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  • Eighth-grader Exam – Reading

    Reading Comprehension on the Eighth Grader’s Exam

    The reading comprehension part of the exam usually accounts for about 30% of all points to be gained. It’s not just about knowing vocabulary, but primarily about strategy and the ability to find information. Check what types of tasks you will encounter in the test paper!


    1. Matching

    This is an exam classic. It involves matching headings to paragraphs, sentences to gaps in the text, or people to descriptions of places/objects.

    • Challenge: One heading or sentence is always given additionally and does not fit any element.
    • Strategy: Look for synonyms! If the heading says „money”, you will probably find „price”, „cost”, or „cheap” in the text.

    2. Multiple Choice

    You read a text (often two shorter texts) and answer questions by choosing option A, B, or C.

    • Challenge: Distractors. These are incorrect answers that contain keywords from the text but distort its meaning.
    • Strategy: Do not mark an answer just because „the word fits”. Check if the entire sentence is logically consistent with the text.

    3. Gapped Text

    You receive a text with removed sentences. Your task is to put them back in the correct places.

    • Challenge: You must look at what is before and after the gap. The sentence must fit grammatically and logically into the context.
    • Strategy: Pay attention to pronouns (he, she, it, they). If a sentence starts with „But he didn’t…”, a man must have been mentioned earlier.

    4. Text Processing (Mediation)

    This is an open-ended task, often considered the most difficult. You must read a text in English and fill in a gap in a note, email, or announcement in Polish (or vice versa).

    • Challenge: You need to convey information precisely, maintaining linguistic correctness.
    • Strategy: Keep an eye on the word limit and make sure your answer fits grammatically with the rest of the sentence in the target language.
    Golden advice: Always start by reading the instructions and questions, and only then tackle the text. This way, you will know exactly what you are looking for!

    Good luck! Break a leg! 🖋️