B1 reading practice test
Read a text, answer ten questions and learn how the evidence supports each answer.
How this practice helps you
- Connect your answers to evidence in the passage.
- Keep going with another text at the same level.
- Review explained answers and save your quiz scores.
Start here or choose any challenge. Your quiz scores stay on this device.
Choose another test when you are ready. Your completed scores remain saved on this device. Allow around an hour for reading, answers and review across the collection.
The repair morning
On Tuesday, Leo saw a notice about a Saturday repair morning at the community centre. Volunteers would help people mend simple household items. He wanted to bring his desk lamp, which had stopped working. The notice asked visitors to book a time and explain the problem. Leo sent an email that evening and received a place at ten o’clock.
When he arrived, a volunteer named Amira asked him when the lamp had last worked. Leo thought it was broken inside, but Amira first checked the cable and the plug. The cable was damaged near the base. She explained that he should stop using it and let someone with the right training replace the cable. Leo was surprised: buying a new lamp had seemed like the only choice.
While he waited, Leo watched another volunteer repair a loose chair leg. Visitors were encouraged to ask questions, but they were not allowed to use tools without guidance. The event was free. A small box near the door collected optional donations to buy materials for the next repair morning.
Leo returned at midday and collected his working lamp. Before leaving, he asked whether he could help at the next event. He did not know how to repair electrical items, but the organiser needed someone to welcome visitors and record appointments. Leo agreed to do that. He had arrived hoping to save a lamp and left with a new way to support his neighbourhood.
Skills to work on in this practice
- Find details without guessing
- Support answers with words from the text
- Recognise the main idea and vocabulary in context
Questions 1–5 build confidence; 6–10 check transfer and detail. Use Practice for feedback after each answer, or Test yourself to check at the end.
Practise, then understand your answers
10 questions · 10 XP per correct answer · explanations included
Why did Leo email the community centre?
- To book a repair appointment
- To apply for paid work
- To complain about his lamp
Answer & explanation
To book a repair appointment. The notice asked visitors to book a time; Leo emailed and received a ten o’clock appointment.
What did Amira discover?
- The lamp needed a new bulb
- The cable was damaged
- The lamp could not be repaired
Answer & explanation
The cable was damaged. Paragraph 2 identifies damage near the base of the cable.
What could visitors do at the event?
- Use any tool without help
- Pay a required entrance fee
- Ask volunteers questions
Answer & explanation
Ask volunteers questions. Paragraph 3 encourages questions, requires guidance with tools and describes donations as optional.
What changed in Leo’s thinking?
- He realised repair might be possible
- He decided electrical training was unnecessary
- He thought buying new items was always cheaper
Answer & explanation
He realised repair might be possible. Leo had thought buying a new lamp was the only choice. The cable repair showed him another option.
How will Leo help at the next event?
- Repair electrical equipment
- Welcome people and record bookings
- Sell new lamps
Answer & explanation
Welcome people and record bookings. The final paragraph says the organiser needs help welcoming visitors and recording appointments.
When did Leo first see the notice?
- At midday on Sunday.
- On Tuesday.
- On Saturday at ten.
Answer & explanation
On Tuesday.. The opening sentence says he saw the notice on Tuesday; Saturday was the event day.
What does optional donations mean?
- Visitors could choose whether to give money.
- Every visitor had to pay.
- Only volunteers could enter.
Answer & explanation
Visitors could choose whether to give money.. Paragraph 3 calls the event free and the donations optional, so payment was a choice.
Who should replace the damaged cable, according to Amira?
- Leo without any guidance.
- Any visitor who has spare time.
- Someone with the right training.
Answer & explanation
Someone with the right training.. Paragraph 2 explicitly says someone with the right training should replace it.
Why is the loose chair leg mentioned?
- To show that only chairs could be repaired.
- To give another example of an item being repaired.
- To explain why Leo’s lamp failed.
Answer & explanation
To give another example of an item being repaired.. Paragraph 3 describes Leo watching another repair while waiting, showing a different use of the event.
Which description best fits Leo at the end?
- Willing to help using skills he already has.
- Qualified to repair electrical items.
- Unhappy that donations were required.
Answer & explanation
Willing to help using skills he already has.. The final paragraph says he cannot repair electrical items but agrees to welcome people and record appointments.
More B1 reading practice
Try another passage and practise finding the evidence for each answer.
This is a short practice test, not a formally validated level assessment.
Make this your practice session
Choose the time you have. These are suggested study plans, not timers.
One text, properly understood
Read this passage, answer ten questions and check the evidence behind every answer.
Read this passage →30 MINCompare two reading challenges
Review this test, then try another text at the same level. Notice which questions need a second look.
Open another B1 text →60 MINBuild a reading routine
Choose four texts. After each test, explain why the other options are wrong before continuing.
Choose your reading tests →Looking for a specific answer?
Questions learners ask
Open the question that matches where you got stuck.
How should I use this B1 reading practice test?
Read the whole repair-morning passage, choose Test yourself before answering and complete all ten questions. Check the explanations after submitting. Revisit errors by locating the relevant passage detail rather than memorising the correct letter.
Is this an official B1 exam or placement test?
No. It is an original short reading activity. Your score shows performance on these questions only; it does not predict an exam score or certify your level.
Next: The missed bus
A fresh set of 10 questions with explanations. Continue when you are ready.
Next challenge: The missed bus →Go deeper: five reading challenges · 15–20 minutes
Use these after the quiz to practise explaining, not just choosing an answer. Write in your own notes; these tasks are self-reviewed.
- Summarise the main change or argument in three sentences. Compare your summary with the opening and ending.
- Choose two details that support the main idea. Note the paragraph for each and explain the connection.
- Choose an unfamiliar word. Infer its meaning from context, then use it in a new sentence.
- Revisit one wrong option from the quiz. Explain why the passage does not support it, using a specific detail.
- Write 60–80 words applying or responding to one idea from the passage. Separate what the text says from your own opinion.
Self-check: Is each claim supported by the passage? Have you explained the connection rather than copied a sentence? Have you kept your own view separate from the writer’s?