ICFE Reading Paper Part 4 – teacher’s notes

Description
This activity familiarises students with the Reading Paper Part 4 task and the strategies
needed to deal with it successfully. The focus is on identifying key words and paraphrasing
to help them make the correct decisions.

Time required: 60 minutes

Materials  Sample Task
required:
Aims:  to introduce Reading Part 4 and the testing focus
 to help students develop the strategies needed to approach this task
 to practise Reading Part 4.

Procedure
1. Give out the Sample Task. Give students a minute to read the instructions to this
task. Elicit answers to the following questions:
 What do you have to do? (match questions with the section of the text they refer to)
 How many questions are there? (6)
 Can you use letters/sections more than once? (yes)
2. Refer students to the example and ask them to underline the most important words
(key words) in the sentence individually. Give students a minute to discuss their
opinions in pairs and then elicit and discuss their ideas with the whole class. Key:
The type of work that people in accountancy undertake is changing.
Refer them back to the example. Ask students to look at section B and to find the
part of the extract where that idea is mentioned. Allow 2 minutes. When they have
finished, elicit ideas and give feedback. Key: ‘...the market place for financial services
is experiencing a period of transformation’.
2. Elicit answers to the following questions:
 Which words helped you decide? (market place and transformation)
 Are they similar in meaning to the words you underlined in the question?
(yes, but emphasise that usually the words in the question will paraphrase the
wording of the text, as here: market place for financial services  the type of
work that people in accountancy undertake; transformation  changing)
3. Tell students that they will generally find synonyms or paraphrases for the keywords
in the questions in the text. A useful strategy is to look for paraphrases of the key

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 words and then to read the whole section of text carefully, checking that the context
is also relevant to the question
4. Refer students back to Sample Task and ask them to underline the key words in
each one of the sentences in pairs. Once they have finished, elicit and discuss ideas
with the whole class (see key below).
5. After reaching an agreement, ask students to read the text and write the appropriate
letter next to each question individually. They should underline the parts of the text
where they find the answers. Allow no more than 10 minutes. When they have
finished, students discuss their answers in pairs. Then elicit answers and give
feedback (see key below).
6. In pairs, students to write 3 questions about Reading Part 4 in pairs. For example:
• Is there only one question for each section of the text?
• Should you read the text before you start to do the task?
7. The pairs now exchange questions and answer the questions they are given. Then
they exchange again with a different pair, who will correct the answers given and
then report to the rest of the class.

Additional information
• The questions are given before the text to replicate a real-world situation, where the
reader has a purpose for reading before they begin the text. Students should be
encouraged to read the questions before they tackle the text.
• Candidates must answer all the questions, using some of the letters more than once.
• Candidates should be wary of ‘wordspotting’, i.e. choosing an answer because a
word in the question is the same as a word in the text. They must read the text and
question carefully for meaning to be sure that they find an accurate match.

Suggested follow-up activities

1. Encourage students to highlight or underline keywords in questions whenever they
are doing a reading exercise. This will help them to save time, as well as to focus
their reading and look for information in the text.
2. Students will benefit from practice in paraphrasing, as the wording of the questions is
likely to differ from that of the text. Working on vocabulary and synonyms is vital.

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ICFE Reading Paper Part 4– answer keys

Key to Procedure steps

Step 4:
37. because they do not ... have a university degree
38. help ... not to rely on numerical information
39. practical ... academic learning
40. does not ... lead to promotion
41. contacts made
42. where ... importance

Step 7:
37. the lack of a graduate qualification
38. move away from just dealing with figures
39. the mechanics of management theory ... lectures are coupled with regular group
discussions, case studies and simulations
40. an MBA would not greatly enhance career progression
41. She also cites networking as a distinct advantage of an MBA programme.
42. the status of the business school is much more likely to get you a job than the MBA itself.

Key to Sample Task

1. C
2. D
3. A
4. D
5. B
6. C

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ICFE Reading Paper Part 4 – Sample Task
Questions 37 – 42

Read the questions below and the extract on the opposite page from an article discussing
the value of an MBA qualification for accountants.
Which section (A, B, C or D) does each question 37 – 42 refer to?
For each question 37 – 42, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet.
You will need to use some of these letters more than once.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

0 The type of work that people in accountancy undertake is changing.

0 A B C D

37 Some people want to do an MBA because they do not already have a university
degree.

38 An MBA can help people working in finance not to rely on purely numerical
information.

39 People on an MBA course engage in practical as well as academic learning.

40 Possessing an MBA does not automatically lead to promotion.

41 An important part of doing an MBA is the contacts made on the course.

42 Where you take an MBA is of considerable importance.

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 IS IT WORTH ACCOUNTANTS STUDYING FOR AN MBA?

A As a business qualification the MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree has immense
appeal to accountants. It is a highly respected qualification that can open many doors to the
employment market, which were previously firmly shut. In general, business schools aim to provide
MBA programmes that offer students from all backgrounds a thorough knowledge of the mechanics
of management theory, encompassing human resources, finance, operations management,
marketing and information systems. Lectures are coupled with regular group discussions, case
studies and simulations.

B Jane Baldwin, head of training with a large accountancy firm, is under no illusion that the market
place for financial services is experiencing a period of transformation. ‘No-one can stand still. As
accountants, we’ve got to continue to develop our knowledge and skills. An MBA from any business
school will equip graduates with a business element, a specialist element, and also help them to
develop their interpersonal skills because the work that is done is not just as an individual but as a
team as well,’ says Baldwin. She also cites networking as a distinct advantage of an MBA
programme.

C As managing director of an international recruitment consultancy for finance professionals, Graham

Simpson, however, has reservations about the importance of an MBA in the employment market. ‘A
lot of accountants ask us whether they should study for an MBA,’ he begins. ‘I would say that a
number of them want to go for an MBA to compensate for some inadequacy they perceive
themselves as having in the employment market.’ The inadequacy he is referring to is the lack of a
graduate qualification. Simpson admits that an MBA does have some value, but argues that the
status of the business school is much more likely to get you a job than the MBA itself.

D Someone who has recently completed an MBA is Michael Taylor, an international corporate tax
specialist. Taylor chose to study for an MBA for the sake of his own personal development.
Although he was recently made head of his department, he admits that, in his line of work, an MBA
would not greatly enhance career progression. That said, he stresses that his studies enable him to
empathise with his clients and offer a better service. ‘I feel that taking an MBA prevents one from
taking too narrow a view of one’s professional duties. Having an MBA has allowed me to move
away from just dealing with figures. If I use figures to back up what I say, then that’s fine; but it
doesn’t matter if I don’t as the qualitative issues may well be more important.’

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