Reading from 2028
Practise the revised 2028–2030 Italian 0535 Reading paper with multiple-choice and matching strategies.
Exam scope and assessment notes
All Italian passages, prompts, model answers, listening scripts and tasks are original StudyForA material, not Cambridge assessment content. Cambridge's separate 2028 vocabulary spreadsheet is linked through its subject page but has not been reconciled word by word. Grammar groups need item-by-item specialist checking, and an Italian-language teacher should review the original Italian before publication is described as complete. Browser speech synthesis is not Cambridge audio and cannot guarantee a regional accent, natural pace or pronunciation. Speaking is rehearsal and self-review, not a centre assessment or examiner mark; writing answers are self-checked, not Cambridge-marked. No complete timed specimen or 130-hour course is included. Confirm your exam year, entry option and centre availability with Cambridge and your school. Use the 2025–2027 or 2028–2030 paper lesson that matches your exam year. Cambridge lists 7164 as available in a limited number of administrative zones; for June, the published notice names zone 3 and centres in Oman and UAE. Confirm the applicable series and entry with your centre.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Paolo arrives at 17:30; the museum closes at 18:00. How long remains?
What you will learn
- Identify main points and detail across short texts.
- Match needs with descriptions without relying on one repeated word.
- Interpret opinions, negation and time sequence.
- Eliminate options that contradict the text or add unsupported detail.
Prepare for the all-selected-response format
From March 2028 in India and June 2028 onward elsewhere, Reading is 40 marks and all questions are multiple-choice. Questions 3–6 have been updated.
Read the options, then return to the exact sentence. Watch qualifiers such as «solo», «ancora», «mai» and «anche se». A repeated word does not prove the whole option.
Eliminate carefully
A distractor may reuse a correct detail but attach it to a different person, time or reason. Cross out options contradicted by the text and compare remaining choices with the wording.
For matching, list each person's needs first, then find the description that supports them all. Keep explicit facts separate from inference.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 subject page
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 syllabus for exams in 2025–2027
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 syllabus update for 2025–2027
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 syllabus for exams in 2028–2030
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Italian 7164 2028 vocabulary list
Pause and explain
A passage says «voleva andare al mercato, ma è andato al museo». Where did Paolo actually go?
Worked example
Read: «Sabato Paolo voleva visitare il mercato, ma ha cambiato idea perché pioveva. È andato al museo, che chiudeva alle sei; è arrivato alle cinque e mezza.» Why did he change his plan, and how long before closing did he arrive?
Show the worked solution
- Use «ma» for the change and «perché» for the reason.
- Compare 17:30 with 18:00.
- Distinguish the original market plan from the visit that happened.
Answer Rain changed Paolo's plan. He arrived at the museum 30 minutes before closing.
From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Use the worked example to answer a multiple-choice question about Paolo's reason and arrival time.
Give me a hint
Locate «perché» and calculate the time interval.
Compare my reasoning
- Find why he changed his plan.
- Find arrival and closing times.
- Subtract and choose the option supported by both facts.
Rain caused Paolo to change plans and he arrived 30 minutes before closing.
Look for these in your work
- Finds the reason
- Calculates the interval
- Reports the actual visit
A notice says: «La mostra è aperta tutti i giorni tranne il martedì. L'ingresso è gratuito prima delle undici; dopo costa cinque euro.» Can a visitor enter free on Tuesday at 10:00?
Give me a hint
Check the closing day before the price rule.
Compare my reasoning
- Apply the Tuesday exception.
- Check the free-time condition.
- Combine both conditions.
No. The exhibition is closed on Tuesday, so the free-before-11:00 price does not permit entry that day.
Look for these in your work
- Checks the closure
- Reads the time condition
- Combines the conditions
Write two plausible options for an original notice: one supported and one that changes a time or reason. Explain why the distractor fails.
Give me a hint
Keep both options close, but change exactly one detail in the distractor.
Compare my reasoning
- Write a short notice with two facts.
- Make one option match both facts.
- Change one detail and cite the contradiction.
Example notice: «Il treno parte alle 9:20 per lavori sulla linea.» Correct: it leaves at 9:20 because of track works. Distractor: it leaves at 9:20 because of rain. The reason changes.
Look for these in your work
- Uses exact evidence
- Creates a plausible distractor
- Explains the changed detail
Common mistakes
- Selecting an option because it repeats one word
- Missing a negative or contrast
- Confusing a plan with the event that happened
What can you explain now?
How should you verify a multiple-choice option?
Compare with the explanation
Check every important detail against the text
An option can be partly true but wrong about time, person or reason.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
Your review choice appears on Today. Sign in to sync it across devices.
Make it stick
Before leaving reading from 2028, explain one idea from memory, answer the checkpoint and name one point to practise again.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.