Part 4 shows you an article followed by 4 short reader comments with different opinions. The questions ask you to match positions to speakers. It's the part CELPIP test-takers most often run out of time on and lose the most points.
The position-tagging method
Before answering any question, skim each of the 4 reader comments and give it a one-word tag on your scratch paper:
- Reader 1: 'Pro' or 'Con' on the main article topic
- Reader 2: Agrees with who? Disagrees with who?
- Reader 3: Mixed / neutral?
- Reader 4: Is this an emotional or logical argument?
Common traps
- A reader quotes the article before disagreeing. The surface words sound 'pro' but the stance is 'con'. Look at the main verb.
- A reader agrees on one sub-point but disagrees overall. The overall stance is what the question usually tests.
- Two readers might have the same conclusion but different reasoning — the question may test the reasoning, not the conclusion.
How to read the questions
Each of the 10 questions gives you a statement + 4 reader options. The statement paraphrases a stance. You're matching stances, not words. 'Believes the policy is unnecessary' and 'Thinks the policy doesn't make sense' are the same stance — don't fixate on vocabulary matching.
A concrete worked example
Reader 2: 'While I appreciate the effort to increase transit funding, I can't see how doubling bus fares will actually help low-income riders.'
Surface reading: 'appreciate' sounds pro. Actual stance: con. The word 'while' is a signal word — everything after it is the real opinion. Tag Reader 2 as A-.
Timing
Target: 13 minutes. Spend 3 minutes on position-tagging all 4 readers, then 1 minute per question. If you're at 14 minutes and have questions left, commit best guesses on the remaining — moving on is almost always the right trade.