Cambridge English: First

FCE Open Cloze

Video tutorial

Part 2 of the FCE Reading and Use of English Paper is called 'Open Cloze'. Watch our short, 5 minute video explaining this task. Please note that reference to the 'new' exam format relates to the update that took place in 2015.

Transcript

Today we’re looking at Part 2 of the Reading and Use of English Paper - the Open Cloze task. If we turn to the FCE handbook you can see the Open Cloze consists of a short text with 8 gaps - 9 gaps including the example at the beginning. Each gap equals one word and the candidate has to complete each gap by identifying the missing word. If we look at the example we can see a gap marked (0) and above the text we can see the correct answer for (0) is marked ‘AS’ - that's 'as', as in ‘i worked as a motorbike stunt rider’.

The main focus in the Open Cloze is grammar and certain parts of speech are often tested. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Pronouns
Pronouns will often be gapped. In particular look out for reflexive pronouns such as 'ourselves', 'yourself' etc. and relative pronouns - 'who', 'where', 'when' etc. Which pronouns are missing in these two sentences? The answers will appear in a couple of seconds.
Practice

Articles and quantifiers
Articles and quantifiers like 'much', 'more', 'some', 'many' etc. will sometimes be required. Which words are missing in these two sentences?
Practice

Modal verbs
Modal verbs, like 'will', 'would', 'must', 'can' etc and the auxiliary verbs 'be', 'do', and 'have' are often tested. Which verbs are missing in these sentences?
Practice

Conjunctions
Conjunctions like 'although', 'yet', 'still' or 'because' will sometimes be gapped. Which conjunction is missing here?
Practice

Prepositions
Prepositions, especially those in set expressions like 'on the contrary' or 'in the meantime' will sometimes be gapped. Which preposition is missing here?
Practice

Exam tips
Here are some tips for this part of the exam. Make sure you read the complete text first before attempting to answer any questions. Having an overview of the content will sometimes help you to identify missing words.

Pay attention to the clauses and words around each gap as these will usually help you identify which part of speech is missing - a verb, a conjunction, a pronoun for example.

That’s the end of this video. If you’d like further practice in the new FCE exam visit the Flo-Joe website at www.flo-joe.co.uk.

Practice

Practice Open Cloze exercises using the structures listed above:

• Part 1 Open Cloze

Ready to try some practice tests? Try these:

• Part 1 Open Cloze