Discussion

DOs and DON'Ts

BEC Higher Reading Part 3

Task Description

In this task, candidates answer questions or complete a statement by choosing one answer from 4-option multiple-choice items.

What texts are used?
The general and business press, company literature and books on topics such as management.

What skill is being tested?
Very close reading for detailed comprehension. Questions may target specific information, attitude and opinion, inference, complex or subtle points made, or global issues such as the main point or purpose of the text or a section of it.

Understanding the Task

Part 3 consists of a text of about 600 words and 6 multiple-choice questions. (There are four options for each question). Students are being tested on their ability to understand opinion and inference rather than straightforward facts. They need to interpret different parts of the text and find an option that matches their interpretation.

One way to understand the task is to do it yourself, thinking carefully about what you are doing and how you work out the answers. Look at the sample Part 3 task from a past BEC Higher paper. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

Sample Task (PDF)

Answers

Things to consider

Now look at these questions about how you approached this task and consider your answers.

1. Did you read through the whole text before you tried to answer the questions?
   
   
2. Did the questions come in the same order as the information in the text?
   
   
3. Did finding the answer to each question involve finding a single word or a single phrase in the text?
   
   
4. How did you select your answer?
   
   a) I read the text, then looked at the question and chose the best answer.
   
   b) I read the questions first, then the text and selected the best answer by elimination.
   
   
5. Could there be a global question on the text?
   
   
6. Do candidates have to read for gist in the task?
   
   
7. Could more than one of the multiple-choice options be true according to the text?