Part 4 Mastery: Reading for Viewpoints

Part 4 is the longest Reading part, and it is mostly about people. Several people give their opinion on one issue. Your job is to remember who said what, why they said it, and how strongly they meant it.

Get the notes right, and most of the ten questions answer themselves.

What Part 4 looks like

• An article. CELPIP's study pack describes it as "an article that includes two or more opinions about a community issue", "similar to a news article", and "a combination of facts and opinions."
• 5 questions about the article. Each one has four options.
• A reader's comment, with 5 blanks. In CELPIP's words, "a short comment from a reader of the main text, with blanks to fill in."
• 10 questions in total, about 13 minutes. Each correct answer is 1 point, and a wrong answer does not lose points. Answer all ten.

The person who wrote the article may not give an opinion at all. Often they only report what other people think. The opinions belong to the people named in the article.

CELPIP's own 13-minute plan

Notice the first step. You read the questions before the article. The questions tell you which names to look for, so you know what to write down while you read.

The example on this page

We wrote this short article for the page. A real Part 4 article is longer and uses harder words, but it works the same way.

Since June, Main Street has been closed to cars every Saturday and Sunday. The city's transport planner, Lena Park, says about 6,000 people now walk the street each weekend day, and the trial will run until the end of October.

Omar Haddad, who owns a café on the street, is clearly delighted. "This is the best decision the city has made in years," he says. "Our weekend sales have nearly doubled, and families finally have a safe place to walk."

Not everyone shares his view. Ruth Collins, who has lived near Main Street for 40 years, says she might stop coming downtown on weekends. "It seems harder to get here now. The nearest parking is a long walk for someone my age."

Dev Patel, who manages a furniture store, is far more critical. "Closing the street was a serious mistake," he says. "Stores must have access for deliveries. Some of our customers have already gone to the mall instead." Mr. Haddad disagrees, saying deliveries can still be made early in the morning.

Step 1: read the questions, then write one line for each person

Start with the first 5 questions. Write down every name you see in them. Those are the people you need notes on.

Then read the article. For each person, write three things. CELPIP's preview step asks for the same three: who they are, what they believe, and why.

On test day you cannot highlight or mark the screen. Your notes go on the paper you are given, so keep each line short.

Park     facts only, no opinion
Haddad   FOR    more sales, safe for families
Collins  AGAINST  hard to get there, parking far
Patel    AGAINST  deliveries, customers leaving

Notice the first line. Some names in the article never give an opinion. Lena Park only gives facts: the dates, the number of people. Write that down too, so you do not give her an opinion later.

Step 2: add how strong each opinion is

This step is ours, not CELPIP's. It is the one that separates many right answers from wrong ones.

Two people can be on the same side and still feel very differently. Look at the words they use.

Add a mark to each line of your notes. We use ++ for strongly for, + for a little for, − for a little against, and −− for strongly against.

Park     facts only, no opinion
Haddad   ++  more sales, safe for families
Collins  −   hard to get there, parking far
Patel    −−  deliveries, customers leaving

Collins and Patel are both against the plan. But Collins might stop coming, and it seems harder. Patel calls it a serious mistake and says stores must have access. That difference is often exactly what a question tests.

Step 3: answer the 5 questions from your notes

Most questions name a person. Go to that person's line first, then check the article.

Why does Dev Patel oppose the plan? parking is too far away · stores need to receive deliveries · the trial has lasted too long · fewer people visit the street

Parking is too far away is a real reason from the article, but it is Ruth Collins's reason, not Patel's. Your notes make this a two-second answer.

How does Ruth Collins feel about the street closure? she strongly opposes it · she fully supports it · she has some concerns about it · she has no opinion

Collins is against it, so fully supports and no opinion are wrong. But strongly opposes is too strong for might and seems. Your − says it: some concerns.

What is Lena Park's role in the article? she argues for the closure · she argues against it · she gives facts about the trial · she disagrees with Mr. Haddad

A name with no opinion is a common trap. Any option that gives Park a view is wrong.

Step 4: the comment, find who the reader agrees with

Below the article is a short comment from a reader, with 5 blanks. The reader has an opinion of their own, and very often they agree with one of the people in the article.

So first find who the reader agrees with. Write reader next to that person in your notes. Then most of the blanks follow that person's opinion and reasons.

I've read the article twice, and I agree with Omar Haddad. Since the closure, my children and I walk downtown every Saturday, and it feels [1]. I understand Ms. Collins's concern, and the city could [2]. Mr. Patel calls the trial a serious mistake, but in my view that is [3].

The reader agrees with Haddad, so the reader is for the closure.

[1] crowded and noisy · safe and relaxed · too far from home · like any other day

Haddad's reason was a safe place to walk for families. The reader has children. Safe and relaxed follows Haddad.

[2] close the street every day · add parking spaces closer to the street · end the trial early · ignore older residents

The reader understands Collins's concern, so the answer helps her without changing the reader's side. A reader can add an idea of their own, as long as it fits their side. End the trial early goes against the reader's own opinion.

[3] completely correct · too strong · a small point · what I believe too

The reader disagrees with Patel. Too strong matches: Patel used strong words, and the reader thinks he went too far.

The four checks from Lesson 5 still work on every blank: meaning, tone, strength, grammar. What Part 4 adds is the first question: whose side is the reader on?

🎥 CELPIP Reading Part 4: who said it, and how strongly (13:27)

A real Part 4 practice set with five names: the questions read first, one line of notes for each person, the strength added, and the reader's comment solved from the notes.

Jump to: 1:14 the format · 2:53 read the questions first · 3:30 no highlighting, write notes on paper · 3:53 a name with no opinion · 7:04 answering from your notes · 8:48 strong or soft · 10:56 who does the reader agree with?

Four traps in Part 4

These names are ours. Each one is caught by your notes.

Practice

1. Notes only (5 min). Open a Part 4 set. Read the first 5 questions, write the names, then read the article and write one line for each person: what, why, and a strength mark. Do not answer anything yet. Then check how many questions your notes would answer.

2. Strength hunt (5 min). In any opinion article or letter to a newspaper, find five strong words and five soft words. Write each opinion again with the opposite strength.

3. Find the reader (3 min). In a Part 4 comment, find the sentence that shows whose side the reader is on before you look at any blank.

4. The full 13 minutes. Do a complete set with the timer on, using CELPIP's plan.

• Practise CELPIP Reading Part 4 with real timed sets

Related:

• Lesson 5: Reading Correspondence for the four checks on every blank
• Lesson 9: Pacing & Time Control
• Lesson 11: Answer Engineering for more on wrong options.