Extract: ‘I signed up for the fitness, but what I actually gained was a group of friends I still see every week.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention a benefit they had not expected?

Where does the writer recommend equipment?

Where does the writer describe an injury?

Where does the writer explain the cost of joining?

Extract: ‘Looking back, I would probably choose a shorter course.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention something they would now do differently?

Where does the writer describe a timetable?

Where does the writer explain a refund?

Where does the writer praise a teacher?

Extract: ‘Nobody had told me how cold the water would be in April.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention a warning they did not receive?

Where does the writer describe the local weather in summer?

Where does the writer mention the price of a wetsuit?

Where does the writer say the sea was calm?

Extract: ‘The instructions assumed a level of knowledge that I simply did not have.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention material that was hard to follow?

Where does the writer praise the written guide?

Where does the writer mention a helpful tutor?

Where does the writer describe the equipment?

Describe, in order, what you do in the first two minutes of a reading multiple matching task.

I read every question and underline the word that makes it specific, such as unexpected, first or no longer. Then I skim each text for about thirty seconds to build a rough index of what each one is about, so that when I start matching I already know which two or three texts are worth scanning for each question.

Extract: ‘I still use the filing system I invented that year.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention something that remains useful?

Where does the writer explain why they left?

Where does the writer describe a job interview?

Where does the writer mention a colleague?

Extract: ‘She taught me more in one week than two years of lessons ever had.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer compare two ways of learning?

Where does the writer mention an exam result?

Where does the writer recommend a textbook?

Where does the writer describe a classroom?

Extract: ‘Honestly, I would not bother with the guided tour.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer advise readers what to avoid?

Where does the writer praise a guide?

Where does the writer explain opening hours?

Where does the writer describe the museum shop?

Extract: ‘The first week was miserable, but by the third I could not imagine leaving.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer describe a change of feeling over time?

Where does the writer say they left early?

Where does the writer describe the accommodation?

Where does the writer mention the cost of travel?

Extract: ‘I had assumed the job would be dull, and I could not have been more wrong.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer say an expectation proved false?

Where does the writer mention a promotion?

Where does the writer complain about routine work?

Where does the writer describe an interview?

Extract: ‘My brother had done the same trip the year before and warned me about the queues.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention advice from a relative?

Where does the writer describe a delayed flight?

Where does the writer mention a refund?

Where does the writer travel with a family member?

Extract: ‘There was no point pretending: I was the slowest in the group by some distance.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer admit to being less able than others?

Where does the writer describe winning a race?

Where does the writer praise a coach?

Where does the writer mention an injury?

An extract reads: ‘It was only when I started teaching it that I really understood it myself.’ Write the question it answers.

Where does the writer say that explaining something to others improved their own understanding? The key idea is the paraphrase of ‘teaching it’ as explaining to others, and of ‘really understood it myself’ as a gain in the writer’s own knowledge.

Extract: ‘I keep the certificate in a drawer; it has never once been asked for.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer suggest a qualification proved unnecessary?

Where does the writer describe an award ceremony?

Where does the writer mention an employer who valued the course?

Where does the writer explain how the exam worked?

Extract: ‘Two of us dropped out in the first fortnight, which shook the rest of the group.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention the effect of other people leaving?

Where does the writer praise the organisers?

Where does the writer say they considered leaving themselves?

Where does the writer describe the entry requirements?

Extract: ‘I had imagined long silences; in fact nobody stopped talking for three days.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer contrast what they imagined with what happened?

Where does the writer complain about noisy neighbours?

Where does the writer mention a timetable change?

Where does the writer describe a quiet place to work?

Extract: ‘I took it up as something to fill the winter, and ten years later I am still at it.’ Which question does this answer?

Where does the writer mention an activity that lasted far longer than planned?

Where does the writer describe giving something up?

Where does the writer mention a summer holiday?

Where does the writer explain the cost of the equipment?

A question asks: ‘Where does the writer mention a difficulty they overcame?’ Two texts mention difficulties. How do you choose?

I read past the difficulty in each text to see what happens next. The correct one also says how the problem was solved or how the writer got past it, for example by finding a different method or by asking for help. A text that only describes a difficulty answers half the question, and half is wrong.

Rewrite this question as three things you would search the texts for: ‘Where does the writer mention an activity they no longer enjoy?’

First, any named hobby or activity. Second, a time contrast such as ‘I used to’ or ‘back then’. Third, a negative about the present, such as ‘it does nothing for me now’ or ‘I have lost interest’. All three together make a match, and the third one is the part that decides it.

B2 First reading multiple matching: Part 7 practice

B2Reading & Use of English40 questionsUpdated 22 September 2026

Reading multiple matching is Part 7 of B2 First: several short texts or sections, and a list of questions to match to them. The answer is almost never in the same words as the question, so the whole task is paraphrase recognition done at speed. These forty items train that skill directly.

What this task tests

Recognising a paraphrase: the same idea expressed with different vocabulary.
Scanning, so you can find the relevant lines without reading every word.
Distinguishing a partial match from a full one, which is how most distractors work.
Reading questions closely, since one word such as ‘unexpected’ or ‘first’ decides the answer.
Attitude language: whether the writer regrets, recommends, resents or accepts something.
Time reference: separating what the writer thought then from what they think now.
Noticing negatives, which can flip a section from a match to a trap.
Working with texts that can be used more than once.
Tracking evidence, so you can justify each answer with a line you underlined.
Pacing: covering several texts and many questions in around twelve minutes.

How to do it

Step 1:
Read the questions before the texts
In this part the questions come first, so read them as your search list. Underline the key idea in each one: not the topic word but the word that makes it specific, such as unexpected, first or no longer.
Step 2:
Skim each text once for its overall subject
Thirty seconds per text gives you a mental index. When you then look for a question about cost, you already know which two texts mention money.
Step 3:
Search for ideas, not for words
Matching words are usually planted as traps. A question about a lack of preparation is more likely to match ‘nobody had warned me’ than a sentence containing the word prepare.
Step 4:
Underline the exact words that prove the match
If you cannot underline a line, you have not found the answer yet. This habit also makes checking at the end fast.
Step 5:
Deal with easy questions first
Answer everything you can see quickly, then return to the two or three that resist. Each answer you fix removes possibilities from the remaining ones.
Step 6:
Beware partial matches
A section that mentions the topic but not the specific angle of the question is the commonest wrong answer. Test the whole question, including its adjective, against the text.
Step 7:
Remember that sections can repeat
Unlike some matching tasks, the same text may answer more than one question. Never reject a text simply because you have already used it.
Step 8:
Watch the negatives
‘I would not do it again’ and ‘I would do it again’ differ by one word. When you find a candidate line, read the whole sentence before committing.
Step 9:
Guess rather than leave blanks
If two questions remain and two texts have not been used, pair them off. An informed guess in this part is often right, and a blank never is.
Step 10:
Keep the part to roughly twelve minutes
Multiple matching rewards speed more than any other reading part, because the answers are short and scattered. Practise with a timer, not just for accuracy.

Mistakes that cost marks

Not this~~Choosing the text that repeats the question’s vocabulary.~~
ThisChoosing the text that expresses the question’s idea in different words.
Shared vocabulary is the standard distractor. The intended answer is a paraphrase, which is why word-spotting produces confident wrong answers.
Not this~~Reading all the texts in full before looking at the questions.~~
ThisReading the questions first, then skimming and scanning the texts.
Reading everything closely takes more than the part is worth in time, and you will have forgotten the detail by the time you reach the questions.
Not this~~Rejecting a text because you have already used it once.~~
ThisAllowing a text to answer more than one question.
The instructions in this part permit repeats, and candidates who assume otherwise talk themselves out of correct answers.
Not this~~Matching ‘a difficulty the writer overcame’ to a text that only mentions a difficulty.~~
ThisMatching it to the text that mentions the difficulty and says how it was solved.
Half of the question is still a wrong answer. Every word of the question has to be satisfied by the text.
Not this~~Matching on what the writer thought at the time when the question asks what they think now.~~
ThisChecking the tense and the time markers before deciding.
Texts in this part often contrast a past opinion with a present one, and the distractor is the half you did not read.
Not this~~Leaving two questions blank because time ran out.~~
ThisPairing the remaining questions with the least-used texts as a final guess.
There is no penalty for a wrong answer, and a structured guess in matching is far better than chance.

Language this task keeps reusing

scan: look quickly through a text for specific information
skim: read quickly to get the general idea
paraphrase: the same idea expressed in different words
distractor: a wrong option designed to look attractive
in hindsight: looking back, with the knowledge you have now
put off: discourage someone, or postpone something
take up: start a new hobby or activity
come across: find something by chance
turn out: prove to be, in the end
regret: wish you had done something differently
reluctant: unwilling; doing something without enthusiasm
worthwhile: worth the time, money or effort spent
daunting: frightening because it seems difficult
get the hang of: learn how to do something with practice

Frequently asked questions

Should I read the texts or the questions first?

The questions. They tell you what to search for, and skimming the texts afterwards takes far less time than reading them closely twice.

Can one text answer two questions?

Yes. Repeats are normal in this part, so never discount a text because you have already used it.

How is Part 7 marked?

One mark per question, which is why speed matters here more than in Parts 5 and 6, where each question carries two marks.

What do I do when two texts look equally good?

Go back to the question and find the word that makes it specific. One text will satisfy that word and the other will only satisfy the general topic.

How can I practise paraphrase recognition away from practice tests?

Take any short article and rewrite five sentences using none of the original content words. Doing it yourself trains you to recognise it when a test does it to you.

Is it worth reading the whole text once I have found the answer?

No. Underline the evidence, write the answer and move to the next question. You will have read most of the text by the end anyway, in the parts that matter.

B2 First reading multiple matching: Part 7 practice

What this task tests

How to do it

Read the questions before the texts

Skim each text once for its overall subject

Search for ideas, not for words

Underline the exact words that prove the match

Deal with easy questions first

Beware partial matches

Remember that sections can repeat

Watch the negatives

Guess rather than leave blanks

Keep the part to roughly twelve minutes

Mistakes that cost marks

Language this task keeps reusing

Practice: multiple matching

30 more questions on this page

Frequently asked questions

B2 First reading multiple matching: Part 7 practice

What this task tests

How to do it

Read the questions before the texts

Skim each text once for its overall subject

Search for ideas, not for words

Underline the exact words that prove the match

Deal with easy questions first

Beware partial matches

Remember that sections can repeat

Watch the negatives

Guess rather than leave blanks

Keep the part to roughly twelve minutes

Mistakes that cost marks

Language this task keeps reusing

Practice: multiple matching

30 more questions on this page

Frequently asked questions

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