CAE Reading Part 6: cross-text multiple matching
CAE Reading Part 6 is cross-text multiple matching: four short texts by different writers on the same topic, and four questions about where they agree and disagree. It is the one task in C1 Reading with no equivalent at B2, and each answer is worth two marks.
- Questions
- 4 (37–40)
- Marks
- 2 each
- Texts
- 4 writers (A–D)
- Counts towards
- Reading
What cross-text multiple matching tests
In Part 6 you read four short texts, labelled A–D, written by four different people on the same subject, about 600 words in total. The texts often have an academic flavour: four critics reviewing the same book, four researchers commenting on a study, four commentators answering the same question. Then come four questions, numbered 37–40.
The questions do not tell you what anyone thinks. They give you only the subject of an opinion and ask you to compare: Which writer shares writer B's view on …?, Which writer has a different opinion from the others on …?, Which writer expresses a similar view to A regarding …? To answer, you have to find each writer's view on that subject and compare it with the others. You choose from A–D, and a writer can be the answer to more than one question.
Each correct answer earns 2 marks, so the part is worth 8 of the 50 Reading marks. Because every question involves at least two texts, Part 6 tests a skill the other reading parts do not: holding several arguments in your head at once and seeing exactly where they overlap. Writers rarely say "I agree with B". They concede a point, disagree with part of it, or reach the same conclusion for a different reason.
Try a cross-text multiple matching task
Read four economists' comments on the four-day working week. For questions 37–39, choose from the writers A–D. A writer may be chosen more than once.
The four-day week: four views
A Reports from companies that have trialled a four-day week are strikingly consistent: output holds steady, and in many cases rises, once staff have adjusted. These findings now come from enough organisations, in enough countries, to be taken seriously. Employees, unsurprisingly, say they sleep better and feel less exhausted. Where I part company with the more enthusiastic advocates is in the claim that the model can be rolled out everywhere. A hospital ward or a primary school cannot simply close on Fridays, and covering the gap with extra staff creates costs that the trials have never had to absorb.
B It would be churlish to deny that most employees enjoy a shorter week; the wellbeing data are hard to argue with. What is less convincing is the evidence on performance. The firms in the best-known trials volunteered to take part, which suggests they were already confident it would work and were run by managers keen to prove a point. Moreover, the burst of energy that follows any change in routine tends to wear off. If output were measured over five years rather than six months, I suspect the early gains would largely disappear.
C The objection that a four-day week only suits office workers strikes me as a failure of imagination. Hospitals already run on shifts; staggering days off across a team is an organisational challenge, not an impossibility, and any workplace could adapt if it chose to. My reservation lies elsewhere. Almost every organisation studied so far chose to take part, so we are hearing largely from enthusiasts. That said, the productivity figures they report, with output steady or rising across the board, are too consistent to dismiss as wishful thinking.
D Supporters of the four-day week point to productivity, and rightly so: when people know a long weekend is coming, they waste less time at work. But squeezing five days' work into four has a cost the headline figures conceal. In some workplaces the pace becomes so intense that stress is simply moved from Friday to the other four days. And anyone who has worked in a care home or a classroom knows that some jobs need constant cover; for them, a shorter week is likely to remain a luxury.
Which writer
37 has a different view from the others about the effect of a four-day week on productivity?
38 shares A's opinion on whether the model is suitable for every type of workplace?
39 expresses a similar view to B regarding the reliability of the evidence from trials?
Show the answer and explanation
37 B. A (output holds steady … rises), C (productivity figures … too consistent to dismiss) and D (rightly so … they waste less time) all accept that productivity holds up. B thinks the gains are temporary and would largely disappear.
38 D. A says a hospital or school cannot simply close on Fridays. D agrees that care homes and classrooms need constant cover. C takes the opposite view (any workplace could adapt), and B does not discuss it.
39 C. B doubts the evidence because the firms volunteered. C makes the same criticism: almost every organisation … chose to take part, so we are hearing largely from enthusiasts. Note that C still trusts the productivity figures; the question is only about the reliability of the trials, and on that point C and B agree. A thinks the findings should be taken seriously.
How to do cross-text multiple matching, step by step
- 01
Read the four questions first and turn each one into a short topic label: productivity, suits every workplace?, trials reliable?. These are the only things you need to track.
- 02
Draw a quick grid on your notepaper: the topics down the side, writers A–D across the top.
- 03
Read text A and fill in its row: + for a positive view, − for a negative one, a dash if the writer does not mention the topic, and a few words of evidence. Repeat for B, C and D.
- 04
For "shares A's view" questions, find A's view first, then look for the one other writer with the same view. For "different from the others", check that every writer has a view, then find the odd one out.
- 05
Watch for concessions such as it would be churlish to deny, that said and rightly so: a writer can agree on one topic and disagree on the next in the same paragraph.
Mistakes that cost marks
Matching topic instead of opinion. Several writers may mention the trials, but only one shares B's doubts about them. Mentioning a subject is not the same as agreeing about it.
Missing a concession. Writer C criticises the trials and then defends their figures. If you stop reading at the criticism, you will get question 37 wrong.
Answering from a single text. Every Part 6 question involves comparing at least two writers. If you only looked at one text, check the others before you decide.
Avoiding a writer you have already used. A text can be the answer to more than one question, and some texts may not be the answer to any.
Language that signals agreement and disagreement
Writers in Part 6 rarely state their position in a single sentence. These phrases show you where an opinion turns.
- Conceding a point before disagreeing: admittedly, granted, it would be churlish to deny, while I accept that, there is some truth in.
- Marking disagreement: where I part company with, my reservation lies elsewhere, this overlooks, I am less convinced by, strikes me as a failure of.
- Marking agreement: rightly, it is hard to argue with, I share the view that, quite correctly, few would dispute.
- Hedging: I suspect, arguably, it seems likely that, to some extent. A hedged opinion is still an opinion.
Here is the grid for the example above. It takes about two minutes to fill in and makes all three answers visible at once.
| Topic | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Productivity | + | − (gains fade) | + | + |
| Suits every workplace? | No | — | Yes | No |
| Trials reliable? | Yes | No (volunteers) | No (volunteers) | — |
Practise Part 6 in full CAE Reading and Use of English tests
Each CAE Reading and Use of English test on this site has its own Part 6, timed with the whole paper and marked as soon as you submit, with an explanation for every answer.
CAE Reading Part 6: questions
What is cross-text multiple matching in CAE?
It is Reading and Use of English Part 6: four short texts by different writers on the same topic, followed by four questions that ask which writer agrees or disagrees with another writer, or with all the others, on a particular point.
How many marks is CAE Reading Part 6 worth?
Eight. There are four questions, numbered 37 to 40, and each correct answer earns 2 marks towards your Reading score.
Can the same writer be the answer to more than one question in CAE Reading Part 6?
Yes. A writer may be chosen more than once, so do not rule a text out just because you have already used it.
Is there a cross-text multiple matching task in B2 First?
No. It only appears in C1 Advanced, which is one reason the C1 Reading and Use of English paper has eight parts and B2 First has seven.
Sources
- C1 Advanced Handbook for Teachers (Cambridge University Press & Assessment), pages 7, 15
- C1 Advanced exam format (cambridgeenglish.org)
- C1 Advanced preparation materials: Cambridge's own sample tests
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