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How to Answer WHY Questions in PLE English

Learn how to answer WHY questions in PLE English by spotting whether the examiner wants a reason, cause, purpose or inference. Use the CLUE → THINK → ANSWER method and practise with guided Section B questions.

Paper 1 · Section B: Reading and Comprehension

This section teaches the key examiner distinction:

WHY = reason/cause → often answered with because
WHY = purpose/intention
→ often answered with to / so that

Then it gives:

  • common ways pupils lose WHY marks
  • a worked example
  • one full original Section B passage
  • 10 WHY questions
  • open answer boxes
  • Show examiner guidance
  • reasoning for every answer

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