CELPIP · Learn · 2 November 2026 · 5 min read

Tips for CELPIP Reading Part 2, Reading to Apply a Diagram, and Part 4, Reading for Viewpoints: how to read tables, track opinions and avoid traps.

CELPIP Reading Part 2, Reading to Apply a Diagram, has 8 questions, and Part 4, Reading for Viewpoints, has 10. Together they are almost half of the 38 Reading questions. They test two different skills. Part 2 asks you to use information from a diagram alongside a short text, so the winning habit is to match each detail in the text to a row or column before you choose. Part 4 asks you to follow an argument and the opinions in it, so the winning habit is to label who thinks what as you read.

This guide gives practical tips for both parts and a short routine you can use in practice.

What CELPIP says about these parts

CELPIP's official pages give the name and question count of each Reading part, and the time allotted for the whole Reading test: 43 to 56 minutes. They do not give a time split for each part. Like all Reading parts, Parts 2 and 4 may contain unscored items that look the same as scored ones, so answer every question carefully.

The tips below describe how our practice tests build these parts. They are designed to train the skills the part names describe, not to copy official items.

Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram

How our version works

In our Reading practice test 7, Part 2 gives a community centre program table and an email about it. Because this site cannot show pictures, the diagram is written out as a simple text table. Some questions ask you to complete gaps in the email using the table; others ask about the email and the table together.

Tips

1. Read the diagram's labels first. Before you read the text, look at the headings: days, times, prices, locations, age groups. This tells you what kinds of detail the questions can ask about.
2. Find the writer's needs. In our version, the email comes from a person with a goal, such as finding a class that fits a family schedule. Underline every condition they mention: "after work", "under 50 dollars", "for my daughter, who is nine".
3. Apply every condition. The correct choice must satisfy all of them. A common trap is an option that fits two conditions but breaks a third.
4. Watch for exceptions in small print. Notes such as "no class on holiday Mondays" or "members only" often decide the answer.
5. Check the column, then the row. When you find a value, trace it back to make sure you have not slipped onto the next line of the table.

A quick example of our own

A table shows three drawing classes: Monday 6 p.m. (ages 6 to 8), Wednesday 7 p.m. (ages 9 to 12) and Saturday 10 a.m. (ages 9 to 12, full). A parent writes that their 10-year-old can only attend on weekday evenings. The answer is Wednesday: Monday fails the age condition, and Saturday fails both the day condition and availability.

Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints

How our version works

In our practice test 7, Part 4 gives a newspaper-style article of around 500 words that presents more than one view on an issue, followed by a reader's comment with numbered gaps. Five questions are about the article and five complete the comment.

Tips

1. Label the voices. As you read, note each person or group and their position in a few words: "residents: against", "city council: for, with conditions", "researcher: neutral, gives data".
2. Separate fact from opinion. Questions often ask what someone believes or argues, not what is true. Words such as "claims", "argues", "worries" and "insists" signal opinion.
3. Notice concessions. Phrases like "while it is true that..." or "admittedly" show a writer accepting part of the other side's point. An answer that treats that writer as fully against may be wrong.
4. Look for the writer's own view. The article may report others' opinions and then give its own conclusion near the end. Read the final paragraph carefully.
5. For the comment, match tone and logic. Each gap must fit both the meaning of the comment and the reader's position. If the reader disagrees with the article, a gap filler that praises the article cannot be right.

Signal words worth knowing

Timing for these two parts

CELPIP gives one range for the whole Reading test, not per part, and our timer allows 55 minutes for all four parts. Part 4 has more questions than Part 2, and in our version a longer text, so it makes sense to keep a little more time for it. A simple approach in practice: note the clock when you start Part 2, and again when you start Part 4, and compare your times across practice runs.

A routine for practice

1. Do Part 2 and Part 4 of Reading practice test 7 under time pressure.
2. For every wrong answer in Part 2, write down which condition you missed.
3. For every wrong answer in Part 4, write down whose view you confused or which signal word you overlooked.
4. Repeat with fresh texts from newspapers and community websites: for Part 2, read schedules and price lists against a made-up need; for Part 4, label the voices in opinion articles.

For the full Reading and Listening structure, see our guide to the CELPIP-General test format, and for scoring, read CELPIP levels and the CLB chart. All tests are on the CELPIP hub.

Key points

• Part 2: 8 questions; apply every condition from the text to the diagram.
• Part 4: 10 questions; label every viewpoint and watch signal words.
• Unscored items may appear anywhere and cannot be identified.
• The whole Reading test takes 43 to 56 minutes.

Official sources: celpip.ca "Test Format and Scoring" and "CELPIP-General" pages, read on 1 November 2026.