Aptis General Reading: 29 items in 35 minutes. What each of the four parts asks, the B2 cut score (38 out of 50) and how to prepare each part.
The Aptis General Reading lasts 35 minutes. It has four parts and 29 items. The four parts are not the same type of task. Each one asks for something different, and two of them are often confused. Here is what each part contains according to the official documentation, what score you need and how to prepare. For the full site, go to the home page.
| Part | What it is | Items |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Sentence comprehension | A short text with 5 gaps; you choose one word from 3 options | 5 |
| 2 · Text cohesion | Two texts: in each one you put 5 sentences in order (the first is already fixed) | 5 + 5 |
| 3 · Matching opinions | 4 paragraphs by four people and 7 statements to assign | 7 |
| 4 · Long text | A text of about 750 words and 8 headings: you place 7 in their paragraphs | 7 |
There are 29 items in total. They are scored out of 25 marks. Reading, like the other skills, is converted to a score from 0 to 50 and to a level.
This is a short text with five gaps and three options for each gap. It is not one separate sentence per gap: it is a text. But according to the documentation, to fill each gap you only need to understand the sentence where the gap is.
How to work on it: read the whole sentence before you look at the options. Remove the options that do not fit the meaning, not only the grammar.
This is the most common mistake when people describe this part: there are two texts, not one. In each text, five sentences must be placed in a text of six, and the first sentence is fixed. Each exercise is worth five items.
How to work on it: look for connectors and pronouns (this, they, however). They show which sentence comes after which. Do not accept an order until you have read the whole text again.
You read four short paragraphs. In a drop-down menu, you choose whose opinion each of seven statements is. The four are the people you choose from. The seven are the questions.
How to work on it: note the opinion of each person before you read the statements. The statements often say what the paragraph says, but in different words.
There is a long text of about 750 words and eight headings. You must place seven headings in their paragraphs, and one heading is always left over. It does not fit any paragraph. These are not separate questions about the text: it is a matching task.
How to work on it: summarise each paragraph in four or five words and compare it with the headings.
These are the Reading cut scores in Aptis General (out of 50):
| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 16 | 26 | 38 | 46 |
B2 starts at 38 in Reading. In Writing it is 40 and in Speaking it is 41. Also remember: if your score is just below a cut score, the Core can raise you to the next level.
The Advanced Reading lasts 60 minutes. It also has four parts, but they are different: matching opinions, placing a heading in each paragraph, a text with gaps where all the options fit grammatically (you need to understand the whole text), and a reading task with two texts on the same topic.
How long is the Aptis General Reading? 35 minutes, with four parts.
How many questions does it have? 29 items in four parts: 5, 10 (two exercises of 5), 7 and 7.
Is a heading left over in Part 4? Yes, always. There are eight headings for seven paragraphs, and one does not fit any.
What score do you need for B2 in Reading? 38 out of 50 in Aptis General.
Is the Advanced Reading the same? No. It lasts 60 minutes and its four parts are different. For example, the third part has gaps where all the options fit grammatically.
Do the Reading in the simulator and check how you do in the four parts: take a practice test in your browser.
Aptis® is a trademark of the British Council. AptisBot is an independent project. Our estimate is not the official result.
Aptis General technical manual, Table 4 (Reading structure); Test format overview 2023 (General and Advanced); "Aptis Scoring System" v2.1 (TR/2024/002) for the cut scores. The preparation tips are AptisBot's own judgement.