- Section
- Reading
- Covers
- All three tasks
Complete the Words
Not quite
Better
- Choosing a word that fits the meaning but not the grammar.Check the form first: noun after "the", adjective before a noun, -s after he or she.
- Leaving a word half-spelled because you are unsure.Finish every word. A good guess with the right ending can still earn the point.
- Reading only the sentence with the gap.Read the sentence before and after; the paragraph often repeats the word or its family.
Read in Daily Life
These short texts reward scanning, not reading word by word. Read the question first, then find the line that answers it. Notices and emails put the key fact in a date, a price or a condition.
Trap answers in the Academic Passage
| Trap | What it looks like | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| Copied words | Same words as the text, wrong meaning | Match the idea, not the words |
| Too strong | always, never, all, only | Academic texts hedge; strong claims are rarely right |
| True but irrelevant | A fact from the text that does not answer the question | Reread the exact question |
| Wrong paragraph | Correct detail from another part | Find the paragraph the question names |
Text: "Some researchers believe early farming spread mainly through trade." Which answer is supported? (A) Farming always spread through trade. (B) Some scholars link the spread of farming to trade.
Answer
(B)
(A) copies words but turns "some believe" into always, a claim the text never makes.
Timing
Do not let one hard question take three minutes. Make your best choice, move on, and keep a steady pace across the section, because later questions are worth the same.
Your band estimate is one free test away.
One full timed test, an estimated band and AI feedback. No card needed.