Skim for gist, then scan by question word
Paper 2 runs six exercises: Q1–5 vocabulary MCQ, Q6–7 matching, Q8 narrative short-answer, Q9 multiple-matching, Q10 MCQ passage, Q11 extended short-answer (the hardest). Skim the WHOLE passage for gist first, then scan back once you know the question. The question word tells you what to scan for: 什么时候 (shénme shíhou, when) needs a TIME word — 她什么时候做作业？→ 她上午做作业。(Tā shàngwǔ zuò zuòyè.) — She does homework in the morning.
Short answer, own words, subject + verb
A concise, reformulated answer earns the mark; copying the whole original sentence does not, even with the right content. If the passage says 她这个周末看的是历史书，因为下星期要考试, the answer to "what is she reading and why" is 她看历史书，因为要考试。(Tā kàn lìshǐ shū, yīnwèi yào kǎoshì.) — She reads a history book because of the exam — with its own subject and verb, not a bare fragment and not a verbatim copy.
The real answer sits after 但是 / 因为
什么 (what) / 什么时候 (when) / 在哪儿 (where) / 为什么 (why) / 多长时间 (how long) / 怎么样 (how) each demand a different type of answer. Watch for a contrast marker 虽然……但是 or a reason marker 因为: the real answer usually sits AFTER it. In 虽然她喜欢看小说，但是这个周末看的是历史书, "what is she reading now" is answered only by the 但是 clause — stopping at 虽然 gives 小说, the wrong book (the concession, not the current fact).
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Lifting a whole sentence, not a phrase
✗ Copying a whole sentence or paragraph back word for word, even when it contains the right content. ✓ A short, reformulated answer giving just the required information: 她看历史书，因为要考试。(Tā kàn lìshǐ shū, yīnwèi yào kǎoshì.) — She reads a history book because of the exam. Pull out the precise phrase the question needs, not the surrounding sentence.
Grounded in the cambridge-0547 digest Reading section: over-lifting/whole-sentence copying is the single most-cited Reading failure. s23 P21 Q8(a)/(b): "lifted the whole paragraph" not credited. s22 P21 Q11(a): copying the whole sentence did not score. s23 P22 Q8(f) and s22 P22 Q11(h): "long lifting" named as an error type distinct from wrong content.
Bare fragment with no subject or verb
✗ 历史书。— a bare noun fragment: who reads it? no verb, so the answer is judged unclear even though the content word is right. ✓ 她看历史书。(Tā kàn lìshǐ shū.) — She reads a history book. Every short answer needs its own subject AND verb; graders will not supply the missing agent or action for you, so a lone noun cannot score.
Grounded in the cambridge-0547 digest Reading section: s23 P21 Q11(h), an answer lacking a subject was judged "unclear"; s23 P22 Q8(g)/(h), a missing key verb "impacted comprehension" and answers lacking a subject were "unclear"; s22 P21 Q8(b) and s22 P22 Q11(b), a missing verb or key word lost the mark.
买 vs 卖 — a one-tone character flip
买 (mǎi, 3rd tone) means "to buy"; 卖 (mài, 4th tone) means "to sell" — the characters look almost identical and differ only in tone. ✗ Misreading 他买了一本书 (he bought a book) as if it said 他卖了一本书 (he sold a book) reverses the meaning entirely. ✓ Check the character and its tone carefully before answering, especially with visually similar pairs.
Grounded in the cambridge-0547 digest Reading section: s23 P22 Q8(f), "the wrong character caused ambiguity" -- a similar-sound/shape character was substituted, changing the apparent meaning. The digest notes this mirrors the Writing-paper 错别字 issue but costs marks in Reading too.
Answering from assumption, not the text
✗ Answering a comprehension question from personal experience or general knowledge instead of what the passage states. ✓ Locate the exact clause and answer strictly from it. 例：if the passage says 她今天骑自行车去学校, "how did she get to school today" is 她骑自行车去 (by bike) — even if you would expect a bus. Match the answer to the text, not to what seems likely.
Grounded in the cambridge-0547 digest Reading section: candidates who answer from their own assumption or general knowledge rather than the text pick popular wrong options (s23 P21 Q10(d); s22 P22 Q10(b)/(c), matching one attribute while ignoring a disqualifying detail in the same sentence).
Confusing a near-synonym with its antonym
In the vocabulary MCQs (Q1–5, Q9) a near-antonym sits beside the near-synonym as a trap. ✗ Reading 便宜 (piányi, cheap) and picking 贵 (guì, expensive) because both concern price. ✓ 便宜 is closest to 划算 (huásuàn, good value). Decide synonym vs antonym before choosing, not by a shared topic or a familiar character.
Grounded in the cambridge-0547 digest Reading section: confusing near-synonym or near-antonym vocabulary is the top driver of wrong MCQ choices in Q1–5, Q9 and Q10, with named pairs at both sittings (cheap vs expensive s22 P21 Q9(a); trousers vs skirt s22 P22 Q1; guitar vs piano s22 P21 Q1/Q5).
A matched keyword is not the answer
Matching a question keyword to the same word in the text is not enough — the surrounding clause must actually SUPPORT that answer. A distractor is often chosen because it repeats a nearby word while the true answer sits elsewhere in the passage. Re-read the whole clause around any matched keyword before committing, especially on the Q10 five-item MCQ.
Grounded in the cambridge-0547 digest Reading section: word-spotting instead of whole-text comprehension is named as causing wrong answers on the five-item MCQ exercise (Q10) at every sitting (s22 and s23, all three components); s23 P21 Q10(b) and s23 P22 Q10(b) name a distractor chosen because it "appeared in the text" near the relevant sentence even though the correct answer was elsewhere.
Skim, find the question word, then scan
Read the whole passage once for gist first. Then pin down the question word (什么/什么时候/为什么/怎么样…) so you know what type of information to hunt for, and scan back to the relevant part — watching for a 虽然……但是 or 因为 clause that carries the real answer.
Write short, in Chinese, correct characters
Answer in Chinese with a full subject and verb, in your own words — never a whole copied sentence, and never in English or pinyin. Check each character is the intended one, not a near-homophone that flips the meaning (买 mǎi buy vs 卖 mài sell).
Attempt every question, force no match
Leaving the hard Q11 sub-questions blank guarantees zero — attempt every one. In Q9 multiple-matching exactly one statement matches NO text: leave it unmatched rather than forcing it, and never tick two options for one item.
Paper 2 Reading tests AO2 -- understanding written Mandarin -- across six exercises of rising difficulty: Q1-5 single-word/phrase vocabulary MCQs; Q6-7 picture/statement matching; Q8 a narrative passage with short-answer-in-Chinese sub-questions (a)-(h); Q9 multiple-matching (four short texts, five statements, one deliberate no-match "distractor" text); Q10 a five-item MCQ on a passage; Q11 an extended passage with short-answer-in-Chinese sub-questions (a)-(h) -- the hardest exercise on the paper. Across every exercise you must show gist AND detail understanding, spot implied meaning (not just literal words), and answer briefly and precisely IN CHINESE.
What does 怎么样 ask for?
阅读下面这段虚构短文，然后用简短的中文回答问题（不要抄整个句子）：
「小明每天晚上七点吃晚饭，吃完晚饭他去公园散步。」
问题：小明什么时候吃晚饭？
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
阅读下面这段虚构短文，然后用简短的中文回答三个问题（每题不要抄整句，要有完整的主语和动词）：
（1）李明放学后先做什么？ （2）李明周末为什么去图书馆？ （3）李明觉得图书馆怎么样？
（共6分）
阅读下面这段虚构短文，然后用简短的中文回答四个问题（每题不要抄整句，注意找出隐含的意思）：
（1）张老师周末通常做什么？ （2）这个周末张老师的计划有什么变化？为什么？ （3）张老师对这次变化的感觉怎么样？ （4）张老师打算下个周末做什么？
（共8分）
