What reference words are: Reference words are small words like it, this, that, they, them, there, his or her that point back to something already mentioned earlier in the text.
Writers use them so they don't repeat the same noun again and again. In Paper 2 (Reading) a question may ask what one of these words refers to — your job is to name the noun, person, place or idea it points back to.
The exam instruction you'll see: In the real English Paper 2 exam, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
“What does the word "…" in line X refer to?”
What you have to do: Find the word in the line, then look back (usually) for the noun it stands in for, and answer with that exact word/phrase from the text. (Less common in Language B, but tracking what a pronoun points to keeps your reading accurate.)
- reference word
- a word (it, this, them, there…) that points back to something said before
- referent
- the actual noun, person, place or idea that a reference word points to
- pronoun
- a word such as it, they, them, he, she, his that stands in for a noun
- to refer to
- to point back to (something already mentioned)
- to replace / to substitute
- to use one word in place of another
- antecedent
- the earlier word a pronoun replaces (another name for the referent)
Name the thing, not the word: The question "What does 'it' refer to?" does NOT want you to write "it" again — it wants the actual noun or idea "it" stands for (for example the dog), found earlier in the text.
And because this is a reading paper, you usually answer with the exact words from the text — copy them, don't paraphrase.
What each kind points to: Different reference words point to different things. Pronouns like it / them point to a noun; this / that can point to a whole idea; place words like there point to a place; possessives like his / her / their point to an owner. This table is your map.
| Reference word | Usually points to |
|---|---|
| it / them | a noun (a thing or things) already mentioned |
| he / she / him / her | a person already mentioned |
| this / that | a whole idea or sentence said before (not just one noun) |
| there / here | a place that was mentioned |
| his / her / their | the owner mentioned (whose something is) |
Singular vs plural is your clue: A reference word matches what it replaces. It replaces one thing; them / they replace more than one; he / him replaces a male person, she / her a female one.
If your answer doesn't match in number or person, it is the wrong referent — look again.
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A reliable routine: To find what a reference word points to, work backwards from it. Find the word, read what comes just before, identify the noun or idea, then substitute it to check the sentence still makes sense. Because you can re-read in a reading paper, this is quick and safe.
Track the reference — 5 steps
1
Find the reference word
Locate the word the question asks about (e.g. it, this, there).
2
Read the sentence(s) just before it
The referent almost always appears earlier — read back one or two sentences.
3
Identify the noun or idea it replaces
Decide which noun or idea fits — and check it matches in number and person.
4
Substitute it
Put the noun back in place of the reference word — does the sentence still make sense?
5
Answer with the text's own words
Give the noun or idea it points to, copied from the text — not the reference word itself.
Find → Read before → Identify → Substitute → Check
Look BEFORE, not after: Reference words almost always point backwards to something already said. So read the lines before the word, not after it. Then substitute the noun to confirm the sentence still makes sense — and write your answer using the words as they appear in the text.
Tracking a reference in a real text: Here is a short text — the kind Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. The text stays in front of you, so when a question asks what a reference word points to, you read back to find it. Read the text once, then we'll track one reference word together.
Daniel and his rescue dog: Last summer Daniel adopted a rescue dog from a local shelter. He named it Pepper because of its grey-and-white coat. Every morning before school he takes it for a long walk in the park, and there he often meets neighbours who stop to chat with him.
Daniel says that Pepper has changed his daily routine completely. This is the part he likes most: he now spends far more time outdoors and feels much less stressed. "My sister gave me the idea," he explains, "and I will always be grateful to her for it."
- to adopt
- to take in an animal (or a child) and care for it as your own
- a rescue dog
- a dog taken from a shelter rather than bought from a breeder
- a shelter
- a place that looks after homeless or abandoned animals
- a coat (of an animal)
- the fur that covers an animal's body
- grateful
- thankful; feeling that you want to thank someone
Finding the referent
One question, step by step
- Read the question — "In the sentence 'Every morning before school he takes it for a long walk', what does it refer to?"
- Read back. The sentence just before says "Daniel adopted a rescue dog" and "He named it Pepper". So "it" stands for the dog, called Pepper.
- Substitute and answer — "he takes it for a walk" → "he takes the dog (Pepper) for a walk." That still makes sense, so it refers to the dog, Pepper. Answer with those exact words from the text — not the word "it".
Copy the words from the text: When the answer is a noun or phrase from the text, copy it exactly — for example Pepper or the rescue dog. A paraphrase like "his pet animal" can score zero on a reading paper, even though it means the same. Find the words, copy the words.
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The golden rule: Paper 2 Reading is marked very strictly, but the rules are simple. The golden rule: answer using the words as they appear in the text.
When a question says "using the words as they appear in the text", you must find the exact word or phrase and copy it. A paraphrase — even a correct one — scores ZERO. Find it, copy it, move on.
Do this
- Copy the exact word/phrase straight from the text.
- Keep the answer complete — give the whole phrase that answers it.
- For True/False, write the tick AND quote the exact words that prove it.
- In a multiple-choice question, put exactly ONE answer in the box.
Don't do this
- Paraphrase or 'say it in your own words' — that scores 0.
- Add extra or irrelevant words — wrong extra info loses the mark.
- Tick True/False with no justification (or the wrong quote) — 0 marks.
- Put two answers in one multiple-choice box — the mark is lost.
| Question type | How to score the mark |
|---|---|
| Find the exact words | Copy the word/phrase from the text — no paraphrase. |
| Gap-fill from a word list | Choose ONE word from the list per gap; spelling slips are OK if clear. |
| Multiple choice | Put exactly ONE letter in the box. |
| True / False + justify | Tick T or F AND quote the exact words that prove it — both needed for 1 mark. |
| Find the word/phrase that means… | Copy the matching word from the text exactly. |
| Heading-match | Match each paragraph to one heading; each heading used once. |
Two quick reminders: Spelling: a small spelling slip is fine as long as the meaning is still clear — so copy carefully but don't panic.
No extra words: keep the answer complete but tight. If you add wrong or irrelevant information on top of a correct answer, you can lose the mark.