General Training Sections 1–2: everyday and workplace texts
7 min read · about 45 min with practice3 quick checks≈2% of the testFoundational: Foundational: the groundwork the rest of the unit builds on
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Sections 1 and 2 of General Training Reading use the kind of texts you meet when living and working in an English-speaking country: adverts, notices, timetables, leaflets, job descriptions, contracts, policies and training materials. The language is plainer than in Academic passages, but the band conversion is stricter. You need about 34/40 for Band 7 and 39/40 for Band 8.5, so these two sections must be close to error-free.
By the end you’ll be able to
Scan several short texts quickly to match information to the right advert, notice or option
Read workplace policies and procedures precisely: conditions, exceptions, deadlines and obligations
Recognise the functional language of instructions, eligibility, entitlements and requirements
Achieve near-perfect accuracy here, because General Training conversion needs more correct answers per band
What the exam asks
Section 1
Section 2
Texts
two or three short factual texts, or several very short texts (for example 5–7 adverts or notices) on one theme
two workplace texts
Typical sources
adverts, notices, timetables, leaflets, product or service information
job descriptions, contracts, staff policies, induction or training materials
Typical tasks
matching information (Which advert…?), TFNG, sentence or note completion, short answers
The first 3 of 8 cards for this topic. Sign in and finish the lesson to review them with spaced repetition.
PromptCard 1 of 3
What texts appear in General Training Reading Section 1 and Section 2?
Read all the questions and group them by detail type: time, price, age, booking or facilities.
Scan across every text for one detail type at a time. For “which is cheapest for students?”, look at the price line of every advert.
Remember that letters can be used more than once, and some texts may not be used at all.
Functional language: the words that carry the marks
Workplace and public texts are built on rules. The answers hang on small function words, so learn the table below.
Function
Signal language
What it means for TFNG
Obligation
must, are required to, it is essential that, mandatory
no choice; not doing it breaks a rule
Prohibition
must not, may not, are not permitted to, under no circumstances
the action is forbidden
Permission
may, can, are entitled to, are eligible for
the action is allowed but not required
Advice
should, are advised to, we recommend
a suggestion, weaker than must
Condition
provided that, as long as, only if, subject to, on condition that
the rule applies only when the condition is met
Exception
unless, except, with the exception of, does not apply to
the rule stops applying
Deadline
by, no later than, within five working days, at least two weeks before
check whether the limit is inclusive or exclusive
Limit
up to, a maximum of, no more than, at least
a limit is not the same as a typical amount
A statement that turns may into must, up to five into five, or ignores an unless clause is usually FALSE. If the text doesn’t cover the point at all, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
Numbers, dates and conditions work together
Workplace texts combine numbers with conditions: at least four weeks’ notice for absences of more than three days. Before answering, identify which condition applies to the case in the question. A five-day holiday needs the four-week rule, not the two-week rule.
Worked examples
Exam technique
Read the question type and instructions first. Can letters be reused? Is the word limit ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER?
Skim the texts for layout. Adverts, notices and policies have predictable structures, including headings, numbered clauses and bullet lists. Use them to go straight to the right part.
Match on meaning and conditions, not on words. The advert that repeats the question’s word is often the distractor. Check every condition in the statement, such as weekday and daytime, or borrowed and arranged in advance.
Underline the function words in both the statement and the text (must, may, up to, unless, by) and compare them.
Copy answers exactly. Keep plurals, hyphens and spellings as they are in the text. Numbers can be written as figures.
Check your time at minute 35. If Section 2 is unfinished, guess the remaining items and move to Section 3.
Common mistakes
Quick recap
Section 1 has everyday texts (adverts, notices, timetables, leaflets). Section 2 has two workplace texts (job descriptions, contracts, policies, training materials).
General Training needs about 34/40 for Band 7 and 39/40 for Band 8.5, so Sections 1–2 must be near-perfect.
For several short texts, group the questions by detail type and scan across all the texts.
Learn the functional language: obligation, prohibition, permission, advice, condition, exception, deadline and limit.
Apply the right condition to the case in the question before you answer.
Finish Sections 1–2 in about 35 minutes to leave about 25 for Section 3.