Tips for Paper 1

Paper 1 - Reading

DOs and DON'Ts

-Read the sources, titles and subtitles of the texts where given; they are there to help you.
-Read each text carefully before you answer the questions to get an overall impression and understanding of it. This includes part 3, the gapped-text task.
-Remember that in Part 1, the missing word(s) may be forming part of an idiom, fixed phrase or collocation, so always check the words around the gap carefully.
-Remember that in Part 1, the missing word(s) has got to fit the context of the passage, so always check that the completed sentence makes sense in the passage as a whole.
-Read the questions carefully in Parts 2 and 4, and check each option against the text before rejecting it.
-Keep an overall idea of the development of the text in Part 3. You will need to check that the extracts chosen to fit the gaps in the base text fit the progression of the argument or narrative as a whole.

-Don't assume in Part 2 or Part 4 that if the same word appears in the text as well as in an option, this means you have located the answer.
-Don't try to answer any questions without referring carefully to the text.
-Don't spend too much time on any one part of the paper.
-Don't forget to record your answers on the separate answer sheet.