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In this part, you will read a passage with informational content. The goal is to match statements with the appropriate sections of the text, demonstrating your ability to locate and interpret specific details. On test day this part has 9 questions and CELPIP allows about 10 minutes for it. Here you can take one full set for free, all 9 questions on the same clock, with every answer explained, once you make a free account. Every other set on this page is part of Pro.
144 practices shown.
Reading Part 3, also called Reading Task 3, gives you a four-paragraph informational text about a person, place, event or process. You read 9 statements and decide which paragraph each one comes from, or choose E if the information is not in the text. You have about 10 minutes.
Part 3 has 9 questions in one set. CELPIP gives about 10 minutes for the whole part.
Each Reading part runs on its own clock. You can change your answers as often as you like while the time lasts. When it runs out, the test moves to the next part on its own and you cannot go back.
Every correct answer is worth 1 point and a wrong answer costs nothing, so answer every statement, even when you are unsure. Part 3 counts toward one CELPIP Reading level, based on all 38 scored questions. The CELPIP Reading score chart shows how many correct answers each level needs.
The text is formal, educational and descriptive. It gives facts, not opinions, and it is written for a general reader, not for experts on the subject.
CELPIP's examples include an explanation of how something is made or how it works, a description of an animal's territory and habits, a historical event or a popular landmark, and the story of someone's life.
CELPIP publishes a suggested plan for this part in its Reading study pack. It adds up to 10 minutes:
For a pacing plan that covers all four parts, see our CELPIP Reading time guide.
The video above shows when the answer is E and when it is not, on a real Part 3 passage. For more, read the Reading Part 3 tips in our Reading guide or take the free Reading for Information lesson.
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Quick answers about Reading Part 3.
A formal, factual text of four paragraphs about a person, place, event or process. CELPIP's examples include how something is made or works, an animal's territory and habits, a historical event or landmark, and someone's life story. It informs; it does not argue for an opinion.
Spend the first minute mapping the text: one or two words for what each paragraph covers. Then, for each statement, use its keywords to go to the likely paragraph, and read only that part closely. Answers are paraphrased, so match the idea, not the wording.
9 questions in about 10 minutes. CELPIP's suggested plan is 1 minute to preview the topic and each paragraph's main idea, 8.5 minutes to match the statements, and 30 seconds to make sure every question has an answer.
Part 1 is an everyday email and a reply with blanks. Part 3 is one formal, factual passage of four paragraphs, with no reply. Instead of filling blanks, you match each statement to the paragraph that contains it, or choose E when the passage does not say it.
Skimming and scanning: finding specific information in a longer factual text without reading every word. It also tests paraphrase, because statements say the same thing as the passage in different words, and judgement, because some statements are not in the text at all.
Pick out the statement's keywords and go to the paragraph whose main idea fits. Check that the whole statement is there, not only part of it. If no paragraph says it, choose E. A statement can be true in real life and still be E.
Practise skimming and scanning on short factual articles: map the paragraphs first, then find details. Train yourself to spot paraphrase, and be strict about E: if the text does not say it, it is not there. Timed sets of 9 statements in about 10 minutes build the pace.