Use these to practise the OxfordAQA reading question types in one sitting. You match a text to its purpose, retrieve an exact detail, work out a word from its context, and read for opinion and inference. Attempt each before you reveal our notes.
Every passage here is our own original writing. For the number of texts, question types and marks, check the current 9280 syllabus.
1Here are four short notices we have written ourselves. A: 'Library closes at 4 p.m. this Friday only, for staff training. Books can still be dropped in the returns box by the door.' B: 'The reading club now meets on Thursdays, not Mondays.
Same room as before.' C: 'Lost: a blue water bottle, left in Room 12. Please bring it to the office.' D: 'Print credit runs out on the 30th; top up online before then.' Which notice tells a reader about a change to a regular meeting? Give the letter only.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Read each notice for its main purpose, not for words it shares with the question. A is a one-off closure, C reports a lost item and D is a deadline. Only B changes something that happens repeatedly, moving the club from Mondays to Thursdays.
Model opening: B; it moves a regular club from Mondays to Thursdays, which is a change to something that repeats.
Checklist:
- Answered from the purpose of the text, not matching words
- Gave only the letter the question asked for
- Checked each option against the exact question
- Did not add explanation the task did not ask for
2Read this paragraph, which is our own writing: 'The night market on Jalan Meru opens only on Wednesdays. Stalls begin setting up at five, but cooked food is not sold until six, once the generators are running.
Parking is free in the school field opposite.' Answer with the exact words from the text: (a) On which day does the market open? (b) Why is cooked food not sold before six?
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: These are exact-answer questions, so hunt for the precise words rather than rewriting. Answer (a) is a single word found early in the text; answer (b) is the reason given after 'once'. Copy only what answers each question and match it to the right part.
Model opening: (a) Wednesdays. (b) Once the generators are running.
Checklist:
- Used the text's exact words for exact-answer questions
- Answered only what each question asks
- Kept each answer short
- Matched each answer to the correct part
3In this sentence we have written ('The instructions were so brief that most volunteers were left baffled about where to begin') find the one word that means 'confused'. Then explain, in your own words, how the rest of the sentence helps you work out that meaning.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: First locate the single word rather than a phrase. Then use the context clues.
Tried these practice tasks? A teacher can mark your child's attempt and explain the next step in a paid one-hour trial.
The phrase 'so brief that' warns of a problem, and 'about where to begin' shows the volunteers did not understand what to do. Explain that link in your own words, not as a dictionary definition.
Model opening: The word is 'baffled'. The phrase 'so brief that' signals the instructions were not enough, and 'about where to begin' shows the volunteers could not understand what to do, so 'baffled' must mean confused.
Checklist:
- Chose a single word, not a phrase
- Used the surrounding words as evidence
- Explained the clue in own words
- Did not simply give a dictionary definition
4Read this review, which we wrote ourselves: 'The new cafe looks lovely and the staff clearly try hard, but I waited twenty minutes for a cold drink and the music was far too loud to talk over. I might go back, but only for the cake.' In your own words, explain what the writer thinks of the cafe overall, and give two details that show this mixed view.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: This is an opinion question, so look past single positive or negative words to the overall balance. Weigh the praise ('looks lovely', 'staff try hard') against the complaints ('waited twenty minutes', 'far too loud').
The hedged ending ('might', 'only for the cake') tips the view towards disappointment. Rephrase this in your own words.
Model opening: Overall the writer has mixed feelings but leans towards disappointment: the cafe is attractive and the staff are willing, yet the slow service and loud music spoiled the visit, and only the cake would tempt them back.
Checklist:
- Gave the overall attitude, not one detail
- Found evidence on both sides of the opinion
- Rephrased the writer's view in own words
- Noticed the hedging in 'might' and 'only'
5Read this passage we have written: 'Aisha checked her phone for the third time, then folded and unfolded the bus ticket in her lap. When the doors finally hissed open, she was first down the steps before the driver had even called the stop.' What can you work out about how Aisha is feeling? Answer in your own words and refer to two things she does.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Nothing states the feeling directly, so infer it from her actions. Checking the phone repeatedly and fidgeting with the ticket suggest anxiety or impatience.
Rushing off before the stop is called shows eagerness to arrive. Combine these into a feeling and support each with an action, in your own words.
Model opening: Aisha seems anxious and impatient to arrive somewhere: repeatedly checking her phone and folding the ticket over and over suggest restlessness, and jumping down the steps before the stop is even called shows she can hardly wait.
Checklist:
- Inferred the feeling rather than copying a stated word
- Supported it with two actions from the text
- Answered in own words
- Kept to what the text supports, not invented backstory
See the method and an annotated model on the reading comprehension (ESL) page for OxfordAQA 9280, or the technique in our reading comprehension (ESL) skills guide.