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.
Hospital Waiting Room Notices
Sign 1
If you have a fever or a bad cough, you must wear a mask and tell reception immediately.
What does this sign suggest?
If you have a fever or a bad cough, you must take off your mask and wait quietly.
You should wear a mask only if reception gives you one first.
People with a high temperature or strong cough have to put on a face covering and inform the desk straight away.
Sign 2
Please use hand gel when you enter and when you leave the waiting room.
What does the text say?
You must wash your hands in the toilet before you are allowed to sit down.
You are recommended to clean your hands with sanitizer both on arrival and before you go out.
Please use hand gel only when you leave, not when you enter.
Sign 3
Do not come closer to the desk. Please wait behind the yellow line until you are called.
What does this sign suggest?
You must stay back and stand behind the marked line until staff invite you forward.
You should sit down until your name appears on the screen.
Please wait behind the yellow line only after you have been called.
Sign 4
Children must not use the water dispenser. Ask a nurse if you need drinking water.
What does the notice tell people?
Everyone should bring their own water because nurses cannot give you any.
Children must not use the water dispenser, but they can use it if they are thirsty.
Kids are not allowed to operate the water machine; an adult should request water from staff instead.
Sign 5
If you feel dizzy or short of breath, you should sit down and tell a nurse at once.
What does this sign suggest?
If you become unwell, it’s best to sit and inform a nurse immediately.
You must leave the hospital straight away if you feel dizzy.
If you feel dizzy or short of breath, you should walk around to get fresh air.
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.