What Paper 2 Reading is: Paper 2 is the receptive-skills paper (Listening + Reading), worth 50% of your SL grade. The Reading section gives you 3 written texts (articles, blogs, interviews… based on the themes), worth about 40 marks (around 1 hour). It's marked objectively against an answer key, and — unlike listening — the text stays in front of you, so you can re-read it.
- la comprensione scritta
- reading comprehension
- il testo
- the text (article, blog, interview…)
- scelta multipla
- multiple choice
- vero/falso + giustificare
- true/false + justify with the text
- vocabolario nel contesto
- vocabulary in context (what a word means here)
- le parole di riferimento
- reference words (e.g. «lo», «questo» — what do they point to?)
The answer is in the text: In Reading the answer is always somewhere in the text — your job is to locate it, not to recall it. You never need outside knowledge, and because the text stays visible you can always go back and check.
The reading section at a glance: Here is everything the Reading section asks of you on one page: how many texts, how many marks, how long, and the question types you'll meet. Notice the one big advantage — you can re-read.
| Aspetto | Comprensione scritta (SL) |
|---|---|
| Che cosa valuta | capire testi scritti |
| Testi | 3, basati sui temi |
| Punti | circa 40 |
| Durata | circa un'ora |
| Puoi rileggere? | sì, il testo è davanti a te |
| Tipi di domanda | scelta multipla · V/F + giustificare · vocabolario nel contesto · riempire i vuoti · abbinare · completare le frasi · parole di riferimento · risposta breve |
Re-reading is your advantage: Unlike Listening — where the audio plays and is gone — in Reading the text never disappears. If you're unsure, go back to the exact line. There is no reason to answer from memory.
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A reliable reading routine: Don't read word-by-word from the start and hope. Use a routine: get the gist, read the question, then scan the text for the line that answers it. Because you can re-read, this is fast and reliable.
Find the answer in the text — 5 steps
1
Skim
Read the whole text once for the general idea. Don't stop on every unknown word.
2
Read the question
Read the question carefully and underline its key words (who? what? when?).
3
Scan
Run your eyes over the text for those key words or their synonyms — where is this answered?
4
Locate
Find the exact line that proves the answer. Re-read it — the text is still in front of you.
5
Answer
Answer from the text. Where asked to use your own words, paraphrase that line rather than copy it whole.
Skim → Read Q → Scan → Locate → Answer
Question before text-hunting: Always read the question before you go hunting in the text. It tells you exactly what one detail to look for — so you scan with a purpose instead of re-reading everything.
This is how Paper 2 Reading works: Here is a short text — the kind Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. The text stays in front of you, so you don't memorise it: you locate the answer. Read it once for the gist (tap 🔊 to hear it, or Mostra traduzione if you get stuck), then we'll take one question through the routine together.
Una biblioteca nuova: La biblioteca comunale di Verano ha aperto una nuova sede nel centro della città. È aperta dal lunedì al sabato, dalle nove del mattino fino alle otto di sera. Oltre ai libri, offre computer gratuiti e una sala studio silenziosa.
Per usare la biblioteca bisogna avere la tessera. Gli studenti della città la ottengono gratis; gli altri abitanti pagano cinque euro all'anno. La direttrice spiega che l'obiettivo è che tutta la comunità legga di più e che i giovani abbiano un posto tranquillo per fare i compiti.
- aprire / ha aperto
- to open / has opened
- la tessera
- the (membership) card
- gratis / gratuito
- free (of charge)
- gli abitanti
- the (local) residents / inhabitants
- l'obiettivo
- the aim / goal
Finding the answer
Una domanda, passo dopo passo
- Read the question — «Secondo il testo, quanto pagano all'anno gli abitanti che non sono studenti della città per usare la biblioteca?»
- Locate the line. Scan for «pagano» / «euro»: «gli altri abitanti pagano cinque euro all'anno.»
- Answer — Pagano cinque euro all'anno.
Locate, don't recall: For a «secondo il testo» (according to the text) question, find the exact line that proves your answer and re-read it — never answer from memory or general knowledge.
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Where marks are lost: Most Reading marks are lost not to hard Italian but to careless technique: answering from memory, falling for a word that merely looks familiar, or copying a whole paragraph instead of the part that answers the question. Compare the two columns.
Buone pratiche (good practice)
- Individua la riga esatta che dimostra la tua risposta.
- Usa le prove del testo: le parole sono lì davanti.
- Rispondi alla domanda precisa che è stata posta.
- Attenzione a parafrasi e sinonimi: la risposta può usare altre parole.
Errori tipici (typical mistakes)
- Rispondere a memoria o tirare a indovinare senza controllare il testo.
- Fidarsi di una parola che sembra familiare (un falso amico o un distrattore).
- Copiare un intero paragrafo invece della parte utile.
- Cercare solo parole identiche e perdere il sinonimo che contiene la risposta.
Beware the look-alike word: Wrong options are often built from a word that appears in the text but doesn't answer the question. Always check the whole line in context — a single familiar word is not proof.