Reading comprehension (B2)
At the B2 level, you must demonstrate the ability to understand both the overall meaning and specific details in texts with complex vocabulary and syntax.
It tests various reading strategies such as guessing from context, skimming, and scanning authentic texts like press articles and literary excerpts.
Structure of the module
- The module comprises 4–5 tasks of varying lengths (typically 250–300 words) and complexity.
- Comprehension is tested down to the level of a single sentence, paragraph, and whole text.
- Tasks evaluate not only factual understanding but also your ability to track a text’s structural and narrative coherence.
Typical task types
- Multiple choice (both informational and lexical, e.g., choosing one out of four words).
- Matching information or multiple matching (often featuring distracting extra elements).
- True / False / Not given.
- Gap filling: inserting words from a box, or replacing removed sentences and longer text fragments.
- Sequencing tasks (reordering jumbled sentences or paragraphs into a coherent text).
Text types
- Single announcements (warnings, signs, advertisements).
- Functional texts (informational, press articles, official forms, user manuals).
- Excerpts from literary works and popular-science publications curated from respectable magazines.
Preparation tips
Habitually read authentic Polish press and literature to get comfortable with advanced syntax and nuanced vocabulary.
Practice adjusting your reading speed: skim the text quickly for a global understanding, then scan for exact answers to detailed questions.
For gap-fill and sequencing tasks, pay close attention to logical connectors (however, therefore, because) and pronouns that physically link the sentences together.