Practise answering exactly the question asked from a text. Attempt each before revealing; all passages are our own original material.
1Original text: 'The new bicycle lane opened in March. Cyclists praised it, but delivery drivers complained that loading spaces had been removed.' Question: Give the reactions of two different groups to the bicycle lane.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Find the two named groups and their views. Answer both parts and do not copy the whole sentence.
Model opening: Cyclists reacted positively and praised the lane, while delivery drivers reacted negatively because their loading spaces had been taken away.
Checklist:
- Answers exactly what is asked
- Covers both required parts
- Own words where sensible
- No irrelevant extra copying
2Original text: 'Visitors must book online at least one day ahead. Tickets bought on the day cost twice as much.' Question: Why might a visitor choose to book online in advance?
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Locate the reason (it is cheaper). State it clearly and completely.
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Model opening: A visitor might book online in advance because tickets bought on the day cost twice as much, so booking ahead saves money.
Checklist:
- Directly answers 'why'
- Uses the correct detail from the text
- Complete, not a fragment
- Rephrased rather than lifted whole
3Original text: 'The cafe was quiet until the university reopened. Now students queue past the door each morning.' Question: What change happened at the cafe, and what caused it?
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Identify the change (now busy, with queues) and the cause (the university reopening). Give both.
Model opening: The cafe became much busier, with students queuing outside, and this change was caused by the nearby university reopening.
Checklist:
- Names both change and cause
- Accurate use of detail
- Answers the whole question
- Clear, correct English
See the worked annotated model response for ESL reading comprehension, or the method in our ESL reading comprehension skills guide.