Reading Comprehension (Unseen Passages)
Reading Comprehension is the fastest-scoring domain on the paper because every answer already exists in the passage. The examiner is testing three separate skills: locating stated information, drawing an inference that the text supports, and explaining a word as it is used in that particular sentence.
Match the question to its evidence type
- Literal ("Name two...", "When did..."): the answer is a phrase in the text. Lift the key noun or number exactly as printed.
- Inferential ("Why do you think...", "What does the writer suggest..."): the answer needs two clues joined by reasoning, not a personal guess.
- Vocabulary in context ("Find a word meaning..."): supply a word that fits the sense of that sentence and can grammatically replace the original.
Answer craft
Write complete sentences that echo the question's wording, so the marker can see the answer without hunting. Respect any word limit ("in about 30 words" means roughly 25-35). When asked to "find a word from the passage", write the word alone, not a sentence.
Worked example
Passage line: "The village pond, once the hub of evening gossip, now lies choked with weeds and plastic." Question: What does the writer suggest about the pond's past? Reasoning: the time marker "once" plus "hub of evening gossip" describes social use; "now lies choked" supplies the present contrast. The past claim is therefore about people gathering, not about cleanliness. Answer: The writer suggests that the pond was formerly a busy meeting place where villagers gathered to talk, but that it has since been neglected.
Traps that cost marks
- Copying a whole paragraph where one clause was asked for; the marker looks for a specific idea and may not locate it.
- Answering from general knowledge ("ponds are polluted") instead of from the text.
- Giving your own opinion when the question says "the writer suggests".
- In true/false items, writing only "False" when the instruction also demands the correct statement.