MockoTEF Études reading tasks ask you to find specific, explicitly stated information in short French notices, messages, and everyday documents. At B1 level the texts are longer than in the early sections, and the vocabulary is richer, but the core skill is still the same: locate the exact detail that answers the question. You do not need to understand everything; you need to find the one sentence that matters.
What you’ll learn
- Use the question to define what you are looking for before you read the text.
- Scan efficiently for the type of information the question targets (a fact, a condition, a person, a date).
- Distinguish between information that is in the text and information that sounds plausible but is not stated.
- Avoid distractor options that use words from the text but change the meaning.
What the texts look like
TEF Études reading texts at B1 level include short notices from universities or schools, messages from administrative services, programme descriptions, course timetable extracts, and short information leaflets. They are between 80 and 200 words and contain concrete facts: dates, places, conditions, requirements, contact details.
- University or school notices: registration dates, room changes, course requirements, scholarship conditions.
- Administrative messages: what a student must do, by when, and how.
- Programme or course descriptions: what is covered, who can apply, how long it lasts.
- Information leaflets: services available, eligibility criteria, contact details.
Les étudiants souhaitant s'inscrire au séminaire de linguistique du vendredi doivent déposer leur dossier au secrétariat avant le 10 septembre. Les places sont limitées à 20 participants.
Students wishing to enrol in the Friday linguistics seminar must submit their file to the office before 10 September. Places are limited to 20 participants. A question might ask: "Quelle est la date limite d'inscription?" The answer (10 septembre) is explicit in the second sentence.
Reading the question before the text
Before you read the text, read the question once carefully and identify: (1) the topic of the question, and (2) the type of information it asks for. This prepares your brain to notice the right detail when you see it.
- 1Read the question and underline the key noun or verb.
- 2Ask: is this a "when", "where", "who", "what", or "how" question?
- 3Think of one or two synonyms or related French words you might scan for.
- 4Read the text, scanning for those words.
- 5When you find a candidate sentence, read the full sentence and choose the matching option.
Question types and what to scan for
- "Quand" or date questions: scan for day names, month names, numbers, "avant le", "dès le", "jusqu'au".
- "Où" questions: scan for place names, building names, addresses, "au", "dans", "à".
- "Qui" questions: scan for names, roles (professeur, directeur), or group nouns (les étudiants, les candidats).
- "Comment" or condition questions: scan for "si", "à condition de", "sous réserve de", "en cas de", "il faut".
- "Pourquoi" questions: scan for "parce que", "car", "en raison de", "afin de", "pour".
Explicit vs. not stated
One of the most important things to do in TEF Études reading is to answer only from what the text actually says. Some options sound reasonable based on general knowledge but are not in the text. The correct answer must be supported by a specific sentence.
Do not infer what is not stated
- If the text says "les cours commencent en octobre" and an option says "les cours durent toute l'année", that may seem logical but cannot be confirmed from this sentence alone.
- For B1 Études reading, only choose an option if you can point to the sentence in the text that supports it.
- If you cannot find the supporting sentence, the option is probably a distractor.
Ce cours est dispensé en ligne et s'adresse aux étudiants de deuxième année.
This course is delivered online and is intended for second-year students. From this sentence you can state: (1) the course is online, (2) it is for second-year students. You cannot state that it is free, that it is compulsory, or that first-year students can never attend. Those details are simply not in the text.
Dealing with distractors
Distractor options in TEF Études reading work by borrowing vocabulary from the text but altering the meaning. The most common patterns are negation flips, wrong subject, and partial truth.
- Negation flip: the text says "les étudiants ne doivent pas apporter de documents"; the wrong option says "les étudiants doivent apporter leurs documents".
- Wrong subject: the text describes a rule for professors; the wrong option applies it to students.
- Partial truth: the text says "gratuit pour les étudiants inscrits"; the wrong option says "gratuit pour tout le monde".
- Invented detail: an option mentions a specific number or deadline not present in the text at all.
How to practise this
Short institutional texts are easy to find online. French university websites, municipal library notices, and student union announcements are all good practice material at exactly the right length and register.
Practice routine
- Find a short notice or message from a French university or public service website.
- Write two or three questions about explicit details in the text.
- Then write one plausible-but-not-stated option as a distractor and check that it is genuinely not in the text.
- Practice answering under time pressure: give yourself 90 seconds per question.
- After each session, review whether your chosen answers can be verified word-for-word in the text.
Key takeaways
- Define what type of information the question wants before reading the text.
- Scan for question keywords and their synonyms rather than reading from start to finish.
- Only choose an option you can verify with a specific sentence in the text.
- Distractors often borrow words from the text but flip the logic, the subject, or the scope.
- Practice with authentic short French notices from educational or administrative websites.
