FCE Reading Part 5: multiple choice strategy and practice
FCE Reading Part 5 is one longer text followed by 6 multiple-choice questions, each with four options. The questions test detail, opinion, attitude, purpose, implication and the meaning of words or phrases in context, and each correct answer is worth 2 marks. It is part of our Reading and Use of English guide.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
What Part 5 tests
In Part 5 you read one longer text, such as a magazine article, a personal account or an extract from a novel. Then you answer 6 questions with four options (A, B, C or D). The questions follow the order of the text, and the last question sometimes asks about the text as a whole. Each correct answer is worth 2 marks, so this part is worth 12 of the 42 Reading marks.
Part 5 goes beyond simple facts. These are the question types you will meet:
- Detail: what exactly happened or what someone did.
- Opinion and attitude: how the writer or a person in the text feels about something.
- Reference: what a word like it, this or they refers to.
- Meaning in context: what a word or phrase means in this particular sentence.
- Purpose: why the writer mentions something, for example to give an example or to contrast two ideas.
- Implication: what the writer suggests without saying it directly.
- Global: the main idea or purpose of the whole text.
The wrong options (distractors) are written carefully. They often use words from the text but change the meaning, or describe something that is true but does not answer the question. Learning to spot this is the main skill in Part 5. The paraphrasing skills you build here also help in Part 7 multiple matching and in Part 6 gapped text.
Strategy, step by step
- 1
Skim the text first
Read the title and the whole text quickly, in about two minutes. Get the topic, the writer's general attitude and how the text is organised. Do not try to understand every word.
- 2
Read the first question stem only
Read the question, but not the options yet. Underline the key words, then find the part of the text that answers it. Questions follow the order of the text, so each answer will be after the previous one.
- 3
Answer in your own words
Read the relevant section carefully and decide what the answer is before you look at A–D. This protects you from attractive distractors.
- 4
Match your answer to an option
Now read the four options. Choose the one that matches your own answer in meaning. Be careful of options that repeat the exact words from the text.
- 5
Prove why the others are wrong
For each wrong option, find a reason: it is not in the text, it says the opposite, it is true but answers a different question, or it is too strong (always, never).
- 6
Don't get stuck
If you cannot decide between two options after a minute, choose one, mark it and move on. Part 5 is worth a lot of marks, but so are Parts 6 and 7.
Common traps
Trap: Word-matching: choosing an option because it contains the same word as the text.
Fix: Correct answers usually paraphrase the text. An option with the exact same words is often a distractor. Match meaning, not vocabulary.
Trap: Choosing something that is true, but doesn't answer the question.
Fix: Reread the question stem. If it asks why, the answer must be a reason, not just a fact from the right paragraph.
Trap: Using your own opinion or general knowledge.
Fix: The answer must come from the text. Ask: where does the text say this? If you can't point to it, it's probably wrong.
Trap: Ignoring words like however, at first or now that change meaning.
Fix: Contrast words often mark the place where the writer changes their mind. Questions about attitude often depend on them.
Trap: Reading the whole text again for every question.
Fix: Questions follow the order of the text. Start reading just after the place where you found the previous answer.
Worked example: an original Part 5 text
The task
Read the extract and answer the questions.
The workshop on Mill Lane
For most of my teenage years, I assumed my grandfather's workshop was simply where he went to escape my grandmother's radio. It was a narrow brick shed behind the house, with bicycle frames hanging from hooks like sleeping bats. When I was sixteen and desperate for money, I asked whether he needed any help. He looked at me for a long moment, then handed me a tin of rusty screws and told me to sort them by size. "Come back tomorrow," he said, "if you're still interested."
I was not, particularly. But I came back, mostly out of pride. Over the following months he taught me to straighten a wheel, adjust brakes and, most importantly, to listen. "A bike tells you what's wrong," he would say, "if you stop talking long enough to hear it." At the time I rolled my eyes. Now, years later, I hear myself repeating the line to the trainees in my own repair shop, and pretending I came up with it myself.
1. Why did the writer first offer to help in the workshop? A She wanted to spend more time with her grandfather. B She needed to earn some money. C She was curious about how bicycles worked. D Her grandmother had suggested it.
2. What does "I was not, particularly" refer to? A being surprised B being interested C being able to sort the screws D being proud
3. How does the writer feel now about her grandfather's advice? A She finds it as annoying as she did at first. B She has forgotten who first said it. C She recognises its value. D She thinks it is only true of bicycles.
- 1.
Question 1: The text says she was desperate for money. Option B paraphrases this as needed to earn some money. Option D is a distractor: the grandmother is mentioned, but only her radio. Nothing in the text supports A or C. Answer: B.
- 2.
Question 2: This is a reference question. The sentence before ends with if you're still interested, so I was not, particularly means I was not particularly interested. Option D (pride) is mentioned in the next sentence, which makes it a tempting distractor. Answer: B.
- 3.
Question 3: At the time I rolled my eyes shows she wasn't impressed then, but now she repeats the advice to her own trainees, which shows she values it. Option B is a trap: she pretends she invented it, so she clearly remembers who said it. Answer: C.
- 4.
Notice that none of the correct answers uses the same words as the text. Each one is a paraphrase. That is typical of Part 5.
Answer
1 B · 2 B · 3 C
How to prepare for Part 5
Read a range of texts in English every week: magazine features, opinion columns, short stories and personal blogs. After reading, ask yourself three questions: What is the writer's main point? How does the writer feel? Why did the writer include the example in paragraph two? These are exactly the kinds of questions Part 5 asks.
Build your vocabulary for attitude and feelings too: sceptical, relieved, reluctant, nostalgic, dismissive. Options often use words like these. Our collocations page also helps you recognise paraphrases quickly.
When you are ready, try our free Reading Part 5 practice, which explains why each distractor is wrong.
Practice · Reading & Use of English Part 5
Practise FCE Reading Part 5
FCE Reading Part 5: FAQ
How many marks is FCE Reading Part 5 worth?
There are 6 questions worth 2 marks each, so Part 5 is worth 12 of the 42 Reading marks.
Do the questions follow the order of the text?
Yes, generally they do. The final question may ask about the text as a whole, such as the writer's main purpose.
Should I read the questions or the text first?
We suggest skimming the text quickly first for the general idea, then reading each question and finding the answer in the text. Try both methods in practice and use the one that works for you.
How long should I spend on Part 5?
Our advice is about 14 minutes, including the time to skim the text. This is a suggestion, not an exam rule.
Why do I keep choosing the wrong option?
Usually because the option repeats words from the text. Answer in your own words first, then find the option that matches your meaning.