C2 Proficiency Exam Guide: Multiple Matching
Reading & Use of English Paper
Contents
Overview
Context: Part 7 of the Reading & Use of English paper features a page of text divided into sections, accompanied by ten questions. The text is either from different people's views on a topic, a single text divided into sections, or extracts from a single text like a book or long article.
Task: Candidates need to match each question with the relevant information in the text. This requires understanding details, attitudes, or opinions expressed and locating where these ideas are reflected in the text. Some options may be correct for more than one question.
Objective: To assess candidates' ability to identify specific information, detail, opinion, and attitude in a text or series of short texts.
Scoring & Marks: The ten questions are worth ten points, so one point for each. There are 72 points available for the whole Reading & Use of English paper.
How to Approach
- Skimming and Scanning: Practise skimming for a general understanding and scanning for specific details in the text. Note that each text section will contain some redundant information that is not important to answering the question.
- Multiple-Matching Strategy: Be familiar with the task layout, where questions are presented before the text. Experiment with different techniques to approach the task.
- Finding Paraphrased Ideas: Train to find a paraphrase of the entire idea in the question, not just one element. Careful reading is required to ensure an accurate match in terms of meaning.
- Avoiding Word Matching: Avoid selecting answers solely based on word matching. Look for a comprehensive understanding of the text sections to find the correct answer.
Assessment Focus
This part tests the ability to locate and understand specific information, detail, opinion, and attitude within a text or a group of short texts.
Tips
- Develop skills in quickly identifying relevant information within texts.
- Practise interpreting and comparing different viewpoints or information in texts.
- Focus on understanding the complete idea expressed in the question and finding its paraphrase in the text.
- Experiment with different skimming and scanning strategies to improve quick understanding and locating of information.
How It Looks
Student Suggestion
"I failed an important exam because I kept falling for finding similar words in the question and in the text. Don't fall into those traps." - Jadon Martinez
Practice Exercises
We have a page on the site to practise: C2 Proficiency: Multiple Matching Exercises
