the learners to skim-read the text quickly, not worrying about any new unknown words, and check
their predictions. Feedback with the class, checking any difficult vocabulary.

3. Tell them to turn their paper over and then tell their partner what they can remember about the text.

4. Give out the questions without the multiple-choice options and ask learners to read the first paragraph to
find the answer to the first question. Encourage the learners to underline the words in the text which gave
them the answer.

Note: taking each question one by one is a good way of making a longer text simpler and more manageable
so learners don’t feel overwhelmed by too much information; removing the options helps learners to not get
tricked by any distractors.

5. They should then compare their ideas with a partner – encourage them to justify why they think that’s the
answer by referring back to the text, and then feedback with the class. Don’t say at this stage if their ideas
are right or not.

6. Give out the 4-option multiple-choice options to the first question and ask them to decide which one is
closest to their original ideas.

7. Check the correct answer with the class, asking learners to explain their choices by referring back to the text.

8. Repeat steps 4 –7 with the remaining four questions.

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 Part 4: Task familiarisation
Aims: To demonstrate the format of Part 4 and what is needed to get the correct answer; to practise reading
a longer gapped text; to show understanding of how a coherent, well-structured text is formed and the
attitudes and opinions expressed.
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 4 in the attached Handout.
Steps: You can use the answers and explanations below to show learners how this exam part works either
before you do the Part 4: Activity or afterwards as further practice.

Here is an example of two questions from Part 4 followed by the eight possible sentences.
The different coloured highlighting in the text matches the answers in options D and G.
For each question, choose the correct answer. There are three extra sentences which you do not need to use.

Why I love ice hockey

When I was eight years old, some players from the local Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team visited
my school. To get us interested in the sport, they gave out free tickets to one of their games. (16) D
The match was amazing, and I immediately wanted to learn how to play. I started by playing hockey
on rollerblades, but by 14 I was playing on ice. Now I play for a junior team in my city, and we’re in the
second highest league in the UK.
I don’t think there’s any other game as fast, physical or exciting as ice hockey. Once you’re on the ice,

 G
you never stop skating. (17) You need to be strong enough to keep playing because games last for 60
minutes. But you also need to have good skills to control your stick and hopefully score!

A For example, you’re not allowed to hit someone from behind.

B I already knew I wanted to find a team to play with.
C Just last week, I crashed into a wall, but fortunately my helmet protected me.
D I was lucky enough to get some, and went with my family to watch them.
E I make sure my school friends get tickets every season.
F To play at this level, I’ve had to give up my other hobbies.
G Because of this, speed and fitness are very important.
H They change direction quickly to avoid hitting each other.

Answer key
16  Sentence D is about the same topic as the first paragraph. Look carefully at the reference words:
we can see that some refers to tickets in the main text, while them refers to Sheffield Steelers ice hockey
team in the text. None of the other answers would fit either in terms of the narrative or the grammar of
the text.
17  The second paragraph talks about the physical qualities needed to play ice hockey and sentence
G mentions speed and fitness so the explanation matches. The determiner this in sentence G refers
to Once you’re on the ice, you never stop skating. Again, none of the other answers would fit either in
terms of the narrative or the grammar of the text.

20
 Part 4
Part 4: Activity
Aims: To raise awareness of how a coherent text is organised and how reference and linking words are used.
Preparation: Print one copy of a text per pair or small group of learners and cut into strips. For example, a B1
Preliminary for Schools Reading paper.

Steps:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give one cut-up text to each pair. Remind learners to
note the topic of each paragraph as they read – so in the Part 4 task familiarisation example, the first
paragraph is about how the writer became interested in the sport through watching a game. When
learners are reading the eight possible answers they should look for a similar topic in the sentences.

2. Ask the learners to reassemble the text in the correct order. Remind learners to look carefully at the text
both before and after the gap, making sure the answer fits. Point out that they need to pay close attention
to reference words and determiners (e.g. this, those, her, them, etc.) and to linking devices, making sure any
in the text match grammatically with the possible answers.

3. Tell learners to think about why they chose to put it together in that way and to underline the key words
and phrases that helped them to decide.

4. Get the learners to compare their answers with another pair, explaining and justifying their choices.

5. Tell learners this technique will help them consider how a coherent text is organised, by paying attention to
reference and linking words.

Top tip
Speed up
In the exam, learners will often need to read a text more quickly than usual. This is especially true with the longer
texts in Parts 3 and 4. Get your learners to practise reading texts quickly by timing them. For example, give them
three minutes to read around 300 words (just like a full Part 4 text), then give two minutes to read the same text,
then try it in one minute. Encourage them to practise this at home.

21
 Part 5: Task familiarisation
Aims: To demonstrate the format of Part 5 and what is needed to get the correct answer; to read a longer,
gapped text; to show understanding of how a coherent, well-structured text is formed and the attitudes and
opinions expressed.
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 5 without answers in the attached Handout.
Steps: You can use the answers and explanations below to show learners how this exam part works either
before you do the Part 5: Activity or afterwards as further practice.

Here is an example and an analysis of the first two questions from Part 5.
For each question, choose the correct answer.

Coconuts
Despite its name, the coconut is actually a fruit, not a nut. It comes from a
tree (21) …………… as a coconut palm. These are often found near beaches
along the (22) …………… of many warm countries and islands. When
coconuts fall from the trees and into the sea, they (23) …………… on the
water. They are then carried by the sea to other beaches, where the coconuts
sink into the sand and new trees start growing. This (24) ……………

 why coconut palms are such a common sight next to the sea.

21 A known B called C named D mentioned

22 A borders B sides C edges D coasts
23 A lift B float C rise D hold
24 A says B tells C explains D describes

Answer key
21 
 In option D, mentioned means referred to something briefly without going into detail –
which doesn’t fit this context. The other three choices are closer in meaning but  B and  C don’t
go with as in this context.  A is the correct answer because known and as go together as a phrase;
it also implies that there are other names for the tree (e.g. a scientific name).

22 
 The answer must collocate with countries and islands, so  B and  C are not possible.
 A borders goes with countries but not with islands.  With option D, coasts can be used for
both countries and islands, so D is correct.

22
 Part 5
Top tip
As Part 5 of the B1 Preliminary for Schools Reading paper is mainly a test of vocabulary, it is important for
learners to develop good habits for recording and learning new vocabulary.
• Make sure your learners keep a vocabulary notebook – it is a good idea to organise this by topic – and
note the part of speech and write an example sentence that uses the word.
• Learners need to pay attention to collocations. Whenever they see a new word, get them to look for
other words that collocate. Just like crossing a busy street, learners need to look left and look right, so
look at words before and after the new word to see what other words go with it and make a note!
• Review the new vocabulary frequently – try ending a lesson or starting the next one with a quick game to
do this. Part 5 Activity is a fun game to try in class.

Part 5: Activity
Aims: To help learners review and remember new vocabulary.
Preparation: Make a list of vocabulary you want your learners to revise.

Steps:
1. Divide learners into groups of 4–6. Each group chooses one student who will start. 
2. Secretly show a word to the learners who are starting. Don’t let anyone else in the group see. You could
ask them to close their eyes or turn their backs.

3. Roll a dice, or roll a virtual dice (if you have a smartboard). The number determines how the learners will
convey the meaning of the word for their group to guess:
1 or 2: they have to describe the word.
3 or 4: they have to mime the word.
5 or 6: they have to draw the word.

Adaptation Further practice

To add challenge, include phrases and sentences. There are many more ideas for working with
Let learners think of their own words. For extra vocabulary on our website, such as these posters
support, write a selection of words on the board and activities around the topics of technology,
for learners to choose from. space and travel.

23
 Part 6: Task familiarisation
Aims: To demonstrate the format of Part 6 and what is needed to get the correct answer; to read a shorter
text and complete six gaps with one word; to show knowledge of grammatical structures, phrasal verbs and
fixed phrases.
Preparation: Print out copies of Part 6 without answers in the attached Handout.
Steps: You can use the answers and explanations below to show learners how this exam part works either
before you do the Part 6: Activity or afterwards as further practice.

Here is an example from Part 6, with the answers and analysis of the first two questions.
For each question, write the correct word.
Write one word for each gap.

Trip to the Globe Theatre

to
I had a great time last Friday. I went to London with my class (27) … ……… watch a play called Romeo
and Juliet at the Globe Theatre. The theatre was built in 1997 and is an almost exact copy of a wooden
theatre (28) … that / which … stood in the same place over 370 years ago.

 Answer key
27 
 The answer is to because it forms part of the infinitive to watch, which is used to explain the
reason why the writer went to London. Sometimes called the ‘infinitive of purpose’, this grammatical
point is often tested in Part 6.
28 
 The answer in the gap forms part of a defining relative clause: either that or which are the
correct relative pronouns to complete this structure as they can be used with things (in this case a
wooden theatre).

Notice

While the multiple-choice cloze text in Part 5 focuses

mainly on vocabulary, the open cloze text in Part 6
focuses more on grammar, phrasal verbs and fixed
phrases.

24
 Part 6
Part 6: Activity
Aims: To raise awareness of and to practise identifying the typical parts of speech and grammar structures
that are often tested in Part 6.
Preparation: Print out this lesson plan from our website.

Steps:
1. Tell learners that they will need a lot of practice in identifying and completing the parts of speech and
grammatical structures that are tested in Part 6. To help them practise, first, go through this lesson plan
that gets learners to think about how to approach this open cloze task. In it they are encouraged to think
what kinds of words fill the gaps and how to get clues from the text about which answer is correct.

2. When learners are familiar with open cloze texts, it can be fun to get them to make their own and test
each other. Choose a typical topic at the B1 Preliminary for Schools level and ask your learners to write, in
pencil, a short text (5 or 6 sentences) e.g. ‘my dream home’.

3. If they have access to phones, they can take a photo of the complete sentences; if not they should make a
note of the answers, before erasing some of the words.

4. Focus on one or two grammatical structures that are typically tested in Part 6 – articles and auxiliary
verbs for example, and ask the learners to erase them. 
5. Learners then swap papers and try to complete each other’s texts, before checking their answers with
their partners.

Top tip
Giving learners some autonomy over making the task
can really help with motivation as well as raising their
awareness of the grammatical structures and skills
needed to do well in this part of the B1 Preliminary for
Schools Reading paper.

25


26
Extra resources

Extra resources
Lesson plans and resources for teachers
• A variety of free resources for preparing learners for Cambridge English
Qualifications
• Free sample exams and other preparation resources that you can give your learners.
• Webinars for teachers on different levels and different topics
• B1 Preliminary for Schools vocabulary list
• B1 Preliminary for Schools Handbook for Teachers
• Blog posts on Cambridge English Qualifications, different levels and exams, different
skills, technology and much more.
• Kahoot! quizzes:
• See some ready-made kahoots for your learners …
• … or see our Kahoot! guide for how to develop your own games.
• Watch our How to use kahoots webinar …
• … or see How to play a kahoot as a challenge.

• Graded readers: Cambridge University Press has a range of books with graded
language levels for you or your learners to buy.

Learn more about research into second language learning

Cambridge University Press has published over 20 free and easy-to-read research
papers about second language learning and teaching. For example:
• Giving feedback to language learners
• Learning language in chunks

Test and Train

Available across all digital devices, Test and Train delivers unique, easy to use practice
trough short, sharp workouts to maximise performance on exam day.
cambridge.org/testandtrain

Cambridge English Qualifications Digital

Find out more about Cambridge English Qualifications Digital
cambridgeenglish.org/qualifications-digital

27
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