How to do PET Reading Part 1 - Modals of Obligation

Reading Part 1 of the PET exam consists of 5 questions. The candidate has to read the information on short notes or signs and decide the correct answer from 3 multiple choice options. Learning how to do PET Reading Part 1 is the first step on your student’s road to passing their exam.

It is easy to train your students to improve their score on this reading task. When we teach them to focus on the complete message, they can enter the official exam and take on this task with confidence, often getting 5 out of 5 answers correct. This is an ideal task to get maximum points on, at times compensating for more difficult reading tasks later on.

The most common mistake that candidates make in PET Reading Part 1 is rushing through the task. As the texts are very short, some candidates don’t spend time focusing on the complete meaning and they choose answers based on lexical similarity in the question and answer. This is where Cambridge is tricking them! Those lexical similarities are often distractors designed to catch candidates who haven’t taken the time to understand the complete message.

Contents

What does PET Reading Part 1 test?

Rather than focusing on the lexical chunks in the short messages, PET Reading Part 1 normally focuses on the grammar which leads to the main message of each text. There are a few key language areas that are commonly seen in this part of the exam.

Prepositions that indicate location, time or direction
Prepositions that indicate an interaction between people
Adverbs of time, sequence and frequency
Quantitative and indefinite pronouns
Connectors of time, consequence or condition
The imperative
Modals and expressions of obligation

To train your students for success, focus on these individual language areas. For example, make sure that they notice the differences in meaning of sentences where before, after or during are used. Pay attention to those types of details, giving them tasks where they read and write sentences themselves. Finally, as always with exam preparation, find real exam examples that emphasise the language point.

Modals and expressions of obligation

A language point that can be vital in choosing the correct answer in PET Reading Part 1 is modal verbs of obligation and similar expressions of obligation. Modal verbs are a key language point at B1 level. At this level students should be able to express themselves in a variety of different everyday situations. One way of doing this is to express obligation, prohibition, recommendation or possibility.

Compare these examples:

We have to leave now.
We must leave now.
We should leave now.
We ought to leave now.
We can’t leave now.
We shouldn’t leave now
We are allowed to leave now.
We are supposed to leave now.
Leaving now is not permitted.
Leaving now is necessary.

A proficient speaker of English is able to tell you which of these sentences have the same meaning and which of them are different. However, a learner who is unfamiliar with modal verbs of obligation and similar expressions would have a lot of problem. That’s because there is no context. In the exam, due to the messages being so short, context is limited. This means your students need to know the difference well.

The Materials

With these materials students will have to opportunity to examine modal verbs of obligation and their synonymous expressions through understanding signs. Following that, they are challenged by a PET Reading Part 1 task which utilises the same grammar in an exam context.

These tasks can be reinforced by some practice with modal verbs. One game my students always enjoy is making a list of rules for a public place without using the name of the place. The other students then have to guess what public place they are describing.