Reading - Signs & Notices
B1
Cambridge English B1 Exam
Look at the text of each sign. What does it suggest? Select the option that best captures the meaning of the sign.
School Canteen Rules
Sign 1
Canteen entry for students only. Visitors must sign in at reception before coming in.
What does this sign suggest?
Only students may go into the canteen, and visitors have to register first.
Visitors must sign in at reception, so students must sign in too before canteen entry.
Visitors can enter the canteen without signing in if they come with a student.
Sign 2
No entry during break unless you are buying food. Please queue on the right.
What does the text say?
There is no entry during break, but you must buy food before you queue on the right.
At break time, you can only go in if you are going to purchase something, and you should line up on the right.
You should queue on the right only after break finishes, to buy food more quickly.
Sign 3
Students must show their school ID to enter. No ID, no service.
What does this notice mean?
Students must show their school ID, so staff will not serve anyone who has an ID.
To get into the canteen and be served, students have to present their school ID card.
Students should bring ID, but they can still enter if they explain who they are.
Sign 4
Hot drinks are not allowed in the dining area. Please use the cups only at the counter.
What does this sign suggest?
You should be careful with hot drinks because the dining area is crowded at lunchtime.
Hot drinks are not allowed, so you are allowed to take hot drinks into the dining area.
You must not take hot drinks to the tables; you can drink them only at the counter.
Sign 5
After 2:00 p.m., only packed lunches may be eaten here. Hot meals end at 1:45.
What does the notice tell students?
You can still buy hot meals after 2 p.m. if you arrive before 1:45 and keep your seat.
After 2:00 p.m., only packed lunches may be eaten here, so hot meals are served until 2:00 p.m.
From 2 p.m. onwards, you can eat only your own lunch here because cooked food service finishes earlier.
About Reading Signs & Notices — Cambridge English B1
This Cambridge English B1 Reading Signs & Notices exercise shows short public messages — signs, labels, emails and notes. For each one, choose the option that best explains its meaning.
It tests your understanding of everyday English and the real purpose behind short, functional messages you meet in daily life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Reading Signs & Notices?
You read a short message such as a sign, label or note and choose the option that best explains what it means or wants you to do.
What does it test?
Understanding the purpose and meaning of short, real-world English messages.
Any tips for Signs & Notices?
Ask yourself who wrote the message and why — the correct option matches its real purpose, not just individual words in it.
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What to do
This part of the reading test consists of five images with messages. Each image has 3 possible answer options. What does the notice say?
Read the notices and messages first. Don’t look at the choices until you understand the texts.
Compare each option with the text before choosing your answer. Remember that the wrong, answers might seem to be correct at first, so it is important to read the chosen option again to check that the meanings match.
Strategy
- Read the text and decide what situation it could appear in.
- Look at the images, the design often suggests the correct answer.
- Read the three options.
- Compare each option with the text before choosing an answer.
- Read the chosen option again to be sure it is a right answer.