Reading 2+3 - FCE Exam Tips

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Everything you ever wanted to know about
parts 2
and 3
of the Cambridge English: First Reading and
Use of English exam, open cloze and word
formation
- Jump to part 3
FCE Reading and Use of

English Part 2 Tips
Introduction
This is very similar to part 1, except you don't have a choice of
words - you have to think of the answer all by yourself! Oh, my
god!
What does it look like?

Here's half of one:
The answer to (0) is 'as'. I work as a stunt rider.
Should I read the whole text rst?

It's a good idea to read through the text before you start thinking
of answers. If you don't read and understand what the writer
wants to say you could put the wrong answer. For example, some
words will be negative.
Can I write 'don't' as the

answer?
No. Don't is two words - do
not. He'll is two words - he
will.
But can't is one word, because

it's the contraction of cannot.
What are the most common answers?

You'll never have to write 'umbrella' in part 2. It's always grammar
stuff.
ARTICLES
I need to go to THE shop.
Heaven is A place on earth.
AUXILIARY VERBS
When WILL I be famous?
Who HAS eaten all my chocolates?
LINKING WORDS
But ALTHOUGH the ozone layer is recovering, we must continue
to take care of it.
One of the problems, HOWEVER, is that this technology is very
expensive.
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
It was in HIS bathroom that he had the idea for the flux capacitor.
They discovered the kittens were living in THEIR garage.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
The Black Widow spider, WHICH is perhaps the most famous of
all arachnids, is actually rather friendly.
The person WHO ate my chocolate is in for a world of pain.
COMPARISONS
He was as tall AS his brother.
But shorter THAN his father.
Other tips
Sometimes you'll be able to choose an answer just by
looking at the words before and after the gap. Practice doing
that.
Sometimes you have to read the whole sentence, especially
when we're talking about linking words.
If your answer is a verb, make sure it agrees with the subject.
i.e. I play, you play, he plays.
Never use abbreviations. Write 'something' not 'sthg'. THIS IS
AN EXAM NOT A WHATSAPP CHAT. :)
As always, be careful when filling in the answer sheet. Make
sure you write the words in the right spaces!
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FCE Reading and Use of
English Part 3 Tips
Introduction
Guess what - it's another text with 8 gaps. This time it's a test of
your ability to turn words into adjectives, nouns, verbs, or
adverbs. You also need to know negative forms, like turning
'interested' into 'disinterested'.
What does it look like?

You get some text with words missing, and on the right is a 'root'
word. You have to change that word to fit the sentence that it's
next to. In example (0) the word you have to use is 'common'.
The answer could be something like 'uncommon' or
'commonplace' (though that's more a CAE word). This time we
need 'commonly'. You HAVE to change the word - you couldn't
leave it as 'common'.
Just to make things clear

It's not a task where you match things on the left to things on the
right. Everything is right next to where it should go.
Now, this part of the exam is a lot about nouns, adjectives, and all
that stuff. So let's take a look.
Nouns
The next few paragraphs are a VERY quick guide. To understand
this grammar properly you need a good grammar book. I
recommend Destination B2.
These things are nouns:
Names (Captain Jack Sparrow);

Concepts (time, information);
Names of jobs or types of people (skiiers, doctors, scientists);
Things (cheesecake, flowers).
Sometimes you know a noun because of its ending. Look out for:
-eer; -tion; -ment, -age, -al, ance, -hood, -iety, -ness, and so on.
Plural words or possessives are nouns.
Words connected to 'the, my/your/their (etc), whose, another,

other, a/an' are probably nouns. Look:
I want another banana.

My banana is bigger than your banana.
Whose banana is this?
A banana is a wonderful thing.
HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO FCE PART 3?

Change the root word to make nouns that fit the sentences.
It is my __________ that global warming is a big threat to the

planet. BELIEVE
The __________ of One Direction is a complete mystery to me.
POPULAR
It was a great __________ to meet you today. PLEASE
(Answers: belief/popularity/pleasure.)
Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns.
Notice that adjectives often come after the verb 'to be'? What
kind of word do you expect in this gap?
It is __________ to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.
Yep, an adjective.
So if the root was 'IMPORT' you'd probably know you needed to
write 'important' in the space.
What are the adjective forms of:
ENJOY
BELIEVE
OBJECT
Now plug those answers into these sentences. In one case you
need a negative form.
Going to the beach can be very __________.
The way Bolt accelerated through to the finish line was

__________.
People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be

__________.
(Answers: enjoyable/unbelievable/objective.)
Adverbs
Adverbs are my favourite! Like adjectives describe nouns, adverbs
describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Remember this sentence from a minute ago?
People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be objective.
How objective?
People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be

__________ objective. COMPLETE
(Answer: to be completely objective.)
Verbs
Can! Will! Should! Must! These are all followed by the infinitive
without 'to'. So if you see this in the exam:
The most important factor seems to be how quickly
muscles can contract and thus __________ the time a
runner's foot is in contact with the ground. MINIMUM
The word 'can' there connects with the verb 'to contract'. But it
ALSO connects to the word in the gap. They're both verbs. So all
I need to do now is learn what the verb form of MINIMUM is.
The most important factor seems to be how quickly

muscles can contract and thus minimise the time a
runner's foot is in contact with the ground.
Positive or Negative?
Read the sentences carefully because some of the words you
need are in the negative form.
Example 1:
When I began cycling, I found the flat rounds easy but the hills
almost __________. POSSIBLE
That's a pretty clear example of a sentence that needs a negative

word in the gap. The first adjective, 'easy', is positive. Then there is
the word 'but' which introduces a contrast. Using another positive
word would be kerrrrazy. Also, we HAVE to change the word. We
cant' leave it as 'possible'. So that leaves us with the only option
of 'impossible'.
Example 2:
Even skilled interviewers may, without realising it, __________

favour people who make them feel at ease. CONSCIOUS
This is from a text about job interviews. What kind of word do we

need in the gap? The biggest clue is the word 'may'. I know that
may connects to the word favour. That means that favour is a
verb. So the word that goes in the gap describes a verb - that's
called an adverb.
The adverb of conscious is 'consciously'. But the meaning of the

missing, which I know from the context of the whole text, has to
be negative. The negative word we're looking for is
'unconsciously'.
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PART 1 PARTS 4+ 5 PARTS 6+7

Reading 2+3 - FCE Exam Tips

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FCE SPEAKING WRITING LISTENING

EXAM READING BOOKS AND APPS BLOG

Everything you ever wanted to know about

FCE Reading and Use of

What does it look like?

The answer to (0) is 'as'. I work as a stunt rider.

Should I read the whole text rst?

Can I write 'don't' as the

But can't is one word, because

What are the most common answers?

What does it look like?

Just to make things clear

These things are nouns:

Names (Captain Jack Sparrow);

Plural words or possessives are nouns.

Words connected to 'the, my/your/their (etc), whose, another,

I want another banana.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO FCE PART 3?

It is my __________ that global warming is a big threat to the

It was a great __________ to meet you today. PLEASE

It is __________ to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.

What are the adjective forms of:

Going to the beach can be very __________.

The way Bolt accelerated through to the finish line was

People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be

People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be objective.

People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be

(Answer: to be completely objective.)

The most important factor seems to be how quickly

That's a pretty clear example of a sentence that needs a negative

Even skilled interviewers may, without realising it, __________

This is from a text about job interviews. What kind of word do we

The adverb of conscious is 'consciously'. But the meaning of the

PART 1 PARTS 4+ 5 PARTS 6+7

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