C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 5–8 – how to solve reading tasks?
Parts 5–8 of the C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English exam are reading comprehension tasks: multiple choice, cross-text multiple matching, gapped text and multiple matching. The texts are long, and the questions often concern opinions and meanings „between the lines,” not just facts. Below, I discuss each part with a short example, and for each, you will find a separate page with online exercises.
C1 Advanced Reading Exercises – choose a part
C1 Advanced Reading Part 5–8 in brief
| Part | Task | Questions | Points | What it checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 5 | Multiple choice | 6 | 12 (2 each) | details, opinion and attitude of the author, purpose, tone, meaning from context |
| Part 6 | Cross-text multiple matching | 4 | 8 (2 each) | comparing opinions – who agrees and who does not |
| Part 7 | Gapped text | 6 | 12 (2 each) | structure and coherence of the text, logic of the argument |
| Part 8 | Multiple matching | 10 | 10 (1 each) | searching for specific information, details and opinions |
C1 Advanced Reading Part 5 – multiple choice
One long text (e.g. an excerpt from an article, book, or column) and 6 questions with four options. The questions follow the order of the text. They check details, but above all the author’s opinion and attitude, the purpose of the paragraph, tone, meaning of a word or phrase in context, and references (“What does ‘it’ in line 12 refer to?”).
Strategy for Part 5
- Read the question (without options) and find the relevant part of the text.
- Understand that part and formulate your answer in your own words, before looking at the options.
- Be careful of options that repeat words from the text – they are often a trap.
- Check each option in the text: the answer must be justified in it, not just “likely”.
Example:
When I first began researching the history of the town’s textile mills, I assumed the story would be one of steady decline. The archives, however, told a more complicated tale. Several mills had reinvented themselves repeatedly, switching from cotton to synthetic fibres and later to specialist medical fabrics. It was this capacity for reinvention, rather than any single product, that kept the industry alive for so long.
What does the writer suggest about the textile mills?
- They declined steadily over many decades.
- Their survival depended mainly on one successful product.
- Their ability to adapt explains why they survived so long.
- Records of their history were difficult to find.
Show answer
C – capacity for reinvention = ability to adapt. And this is just the initial assumption of the author, which the archives undermined – a classic trap. B is directly contradicted (rather than any single product), and the text says nothing about the difficult access to the archives (D).
C1 Advanced Reading Part 6 – cross-text multiple matching
This is a task that does not exist in B2 First. You receive four short texts (A–D) by different authors on one topic, e.g., four reviews of the same book or four expert opinions. You answer 4 questions. In each, you need to compare opinions, e.g.:
- Which writer has a different view from the others on…?
- Which writer shares writer B’s opinion about…?
- Which writer expresses a similar view to writer D regarding…?
Strategy for Part 6
- Read the questions first and underline the topic of each (e.g. productivity, cost, long-term effects).
- Go through all four texts and note in the margin what the author thinks about the given topic (e.g. “+”, “–”, “depends”).
- Only then answer. You have a map of opinions in front of you and you will easily see who stands out.
- Remember that the topic of the question may be in a different place in each text and named with different words.
Example – four opinions on remote work:
A Freed from long commutes and office interruptions, most employees now complete more work in less time.
B Whatever its drawbacks for team spirit, remote work has clearly boosted individual output.
C The claim that people achieve more at home does not stand up to scrutiny; the constant distractions of domestic life take their toll.
D Companies that measured results carefully found that staff were at least as productive, and often more so, when working from home.
Which writer has a different opinion from the others about the effect of remote work on productivity?
Show answer
C – A, B and D claim that productivity increases (complete more work, boosted output, at least as productive). C challenges this claim (does not stand up to scrutiny). Note that B mentions drawbacks, but they concern team atmosphere, not productivity.
C1 Advanced Reading Part 7 – gapped text
From the long text, 6 paragraphs have been removed. You have 7 paragraphs to choose from (A–G) – one does not fit anywhere. The task checks whether you understand how the text is constructed: chronology, argumentation, and connections between paragraphs.
Strategy for Part 7
- Read the entire text with gaps first to understand its overall flow.
- At each gap, check what is before it and what is after it. The paragraph must fit from both sides.
- Look for „hooks”: pronouns (he, this, they, such), linking words (however, as a result, nevertheless), repeated names, dates, and synonyms.
- Start with the gaps you are sure about. In the end, check if the rejected paragraph truly does not fit anywhere.
Example:
The team’s first expedition ended in failure: their equipment froze within hours of reaching the glacier.
[ GAP ]
This time, they succeeded in drilling to a depth of over 300 metres.
- Undeterred, they returned the following spring with heated drills and a larger crew.
- The glacier itself had been studied by scientists since the 1950s.
- As a result, the project was abandoned for good.
Show answer
A – Undeterred refers to the failure described earlier, and returned prepares the sentence This time, which follows the gap. C fits with what is before the gap, but contradicts what is after it. B does not connect with either side.
C1 Advanced Reading Part 8 – multiple matching
One long text divided into parts or several short texts (e.g. statements from several people) and 10 questions. For each question, you indicate the fragment where the given information appears. The same letter may be the answer to several questions. This task tests the ability of quick searching for information (scanning), and the texts do not always use the same words as the questions.
Strategy for Part 8
- Start with questions. Highlight the key word in each and think of its possible synonyms.
- Read the texts fairly quickly. For each question, look for the fragment that expresses the same thing in different words.
- Do not read everything in detail – this is the last part of the exam and time usually runs out.
- Be careful of texts that mention the topic of the question but say something different about it.
Example:
A I spent years as an accountant before retraining as a chef. My family thought I’d lost my mind, but I’ve never regretted it.
B What surprised me most about teaching was the sheer amount of paperwork. I’d expected to spend my evenings planning lessons, not filling in forms.
C I got my first job in journalism almost by accident, after a blog post I’d written went viral.
Which person…
- was not prepared for one aspect of their work?
- made a decision that others disapproved of?
- started their career thanks to an unplanned event?
Show answers
1 B (What surprised me most), 2 A (My family thought I’d lost my mind), 3 C (almost by accident). Note that no question repeats words from the text – everything is paraphrased.
How much time for C1 Advanced Reading Part 5–8?
The entire Reading and Use of English paper lasts 90 minutes. If you allocate about 30–35 minutes for Use of English (Part 1–4), you have about 55–60 minutes left for parts 5–8. Approximate breakdown:
- Part 5 – about 15 minutes (long text, 2 points per question);
- Part 6 – about 12 minutes;
- Part 7 – about 15 minutes (2 points per gap);
- Part 8 – about 13 minutes.
Some candidates start with parts 5–8 because they are worth more points. You choose the order yourself. It is important not to leave any answer blank – there are no negative points for incorrect answers.
Most Common Mistakes in C1 Advanced Reading
- ❌ Part 5: choosing the option that has the same words as in the text. ✅ Choosing the option that conveys meaning of the fragment – usually in different words. Repeated words are a common distractor. The correct answer is usually a paraphrase.
- ❌ Part 6: answering after reading one or two texts. ✅ First, the opinion map of all four authors, then the answers. The questions concern comparison – without all texts, you don’t know who stands out.
- ❌ Part 7: matching the paragraph only to the sentence before the gap. ✅ Checking if the paragraph also fits the sentence after the gap. Distractors are usually designed to fit on one side but not the other.
- ❌ Part 8: reading each sentence carefully from the beginning. ✅ Quickly searching for the equivalent of each question, paraphrasing instead of identical words. At the end of the exam, there is a lack of time. Part 8 requires scanning, not reading word for word.
- ❌ Leaving blank answers “because I am not sure”. ✅ Answer to every question – in case of doubt, the most likely one. No points are deducted for a wrong answer.
C1 Advanced Reading – frequently asked questions
How many questions are in parts 5–8 of C1 Advanced?
26 questions: 6 in Part 5, 4 in Part 6, 6 in Part 7, and 10 in Part 8. They are worth a total of 42 points.
Are parts 5–8 Reading or Use of English?
These are reading tasks (Reading) within the Reading and Use of English paper. The Reading score includes parts 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8, while the Use of English score includes parts 2, 3, and 4.
How much time should be allocated for parts 5–8?
About 55–60 minutes out of the 90 minutes allocated for the entire Reading and Use of English paper. It is advisable to leave the most time for Part 5 and Part 7, as each question there is worth 2 points.
Is there an additional paragraph in Part 7 of C1 Advanced?
Yes. 6 paragraphs have been removed from the text, and there are 7 to choose from. One paragraph does not fit any gap.
How does Reading in C1 Advanced differ from B2 First?
The texts in C1 are longer and more difficult, often based on opinions and implied meanings. There is also a cross-text multiple matching task (Part 6), which is not present in B2 First.