How to Tackle KET (A2 Key) Reading and Writing: Question Types, Answering Strategies, and Writing Grading Criteria Across 7 Parts

Of the three papers in the A2 Key exam, the Reading and Writing paper is the longest and carries the most marks: 1 hour, 7 parts, 32 questions, and a total of 60 marks, with 30 for Reading and 30 for Writing. We introduced the overall exam structure in our article on how to take the A2 Key. This article focuses specifically on Reading and Writing: what each part tests, official strategies, how writing is graded, and what practice test scores roughly correspond to in terms of proficiency. This is based on the exam format page on the Cambridge English website, the A2 Key Handbook for Teachers (2024 edition), and the official Cambridge practice test score conversion guide. The exam format is the same for both A2 Key for Schools and A2 Key, so the information below applies to both versions.

1. Structure of the Paper

• Reading and Writing are graded separately: According to Cambridge, the Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking skills in A2 Key each receive a separate Cambridge English Scale score. All four skills carry equal weight, and the overall score is the average of the four (rounded). Therefore, although this paper takes only 1 hour, it accounts for half of the total score;
• No minimum pass mark for individual skills: The grade and CEFR level are based on overall performance across the entire exam. The official guidelines state that there is no minimum score required for each individual paper;
• Time management: The teacher's handbook recommends spending about 40 minutes on Reading and 20 minutes on Writing;
• Paper-based test: Answers for the Reading section are marked on an answer sheet, and Writing is done in the designated spaces on the answer sheet; no extra time is given to transfer answers, and everything must be completed within the 1 hour;
• Computer-based test: Answers are entered directly into the computer, with a countdown timer on the screen; you can take notes on paper during the exam and leave them on the desk afterward.

2. The Five Reading Parts: What to Expect and How to Approach Them

The "What to Expect" and "How to Approach" sections below are based on the teacher's handbook.

Part 1: Short Texts, Finding the Main Message

What to expect: Read 6 short emails, notices, signs, or text messages. Next to each text, there are 3 sentences. Choose the one that matches the meaning of the original text.

How to approach: First, figure out where this text would appear (visual cues like layout and location can help). Then, read the 3 options and compare each one with the original text. After making your choice, read the text again to confirm the meaning truly matches.

Part 2: Three Texts, Matching Questions

What to expect: Scanning for specific information and detailed reading comprehension. There are 7 questions and 3 short texts on the same topic. Each question corresponds to one of the texts.

How to approach: Read the questions first to understand what information you need to find. Then, quickly scan the 3 texts. Once you find the relevant section, read it carefully to confirm it actually answers the question. Before finalizing your choice, check if the other two texts could also answer it; if so, choose the best match.

Part 3: Longer Text, Main Idea and Details

What to expect: A longer text (such as a simplified newspaper article) with 5 multiple-choice questions (3 options each), testing the main idea and specific details.

How to approach: Skim the whole text first to understand the topic and general meaning, then read in detail. For each question, compare the 3 options one by one with the text. After making your choice, double-check the text and figure out exactly why the other two options are wrong.

Part 4: Multiple-Choice Cloze, Focus on Vocabulary

What to expect: A text with 6 gaps. For each gap, choose 1 word from 3 options. This primarily tests vocabulary, with a small amount of grammar.

How to approach: Skim the text first to get the general idea. For each question, read the entire sentence before choosing a word, and think about why the other two words are incorrect. After filling in all the gaps, read the whole text again to check if it flows naturally.

Part 5: Open Cloze, Focus on Grammar and Spelling

What to expect: Fill in one word in each of the 6 gaps in a short email (or two emails). This primarily tests grammatical forms, such as verb forms, determiners, pronouns, and the structural relationships between phrases and sentences. Spelling must be correct.

How to approach: Skim the text first to get the general idea. For each gap, think of a few possible words, then check them one by one against the meaning and grammar of the sentence. Pay attention to spelling; after filling in all the gaps, read the whole text.

Example (created by us, not an actual exam question): I'm going to the cinema ___ Saturday. Do you want to come ___ me?
The first gap should be filled with on (use "on" before days of the week), and the second with with (come with me). These questions mostly test "small words" like prepositions, articles, pronouns, and auxiliary verbs.

3. The Two Writing Parts: Requirements and Grading

Grading Criteria: 5 Marks for Each of the Three Categories

Part 6 and Part 7 use the same grading criteria: Content, Organisation, and Language, with each category scored from 0 to 5. Each question is out of 15 marks, and only whole numbers are awarded. The descriptions for the 5, 3, and 1 mark bands in the handbook are roughly as follows (4 and 2 marks fall between the adjacent bands):

From these criteria, it is clear that A2 level writing allows for errors. The key is whether the meaning is understandable, the information is complete, and the sentences are connected. In the handbook's sample paper comments, an email that covered all three bullet points and only had article errors received a perfect score of 15 marks.

Part 6: Short Email or Note (25 words or more)

Official requirements: Understand what type of message to write and who it is for. The prompt will list three bullet points, and all three must be addressed. You can draft your answer on the rough paper first.

Example (created by us, not an actual exam question): You want to go to the cinema with your British friend Sam on Saturday. Write an email to Sam: invite Sam; say what film you want to see; say where to meet.

Hi Sam,
Would you like to go to the cinema with me on Saturday? I want to see the new cartoon film because my brother says it's great. Let's meet outside the cinema at 2 o'clock.
Lin

Each of the three bullet points is addressed in one sentence, using "because" to give a reason. The main text is about 35 words. The opening greeting and closing signature follow the basic format of an email.

Part 7: Picture-Based Story (35 words or more)

Official requirements: Look at 3 pictures and identify the three main events of the story. All three pictures must be included. You can draft your answer first.

Writing approach (practical advice): Write one or two sentences for each picture, using words like first, then, but, so, and in the end to connect the three events. Tell the story in the simple past tense, paying attention to the past tense of irregular verbs (went, saw, ate). In the handbook's sample paper comments, there is a story that scored 10 marks; the issue was that the second picture was not described clearly due to vocabulary errors, and basic verb forms were not well controlled (he go, he decide).

Word Count: A Target, Not the More the Better

The handbook states that the word count is a target that students should roughly achieve: writing the required number of words ensures you don't miss any bullet points while keeping the information clear and avoiding irrelevant content. Writing far beyond the word count is not the goal and will take away time for checking (practical advice).

4. What Practice Test Scores Roughly Correspond to in Terms of Proficiency

Cambridge has provided a conversion table for estimating Cambridge English Scale scores using official practice tests:

Official note: This table only applies to official practice tests and is for reference only. It cannot be used to accurately predict official exam scores; students near the cutoff (within about 3 scale points above or below) are advised to keep improving. Simply put: a Reading score of 20 and a Writing score of 18 roughly correspond to the A2 starting point of 120; if you are just barely meeting the cutoff, it is recommended to keep improving.

5. Common Reasons for Losing Points

Here is a summary based on experience:

• Running out of time in Reading: Spending 50 minutes on Reading leaves only 10 minutes for Writing, making it impossible to finish Part 7;
• Guessing based on impressions in Part 1 and Part 3: Choosing an option just because it contains a word from the text, without comparing the meaning sentence by sentence;
• Spelling errors in Part 5: No points are awarded if the meaning is correct but the spelling is wrong;
• Missing bullet points in Part 6: Responding to only two out of the three required bullet points will affect the Content score;
• Describing only one or two pictures in Part 7: Or writing isolated sentences without connecting them;
• Forgetting to fill in the answer sheet in the paper-based test: There is no extra time for the answer sheet, and there is not enough time to transfer answers in the last few minutes.

6. How to Practice

The first five tips below are from the handbook, and the last two are our experience-based recommendations:

1. Read a variety of texts: Notices, text messages, flyers, graded readers, and articles—read both authentic and adapted materials;
2. Practice skimming and scanning: Develop the habit of skimming first to get the main idea; learn to skip unfamiliar words that do not affect answering, and guess their meaning from the context instead of looking up every single word in the dictionary;
3. Practice full tests under timed conditions: Manage your time by allocating 40 minutes for Reading and 20 minutes for Writing; computer-based test takers should practice typing and editing on the screen;
4. Emails: Frequently write emails to pen pals or online friends, paying attention to email structure and common expressions for openings and closings;
5. Stories: Regularly write short stories and read simple English readers to see how stories begin, develop, and end;
6. Refer to the official vocabulary list: Cambridge has published an official vocabulary list for A2 Key (the handbook states it is updated annually), which you can use to identify and fill in gaps in your vocabulary;
7. Self-assess against the marking criteria after writing: Did you cover all three bullet points? Are the sentences connected? Are the verb forms correct?

Conclusion

The KET Reading and Writing paper is 1 hour long and consists of 7 parts. Reading is worth 30 marks and Writing is worth 30 marks, each counting as a separate component that together makes up half of the total score. For Reading, compare each option with the original text using the official method, and pay attention to spelling in Part 5; for Writing, cover all the bullet points, connect your sentences, and control basic grammar, while allocating your time as 40 + 20 minutes. This will help you achieve a stable score on this paper. If you would like to understand your child's current reading and writing level, you can book our free assessment.

Verification note: This article was verified in September 2026: the duration of Reading and Writing, the question types, number of questions, and marks for the 7 parts are from the A2 Key exam format page on the Cambridge English website; the content tested in each part, answering methods, time allocation suggestions (about 40 minutes for Reading and about 20 minutes for Writing), answering rules for paper-based and computer-based tests, the requirement for correct spelling in Part 5, the requirement to respond to three bullet points in Part 6, the requirement to write about three pictures in Part 7, the target word count, the Writing marking criteria (Content, Organization, and Language, each scored 0–5) and sample paper comments, the annual update of the vocabulary list, and preparation advice are from the Cambridge A2 Key Handbook for teachers (2024 edition); the separate scoring for the four skills, equal weighting, total score calculated as an average, no minimum score required for a single paper, as well as the conversion table and instructions for practice test scores to scale scores, are from The Cambridge English Scale explained: A guide to converting practice test scores (2023 edition). The examples for Part 5 and Part 6 are created by us and are not actual exam questions; the writing approach for Part 7, word count suggestions, common reasons for losing points, and the last two practice tips are our experience-based recommendations.

References:

• Cambridge English：A2 Key exam format
• Cambridge English：A2 Key Handbook for teachers（PDF）
• Cambridge English：Converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores（PDF）
• Cambridge English：A2 Key Vocabulary List（PDF）