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Cambridge Exam Tips: Mastering The Cloze Section Of The FCE/CAE/CPE Reading & Use Of English Sections.

A cloze is a practice exercise where learners have to replace words missing from a text. These are removed at regular intervals, for example, every five words. In the Cambridge exams, this paper tests your knowledge of reading, vocabulary, and grammar.

Below are some of the best tips for how to overcome the difficulties associated with completing the OPEN CLOZE section of the FCE/CAE & CPE exams.

1.     Read the instructions carefully before you start each section

2.     Read all the text before you answer any questions

3.     Correct spelling is necessary. Get into the habit of checking the spelling of words.

4.     When building your vocabulary power for the paper, note the collocation, the differentiating sets of similar words, and complementation (e.g. whether words are followed by a certain preposition, by a gerund or an infinitive etc.)

5.     Look closely at each of the options before choosing an answer. Some of the options may seem correct, but only one choice will be semantically and grammatically correct in that particular context.

6.     Engage in tasks that help you develop your grammatical accuracy, especially those that focus on verb forms and the use of auxiliary and modal verbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, modifiers, and determiners.



The 100 Most Useful Phrasal Verbs with Meanings and Examples.

7.     Remember that only one word is required for each question. Answers that have more than one word will not earn the point and that includes contractions which Cambridge considers to be two words.

8.     Some gaps in this section can be answered by referring just to the immediate phrase or sentence, but other items will require an understanding of the paragraph or whole text.

9.     Nothing prepares you for the Reading/ Use of English test better than reading. Read a lot. Candidates who often read in English (for work, for fun) find this part of the test manageable, while those who never read tend to find it very hard. The texts used in the Cambridge exams can be: newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements, correspondence, informational material (brochures, guides, etc.)

10. If you are 100% sure that two of the 4 choices are completely identical, then neither can be the answer. There is always only one word that fits grammatically and has the right meaning.

11. Remember not to waste time thinking of the answer to the example! The missing word is shown right above the headline (in the grey box).

12. Double-check every sentence for prepositions that might link to the missing word. For example, some verbs are always followed by 'for', others are never followed by 'for'. If the word 'for' is in the sentence, it's likely to be important. Note that the prepositions sometimes come a little bit further along the sentence, not just after the gap.

13. It’s possible you might not know the right answer but you do know that 3 of the answers are wrong. Train yourself to eliminate wrong answers! If you can only eliminate 2 wrong answers, you’re still giving yourself a 50-50 chance to get a point. (There are no penalties for wrong answers.)



Strategies for Achieving an Advanced Level of English Using the 5 "R"s.



The Secret to Achieving a B2 to C2 Level of English.


Using Phrasal Verbs Correctly in Advanced and Academic Writing.



Essential Tips for Memorizing Advanced Vocabulary.



50 British Slang Words that Everyone Needs to Know.


40 of the Most Important Expressions for Achieving a B2 to C2 level of English


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