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Are you preparing for OET Reading Part C and unsure how to approach it? This section of the OET requires strong critical reading skills to analyze opinion-based texts and select the best answer. In this guide, we’ll walk you through key strategies using real exam-style questions from a passage titled The Breastfeeding Debate.
Read on to learn how to identify main ideas, eliminate incorrect options, and improve your accuracy in OET Reading Part C!
OET Reading Part C consists of two long opinion-based texts, each followed by four multiple-choice questions. Your goal is to analyze viewpoints, infer meaning, and understand the writer’s stance.
📌 Key skills for success:
✔️ Understanding tone and attitude
✔️ Identifying main arguments
✔️ Differentiating between fact and opinion
✔️ Eliminating distractors
Let’s look at the first paragraph and question from The Breastfeeding Debate.
💡 Question: The breastfeeding debate highlights…
➡️ Focus on keywords: debate and highlights—this tells us the paragraph presents different viewpoints on breastfeeding.
Finding the Answer
There are two approaches you can take:
1️⃣ Read the paragraph first, then check the answer choices.
2️⃣ Look at the answer choices first, then read the paragraph with those options in mind.
✅ Correct answer: Option A – “Benefits of breast milk over formula.
💡 Why? The paragraph introduces the Start for Life website, which emphasizes protective benefits of breastfeeding, then compares them to formula feeding.
❌ Why not Option B? The text doesn’t discuss specific constituents of breast milk or formula.
❌ Why not Option C? The paragraph doesn’t mention reasons for not breastfeeding—only the benefits of breast milk.
❌ Why not Option D? While the passage suggests that breastfeeding is better, the main focus is on the comparison between breast milk and formula.
💡 Tip: Pay attention to comparison words such as better than, in contrast, compared to, which can help you identify the main argument.
Now, let’s analyze the next paragraph and question.
💡 Question: What does the text suggest about HMOs and allergies?
✅ Correct answer: Option C – “HMOs lower the risk of developing allergies.”
📌 Why? The text introduces a study on HMOs (Human Milk Oligosaccharides), explaining that Dr. Bode’s research found a lower rate of food sensitization in children at one year old.
❌ Why not Option B? While the passage mentions protection against allergies, it does not state that this happens after one year—rather, it occurs at one year of age.
❌ Why not Option D? The text discusses reducing risk, not the treatment of allergies.
💡 Tip: Be precise with time references! If an answer suggests something happens after one year, but the text says at one year, the option is incorrect.
OET Reading Part C requires careful analysis of opinions, studies, and comparisons. To succeed:
✔️ Look for key ideas and arguments.
✔️ Pay attention to comparison words and tone.
✔️ Eliminate distractors that are partially correct but misleading.
📌 Want to see these strategies in action? Watch our expert video breakdown for more OET Reading C practice!
Download this free sample test practise questions:
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