Reading Correspondence

This task checks whether you understand a message the way its reader would. You need to know the facts in it, and also why it was sent, how the writer feels, what they are asking for and what should happen next. Everyday letters and emails often say things politely or indirectly. The questions often reword the message instead of repeating it. Your job is to follow the writer's purpose and the story of the message closely enough that you can spot the option that means the same thing as the text, even when it shares few words with it.

Step by step

1. 1

   Frame the message before the details

   Start by working out who is writing, who they are writing to and how they are connected: friends, neighbours, a customer and a company, an employee and a manager. Then name the main reason for the message in your head, such as a request, a complaint, an apology or an invitation. Many questions depend on the purpose and the relationship, and having that frame gives every detail a place to fit.

2. 2

   Read for the storyline and the changes

   Read through the message and follow what happened, what the writer wants now and what is supposed to happen next. Pay special attention to anything that changed: a plan that moved, an offer that was withdrawn, a condition that must be met first. Letters often mention the old version and the new version together, and questions tend to check whether you know which one is current.

3. 3

   Decide what each question is really after

   Before you judge the options, decide what kind of answer the question needs. It might be a specific fact, the writer's feeling or reason, or what the reader is expected to do. Then go back to the part of the message that deals with it. Knowing what you are looking for stops the options from pulling you toward the wrong part of the text.

4. 4

   Match meaning, not matching words

   Test each option against that part of the message. Ask whether it says the same thing in different words. Be suspicious of options that reuse words from the text but change who did what, when it happened or whether it happened at all. Be just as careful with options that make the message stronger than it is. If the writer hedges and the option sounds certain, the option has gone further than the text.

5. 5

   Commit, move on, and come back if you can

   Trial questions are not marked, so treat every question as if it counts. Don't let a hard one eat your time. Choose the option you think is best, keep a mental note of it and carry on. You can move between parts within the section, so if you have time left before you leave it, go back to the questions you were unsure of.

Using the time

At the start, spend a short time framing the message: the writer, the reader, the relationship and the purpose. Don't try to remember every detail yet. Spend most of your time on the questions, checking each one against the exact lines that answer it. Looking back at the text is faster and safer than relying on memory. Keep an eye on the section clock, because it keeps running. Near the end, make sure every question has an answer, since a blank can never be right. Then use any time left on the questions you were unsure of, not on ones you are already confident about.

What usually goes wrong

• Picking the old plan instead of the new one

  Correspondence often gives an original time, date, place or amount and then the updated one. An option with the old detail looks right because it really is in the message. Whenever an option contains a specific detail, find every mention of that kind of detail in the text and check which one is current.

  In your feedback: Number or date

• Trusting an option because it echoes the text

  An option can repeat a phrase from the message and still change the meaning. It might swap who is doing something, turn a possibility into a fact, or flip a refusal into an agreement. When an option feels familiar, stop and check that its whole meaning matches, not only the words you recognize.

  In your feedback: Partial match

• Taking polite wording at face value

  Writers often soften complaints, refusals and disappointment. A thank-you might come before a firm no, and a friendly question might really be a reminder that something is late. When a question asks about the writer's feelings or purpose, ask what the message is trying to get done, not only what it says on the surface.

  In your feedback: Literal reading

• Missing an answer that uses different words

  The correct option often describes the message in general or different terms, for example a category word for a specific item, or a result instead of the action that caused it. If no option seems to match, don't choose the one with the most shared words. Look for the option that describes the same situation in other language.

  In your feedback: Missed paraphrase

Drafted by an AI writer and passed by a separate AI editor, checked against our content rules: structure and approach only, no wording to reuse. How our content is made