Reading

LSS2 Reading Assessment

The reading assessment is in two parts. Part 1 is comprehension and summarising, where you will be given a text to read and then answer a number of multiple-choice questions. You will then write a short summary of the text. Part 2 is comprehension, evaluation and analysis. You will be given a text to read and you will match a number of headings to paragraphs. Finally, you will write a critical response on the text.

Assignment information

• The reading assessment will be in exam conditions and will be 2 hours.
• The texts you will read in the exam will be academic or semi-academic.
• The summarising and critical response parts of the exam might be unfamiliar tasks to you. It is important you pay attention in class to understand the format and requirements.
• Date of the exam: The exam will be in week 13. Check your timetable. Your teacher and coordinator will give you full details nearer the time.
• You will have a formative exam in week 5. It is important you take this exam seriously and learn from the feedback.

Learning outcomes

Everything you have studied during your time at the IPC will contribute to your performance on this exam. By the time you take this exam, you will be able to:

• recognise and understand main points and specific detail in academic/semi-academic texts
• read and summarise content
• understanding explicit and implied views
• understand written descriptions of research and data
• follow argument and critically respond to text

What can you do to prepare and improve?

• Look back at what you have studied on previous modules. It is important you connect and apply the skills and knowledge you have learnt on other modules.
• Attend class, engage with the content, do the homework, use the materials on the VLE and/or Classroom.
• Read a lot in your own time. Find quality, broadsheet newspapers to read such as The Guardian and practise using your reading strategies.
• Read up about your future programme, these Subject Guides can help you with this.
• Read quality magazines and websites such as The Economist, New Scientist and The Register.
• Practise writing summaries and critical responses of the texts and articles that you read.
• This is a good guide for academic reading.
• Look at the ‘critical reading’ section on the EAP Toolkit on the VLE and do the tasks. This resource is good for improving all your academic skills.

How will your work be marked?

In order to do well on the exam, you will need to incorporate the reading skills and strategies you have studied during your time at the IPC.

Part 1a: Multiple choice questions

You will get one mark for each correct answer. Look carefully because for some questions there might be more than one mark available or you might need to choose two answers.

Part 1b: Summarising

The marker will be looking to see if you have identified and understood the main purpose or argument of the text. They will be looking to see if you have included all the essential information (and not included minor, unnecessary details!). They will be looking to see if you have supported key points with relevant details. Your teacher can tell you more about how this will be marked.

Part 2a: Paragraph matching

You will get one mark for each correct answer.

Part 2b: Critical response

The marker will be looking to see that you have understood the overall ideas of the text. You also need to show the marker that you have analysed and evaluated the content of the article. There is no word limit but you are expected to write around 200 words. You need to be considering questions such as:

• What is the main message of the article?
• What type of article is it?
• What is the purpose of the article? Has the article succeeded in its purpose?
• How strong is the author’s evidence that they use to support their argument?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article?
• What is your stance on the topic? Use the article’s content and evidence to explain.

The assessment criteria for parts 1b and 2b can be found here.