FCE READING & USE OF ENGLISH: Format and

Tips
There are 8 parts to do in 90 minutes.
Every reading text has a title. Always read the title so you have an idea of what
you are about to read.

Part 1: UOE: Multiple Choice

You read a short text with 8 gaps and 4 possible words to choose from.

This part tests your:

vocabulary skills
similar words – do you know the difference between see, look, watch,
and stare?
knowledge of idioms
lend a hand, get out of hand, like the back of my hand
phrasal verbs
break down, break in, break up, or break out
word collocations – capable of, dependent on, famous for, relevant to
grammar
Learn your prepositions.

Tips:
Read the gapped sentences one by one.
Read the words before and after the gap.

Part 2: UOE: Open Cloze

You read a short text with 8 gaps.
You need to write one word for each gap.

This part tests your knowledge of:

grammar
Articles (a, an, the)
Auxiliary or modal verbs (am, is, are, can, will)
Pronouns (we, us)
Conjunctions (and, although, because)
Possessive adjectives (my, our)
Prepositions (at, in, with)
fixed phrases (by mistake, in a hurry, on purpose, all of a sudden)
phrasal verbs (go along with, call off, check it out)

Tips:
Correct spelling is important.
When you have finished, read through the completed text to make sure
that it makes sense and is grammatically correct.
Part 3: UOE: Word Formation
Another short text with 8 gaps.
Next to each gap, you find a word which you need to transform to make
it fit the grammatical context.
Knowing your prefixes and suffixes is key to success here.

Tips:
 Decide what type of word you need (noun, adjective, etc.)
 Think about how you should change the word to form the word you
need.
- Does it need a prefix or suffix?
- Does it need a negative prefix (un, in, dis, etc)?
- If the word is a noun, should it be singular or plural?
- If it is a verb, what form is needed (-ed, or -ing)?
 Correct spelling is important.
 When you have finished, read through the completed text to make
sure that it makes sense and is grammatically correct.

Part 4: UOE Key Word Transformation

Part 4 is one of the trickiest parts as it covers a wide range of grammar
that many candidates struggle, especially under time pressure.
You are presented with 6 pairs of sentences.
The first sentence is the lead-in sentence.
The second sentence contains a gap.
You need to fill in the gap with between 3 and 6 words, including the
keyword without changing it.
Contractions count as two words.

Tips:
Read the question and decide what grammar and vocabulary you need.
Think about:
- whether you need an expression, e.g. it’s not worth, there’s no point.
- whether you need a phrasal verb, e.g. turn out, go ahead.
- whether you need to change a verb from active to passive
- whether you need to put something into reported speech
- whether you need to use a verb + ing.

When you have finished, read through the completed text to make sure
that it makes sense and is grammatically correct.
Part 5: Reading: Multiple Choice
6 questions with four possible answers

Tips:
 Read the text quickly to get a general idea of what it’s about.
 Read the first question, find the answer and underline it.
 Read each of the options A-D and choose the one which matches the
meaning of the text.
 The questions are answered in the same order in the text.

Part 6: Reading: Cross-Text Multiple Matching

In part 6, you read 4 shorter texts and answer 4 questions which are
designed in a way that you have to read all the texts in order to find your
answer.

Tips:
 Pay attention to the attitudes and opinions od the writer.
 Identify any similarities and differences of opinions which are
immediately obvious.
 Read the questions one at a time and identify which aspect of the
topic it is focused on.
 To answer the questions, you need to keep the topic in mind and then
scan the text as often as necessary, looking for the similarities and
differences of opinion.
 You will always have to compare all the texts with one another to find
the correct answer.
You have to read another long text. This time, some sentences
have been removed. Your job is to put them back into the right
place.

There are 6 gaps, and 7 sentences, so there is one you won't use.

This can be a hard part of the exam, but the answers are actually
very logical. The tips on this page should make it easier.

2. General Tips
Read the text with the gaps first (before the questions). It's very
helpful to know what the text is about and get some idea of the
structure of the writing BEFORE you start trying to find the
answers.

The most important sentences are the ones before and after each
gap - read these very closely.
You don't have to fill in the answers in order - start with the one
you think is easiest and when you get to the most difficult one
there will only be 2 answers left.

3. The Text is Full of Clues

Like in a good Agatha Christie book, there are lots of clues to the
right answer.

What sort of clues are in a text? 

 Names and pronouns (Jack... he... this...)

 Chronology (Then... Finally...)
 Quotation marks ("I couldn't believe it.")
 Contrast words (However, but)
 Verb tenses (had gone... will have finished)
 Cause and effect (Therefore... as a result...)
 Repetition (in other words...)

 Read the whole text first before you attempt to answers any questions. This
will give you an idea of the overall structure.
 Read the paragraphs to get a general idea of the topic of each one.
 Look out for cohesive devices that help link ideas. These could be things like
time phrases, cause and effect or contrasting linking words and expressions,
pronouns or synonyms that refer forwards or backwards in the text.
 Make sure any paragraph you chose fits both with what comes before and
after. You will often find one that flows logically from the preceding
paragraph but which does not fit coherently with the following paragraph.
 As you work through the task, be prepared to change your opinion on an
earlier choice. If you don't do this and your original choice is wrong, you are
limiting the choice of remaining paragraphs.

Part 7: Reading: Gapped Text

You read a longer text from which 6 paragraphs have been removed.
You have to decide which paragraph fits in each gap.
There is one extra paragraph which does not fit into any of the gaps.

Tips:
 First read the text carefully, looking at the subject of each paragraph and the
information before and after each gap.
 Then read each of the missing paragraphs one by one, paying close attention
to the content.
 Pay close attention to the words and phrases in the missing paragraphs which
may refer to something in the text.
 When you have finished, quickly read the text again to check your answers.

Part 8: Reading: Multiple Matching

In Part 8, you always get the questions first.
You read several short texts and you get ten questions/statements.
You have to match each question or statement to a part of the text.
Each part might contain the answer to more than one question.
This task tests your ability to locate specific information quickly.

Tips:
 Read the questions/statements first.
 Underline the main idea.
 Answer the easy and obvious questions first.
 Many of the sections say similar things, so you will have to read
carefully to decide which section answers the question exactly.