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A2 Key reading Part 1: signs and messages practice

A2Reading40 questionsUpdated

The A2 Key signs and short messages task gives you a notice, a label, a note or a phone message and three or four possible meanings. The words are easy; the trap is that two options usually repeat words from the text and only one matches the whole message. This page shows you how to read the message first and the options second, and gives you forty short texts to practise on.

What this task tests

  • Understanding the purpose of a very short text: is it a warning, an offer, an apology or a change of plan?
  • Reading a paraphrase, because the correct option rarely uses the same words as the sign.
  • Noticing small words that change everything, such as only, before, except and free.
  • Working out who wrote the message and who is meant to read it.
  • Understanding what the reader is expected to do next: bring something, wait, pay, go somewhere else.
  • Reading times, dates and prices accurately at speed.
  • Understanding common public-place English that rarely appears in coursebooks: out of order, no entry, staff only.
  • Ignoring information that is true but is not the point of the message.
  • Working fast, so you leave time for the longer texts later in the paper.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read the message twice before you look down

    Cover the options with your hand. Read the sign or note, then say the meaning to yourself in your own words. If you read the options first, they start to sound right before you have understood the text.

  2. Step 2:

    Ask who wrote it and why

    A note from a flatmate, a sign in a shop and a text from a teacher all do different jobs. Naming the purpose in one word — warning, apology, invitation, change — usually removes an option straight away.

  3. Step 3:

    Find the instruction

    Most short messages end by telling the reader to do something. Put your finger on that line; the correct option almost always describes it.

  4. Step 4:

    Match meaning, not words

    Cross out any option that only repeats words from the text without saying the same thing. The correct answer usually uses different words: ‘Silence, please’ becomes ‘You must be quiet.’

  5. Step 5:

    Check the small words

    Before you mark your answer, look again at times, days and words like only, all, except and until. These are what separate the last two options.

  6. Step 6:

    Test the option against the whole message

    Read your chosen option, then read the message again from the first word. If the option ignores half the text, it is the wrong one.

  7. Step 7:

    Do not add information

    If the sign does not mention money, price is not part of the answer. Everything you need is on the page in front of you.

  8. Step 8:

    Answer and move on

    Give each short message under a minute. If two options still look equal, choose the one that covers more of the message, mark the number and keep going.

  9. Step 9:

    Copy carefully

    Losing an easy mark by putting the answer on the wrong line is heartbreaking. Check the question number every five answers, not every thirty.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisChoosing ‘The shop is closed’ for the sign ‘Closed on Sundays’.

    ThisThe shop is closed on one day of the week.

    The option must match the whole sign. ‘Closed’ alone ignores the day and makes the sign mean something much bigger.

  • Not this‘No entry’ means you can enter with a ticket.

    This‘No entry’ means nobody can come in this way.

    Candidates add information that is not there. If the sign does not mention tickets, tickets cannot be part of the answer.

  • Not thisReading only the first line of a note.

    ThisReading all of the note, including the last line.

    In notes the real instruction is often at the end: ‘…so bring your book tomorrow.’ The first line is only background.

  • Not this‘Half price’ means the shop gives you two for free.

    This‘Half price’ means you pay half of the usual price.

    Guessing from one familiar word instead of reading the phrase is the fastest way to lose an easy mark.

  • Not this‘Please do not touch’ means the thing is dangerous.

    This‘Please do not touch’ means you must look but not put your hands on it.

    Explaining why a sign exists is not the same as saying what it means. Stay with the words.

  • Not thisReading ‘open until 9’ as ‘opens at 9’.

    This‘Open until 9’ means it closes at nine.

    Until and from look similar to a tired reader, and time prepositions decide many of these answers.

  • Not thisChoosing the longest option because it seems more complete.

    ThisChoosing the option that says what the message says.

    Length is not evidence. Long options often add one extra detail that the message never mentioned.

Language this task keeps reusing

notice
a short written sign that gives information to the public
closed
not open; you cannot go in or buy anything
entrance
the way into a building
exit
the way out of a building
out of order
broken and not working, often said about a lift or a machine
staff only
for workers, not for customers
half price
costing 50% of the normal price
mind
be careful about, as in ‘Mind the step’
book (verb)
to arrange a place, table or ticket before you go
apologise
to say sorry
until
up to a time, as in ‘open until six’
except
not including, as in ‘every day except Sunday’
in advance
before the day or the event
collect
to go and get something you have ordered
queue
a line of people waiting
delayed
late, coming later than planned

Practice: signs and short messages

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the sentence.

Sign in a library: ‘Silence, please.’ Meaning: In this room you must be.
A sign in a park says: ‘Keep off the grass.’ What must visitors do?

3Complete the sentence.

Sign at a swimming pool: ‘No diving.’ Meaning: You cannotinto the water.
You see: ‘Lift out of order. Please use the stairs.’ What is the problem?
Decide if each statement about this notice is true. ‘Café closed on Mondays. Open 9–6 on other days.’
  • You can buy a coffee here on Tuesday morning.
  • The café opens at nine on Monday.
  • The café closes at six on Saturday.
3 to go

6Complete the sentence.

Sign on a train door: ‘Mind the step.’ Meaning: Bewhen you get off the train.
Text message: ‘I’m on the bus. Ten minutes late. Sorry! Order without me.’ Why did Leo send this?

8Complete the sentence.

Sign in a shop window: ‘All shoes half price.’ Meaning: The shoes costof the normal price.
Sign in a museum: ‘Photos without flash only.’ What can visitors do?
Decide if each statement about the signs task is true.
  • The correct option often says the same thing in different words.
  • You need to understand every word of the sign to answer.
  • Reading the options before the sign helps you decide faster.
3 to go

Keep going

30 more questions on this page

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Frequently asked questions

How long should I spend on each short message?

Under a minute. These are the quickest marks in the paper, and the time you save here is time you can spend on the longer text later.

Why does the correct answer never use the same words as the sign?

Because the task tests understanding, not word-spotting. If an option repeats the sign word for word, look at it again — it is usually a trap.

What if I do not know one word in the message?

Carry on. Most signs make sense from the rest of the words and the place they are in. Guess the general meaning, choose the option that fits it, and do not stop.

Where do these signs come from in real life?

Shops, stations, schools, hotels, swimming pools, libraries and phone messages between friends and family. Reading real English signs on holiday or online is genuine practice.

Is it worth learning fixed sign phrases by heart?

Yes. There are only about thirty common ones — out of order, staff only, no entry, mind the step, sold out, closed for cleaning — and knowing them turns several questions into free marks.

How do I stop careless mistakes here?

Check the question number every few answers and read your chosen option once against the whole message before you move on. Most lost marks in this task are speed errors, not language errors.