Module 3 · Reading part

Reading

Just 29–30 minutes for the whole part, so pacing decides everything. The two fill-in-the-blanks tasks carry 37 of the reading points between them — prioritise them and move fast through multiple choice.

01

Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks (Drop-Down)

Scores: Reading + Writing
  • 5–6 questions
  • 1 mark per blank
  • ≥4 options per blank
  • No negative marking

The first — and heaviest — reading task, worth 22 points of your Reading score. A passage appears with drop-down menus; one option per blank is correct. Aim to spend about 2 to 2½ minutes per question, 3 minutes at worst.

✅ Skills to build

  • Comprehension — read newspapers and academic articles daily.
  • Vocabulary — learn 10 new words every day.
  • Basic grammar — know your nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.
  • Study a collocation list: many blanks test which words naturally pair together.
02

Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop)

Scores: Reading
  • 4–5 questions
  • 1 mark per blank
  • Worth 15.04 reading points

A passage with a word bank at the bottom — drag the right word into each blank. There are more words than blanks, so elimination is your friend.

✅ Strategy for both blanks tasks

  • Read the context around the blank carefully before looking at options.
  • Guess the word that should be there, then find its match in the options.
  • Eliminate options that fail on grammar (wrong word form) before meaning.
03

Reorder Paragraphs

Scores: Reading
  • 2–3 questions
  • 4–7 sentences to order
  • 1 mark per correct pair

Sentences from one paragraph appear shuffled; restore the original order. Marking is by adjacent pairs — with 6 sentences the maximum is 5 marks — so even a partially correct order earns points.

✅ Strategy

  • Find the independent opener first: a sentence that names its subject fully, with no pronouns like "he", "this", or "these".
  • Chain the rest using identifiers — pronouns, connectors, and repeated nouns point back to the sentence before them.
  • Even if unsure of the whole order, lock in the pairs you are confident about.
04

Multiple Choice: Multiple Answers

Scores: Reading
  • 2–3 questions
  • 1 mark per correct option
  • ~40s each
  • ⚠ Negative marking

A passage, a question, and several options where more than one is correct. Because wrong selections subtract marks, this low-weight task punishes guessing.

⚠️ Negative marking rule

Only select multiple options when you are 100% sure of each one. If not certain, it is safer to click just one confident option. Don't let this task eat time that belongs to fill-in-the-blanks.

05

Multiple Choice: Single Answer

Scores: Reading
  • 2–3 questions
  • 1 mark each
  • ~40s each

The final reading task: four options, exactly one correct. One mark for the right answer, zero otherwise — no penalty, so always choose something. Skim the question first, then scan the passage for the answer within your 40-second budget.

✅ Reading time budget at a glance

  • Fill-in-the-blanks tasks (both types): ~2–2½ minutes each — these carry 37 points combined.
  • Reorder Paragraphs: methodical but brisk; pair marks reward partial answers.
  • Both MCQ types: 40 seconds each, and never more — they are the least important tasks of the module.