Reading - People Matching
B1
Cambridge English B1 Exam
For each question, choose the correct answer by matching the people below with the following texts.
Choosing a Music Streaming Service
A group of classmates want to choose the perfect music streaming service. Read the five descriptions of people. Then read the eight descriptions of music streaming services. Decide which service would be the most suitable for each person. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer.
Noah
Noah is very serious about sound quality and listens with expensive headphones. He wants the best audio possible and hates adverts. He also likes exploring new artists, so he wants good suggestions based on what he already listens to.
Leo
Leo is learning the guitar and wants to improve by reading song lyrics and seeing simple chords. He likes rock and wants playlists that help him practise. He uses a laptop at home and doesn’t need to download music.
Maya
Maya is a careful spender and wants a free service. She doesn’t mind hearing adverts, but she needs to download playlists because she often travels where there is no internet. She mostly listens on her phone and would like to share one playlist with her best friend.
Aisha
Aisha studies a lot and wants music that helps her focus. She likes calm playlists and long mixes that keep playing without her choosing every song. She often uses public Wi‑Fi, so she wants a service that uses little data and works well even with a weak connection.
Sofia
Sofia and her parents want one account for the whole family. They need separate profiles so everyone gets their own recommendations. Sofia also wants strong controls for her little brother, so he only hears child-friendly music. They mostly listen on a smart speaker at home.
Texts
SoundWave Free & Premium
SoundWave has a popular free plan with short adverts between songs. On the free plan you can create playlists and share them with friends, but you must stay online to listen. If you upgrade to Premium, you can download music for offline listening and there are no adverts. Premium also lets you invite one friend to listen to the same playlist at the same time, even if they are in a different place. The app works best on phones, and it is simple to use for beginners. Students get a discount, but the free plan does not include downloads, so travellers may need to pay.
StudyStream Lite
StudyStream Lite is built for students who need background music while working. It has many focus playlists, calm electronic music, and long mixes that play for hours without stopping. A special “Low Data” button reduces sound quality a little so it uses less internet, which helps on public Wi‑Fi or when the connection is weak. You can also choose “No distractions” mode, which hides pop-up messages and music videos. The service is paid, but it is cheaper than many premium apps. It does not focus on sharing playlists or family profiles.
HomeHarmony Family
HomeHarmony Family is made for households that share speakers. One payment covers up to six people, and each person has their own profile, so recommendations stay personal. Parents can turn on a Kids Mode for younger users, blocking songs with bad language and limiting search results. The service connects easily to most smart speakers and TVs, and you can switch music between rooms. Downloads are available, but many families use it mainly at home on Wi‑Fi. There are no adverts on the family plan. It is not the cheapest option for a single student living alone.
VideoBeats
VideoBeats is a music and video platform where you can watch live concerts, interviews, and music clips. It is fun for people who like seeing their favourite artists, and it includes a comments section and fan pages. However, the service is not designed for listening with the phone screen off unless you pay extra. Downloads are only available on the most expensive plan. The sound quality is normal, not high-end, and adverts appear before most videos. It is best for entertainment at home, not for quiet studying or offline travel.
BudgetTune Student Plan
BudgetTune offers a very cheap student price if you can prove you are in school or college. It has no adverts on the student plan, and you can download playlists for offline listening. However, you cannot share a playlist for two people to listen together at the same time, and there are no family profiles. Recommendations are simple and mostly based on the most popular songs. The app works on phones and laptops, and it is easy to set up. It is a good deal for one person, but not for groups.
ChordCloud
ChordCloud is designed for people who play instruments. While you listen, you can open the lyrics and see easy guitar chords on the screen. There are also short practice playlists like “Three songs to learn this week” and “Classic rock riffs”. It works well on laptops and tablets, and you can connect it to a printer to print lyrics for your music folder. ChordCloud has no offline mode, because it is mainly for home practice. The service has a small monthly cost and no adverts. It is not the best choice for families with young children.
RadioMix Live
RadioMix Live is closer to online radio than a normal streaming service. You pick a style of music and it plays a never-ending stream chosen by a DJ. It is great for discovering new songs, but you cannot choose a specific album, and you cannot create your own playlists. There is a free version with many adverts. It also uses a lot of data because the stream never stops, so it is not ideal for people with limited internet. There is no offline listening. If you want control, this is not the right service.
HiFi+
HiFi+ is for listeners who care about every detail in the music. It offers very high-quality audio and special settings for good headphones and speakers. There are no adverts, and you can choose “studio sound” for many albums. The app also has a strong discovery page that suggests new artists based on your listening history, not just the charts. HiFi+ costs more than most services, but many users say the sound is worth it. It includes offline downloads, but it is mainly advertised to people who listen carefully rather than casually.
About Reading People Matching — Cambridge English B1
In this Cambridge English B1 Reading People Matching exercise you read descriptions of several people and a set of short texts, then match the most suitable text to each person.
It tests scanning and matching — locating specific information across several texts and checking it against each person's needs and preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Reading People Matching?
You match each person to the text (for example a product, place or option) that best suits their described requirements.
What does it test?
Fast, selective reading — scanning for specific details and matching requirements to information spread across texts.
Any tips for People Matching?
Underline the key requirements in each description, then scan the texts for all of them — the right answer matches every requirement, not just one.
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What to do
This task is a long one, so don’t worry, it cannot be done quickly!
Your task is to match eight texts with five people. There are three texts which you will not need.
It’s important to find out what the different people want before you look at the eight texts.
Don’t choose an answer just because it contains the same words as the question. Read the texts carefully to check the meaning is correct.
This part of the test cannot be done quickly because you need to read the details in each text carefully, and you may have to go back to a text and re-read it several times.
When you are sure you have found an answer, you may want to cross out that particular text as you will not need to read it again.
Strategy
- Read the five descriptions of people and underline the key words.
- Now read one description and try to find the matching text. The correct text must have all the points that the person requires. For example, if a person wants a romantic book that is short, you must find a text which matches the two requirements: romantic and short.
- Usually, the correct answer will not contain exactly the same words as the person’s description. You may have to recognize different ways of saying the same thing, for example, ‘love story’ instead of ‘romantic’, and ‘a book | can read quickly’ instead of ‘a short book’.
- If you think that there are two texts that seem to match the same person, read the description and the two texts again carefully. Only ONE text will match ALL of a person’s requirements.
- Check that the option you have chosen ts correct by trying to find out why the other options are incorrect.