B1 Preliminary Reading Part 2 describes several people and gives you a set of short descriptions — courses, holidays, clubs, books — to match them to. Each person has three or four separate requirements, and the correct text is the only one that satisfies all of them. One failed requirement kills a text, however well the rest fits.
Before you read any of the texts, underline the requirements in each description and note them as three or four words: ‘weekends only / beginner / under £20 / near station’. You are now matching lists, not paragraphs.
Get a one-line idea of each text before you match anyone. Matching person one against text A in isolation is how candidates lock in an early wrong answer.
If someone needs ‘no experience necessary’ and only two texts say that, start there. The unusual requirement narrows the field faster than the common one.
When a text looks right, go back to your list and tick each item. If one is missing or contradicted, the text is wrong however good it feels.
Some texts are used by nobody. If two people seem to want the same text, recheck the detail that separates them — usually a day, a price or an age limit.
‘She doesn’t want anything too energetic’ becomes ‘must be gentle’. A requirement you can search for beats a requirement you have to remember not to break.
The text will not say ‘for beginners’ if the person said ‘beginner’. Look for ‘no experience needed’, ‘we start from scratch’, ‘suitable for those new to the sport’.
When a text fails a requirement, cross it off for that person only. Keeping a visible record stops you rereading the same text four times.
One description usually has an unusual requirement — a wheelchair, a baby, a dog, no internet. Start there, remove that text from the pool, and the rest gets simpler.
Give the last thirty seconds to the matches you made early, when you had the most texts to hold in mind. Early matches are where the errors cluster.
Not thisThis course is right for her because she likes cooking and it is a cooking course.
ThisThis course is right for her because it is for beginners, runs on Saturdays and costs under £30.
Candidates match on topic alone. Topic is usually true of three texts; the details separate them.
Not thisHe wants somewhere he can go with his dog, so any park will do.
ThisHe wants somewhere dogs are allowed off the lead, which only one text mentions.
A general match ignores the qualifying phrase, and the qualifying phrase is where the mark is.
Not thisThe text doesn’t say the price, so it probably fits her budget.
ThisThe text doesn’t say the price, so it cannot be the match for someone whose main condition is a low price.
Missing information is not a match. The correct text always states what the person asked for, in some form.
Not thisShe is interesting in photography.
ThisShe is interested in photography.
‘Interested’ describes how the person feels; ‘interesting’ describes the thing. This pair appears constantly in the people descriptions.
Not thisHe would like to learn cooking, so the advanced class suits him.
ThisHe would like to learn cooking, so he needs a class for beginners.
‘Learn’ signals a starting point. Candidates match the activity and ignore the level word attached to it.
Not thisShe wants to go somewhere she can relax, and this hotel has a gym.
ThisShe wants somewhere quiet, which only the text mentioning ‘peaceful’ offers.
Facilities are not the same as the experience asked for. Match the adjective the person used, not a facility you associate with it.
Not thisI matched person 1 to text C, then found person 4 also needs C, so I left both.
ThisI rechecked person 1 against the remaining texts and found the detail I had missed.
Two people never share a text. A clash is information: one of the two matches is wrong, and rechecking is faster than guessing.
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 with one adjective.
4Complete with one word.
6Complete with one verb in the present simple.
7Lena is free only at weekends, has never cycled in a group, and cannot spend more than £15. Write the three requirements you would underline, in a few words each.
One good answer
Weekends only; complete beginner, so the group must accept people with no experience; maximum £15.
8Complete with one verb in the present simple.
10Complete with one verb.
13Complete with one adjective used before ‘on’.
15Complete with the past participle of one verb.
16A person writes: ‘I want to improve my English but I work until seven every evening, and I don’t want a big class.’ Write one sentence saying what the right course must offer.
One good answer
The course has to start after seven, or run at weekends, and it must have a small group rather than a large class.
18Complete with one adjective.
22Complete with one noun.
23Rewrite this requirement as something you can search for: ‘He doesn’t want anything too energetic.’
One good answer
The activity must be gentle or relaxed — so I would look for words like ‘easy’, ‘gentle’, ‘slow-paced’ or ‘suitable for all fitness levels’.
24Complete with one noun.
27Complete with one word.
29Complete with one plural noun.
32Complete with one adjective.
33Two texts both describe Spanish courses for beginners. One is £250, the other £120. The person said money is not a problem but she can only travel by train. Write one sentence saying what you would check next.
One good answer
I would ignore the prices and check where each course is held, choosing the one that is near a station or says it is easy to reach by train.
34Complete with one verb in the present simple.
36Complete with one verb meaning ‘get’.
39Complete with one verb in the present continuous form (one word).
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The people. Their requirements are what you scan for, and reading them first turns the texts into a search rather than a study exercise.
Go back to the requirement you checked least carefully — usually a day, an age limit or a price. One text will fail it. If neither does, you have probably mismatched a different person.
Only the parts that answer a requirement. You can leave whole sentences unread if they describe things nobody asked for.
Around ten minutes. Most of that is the first pass over the texts; the matching itself is quick once your requirement lists are written down.
Yes. There are always more texts than people, so a leftover text is expected and proves nothing about your answers. A text matched to two people, on the other hand, always means an error.
No, but knowing the vocabulary of offers helps: booking, discount, membership, minimum age, all levels, equipment provided. Those phrases carry the requirements whatever the topic is.