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Use of English

Level C1

Part 2 - Open Cloze

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For questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.

Exam Preparation

Preparing effectively for a Cambridge-style English examination involves far more than simply memorising lists of words. Successful candidates usually develop an awareness of how grammar, meaning and text structure work together, and they practise regularly in conditions similar (0) TO those of the real test. One useful activity is the open cloze, in which learners must supply missing words without being given any options to choose (1) .......... . This means they have to rely (2) .......... their understanding of collocation, reference and sentence patterning. At C1 level, the task is designed to test precision. A candidate may understand the general meaning of a text and still fail to complete it well if they are not attentive (3) .......... small grammatical signals. For instance, a missing preposition after an adjective, or the correct linker to show contrast, can make all (4) .......... difference. It is therefore worth reading the whole text first, rather than trying to solve each gap in isolation. Another effective strategy is to check every answer afterwards and ask why that word fits better (5) .......... any other. In doing so, students become more aware (6) .......... recurring patterns in English. The more frequently this kind of reflection takes place, the more likely learners are to improve, not only in exams but (7) .......... in their overall command of the language. Progress may be gradual, but it is often more solid (8) .......... it appears at first.

What to do

This part consists of a short text with a series of gaps. There are no words from which to choose the answers, candidates have to think of a word which fits the gap correctly.

Errors in punctuation are ignored, although spelling must be correct.

Contractions (e.g. don’t, we’ve, won’t) count as two words. However, can’t is a contraction of cannot, which is one word.

Sometimes, there is more than one correct answer. Cambridge will always account for this and all options will be accepted. However, you should not write more than one answer.

Don't spend time in a word you don't know. Wasting time on this activity might cost you points later in the exam because you won’t have enough time to do other tasks well.

Strategy

  1. Read the title and the whole text so that you understand what it is about.
  2. Read the whole sentence in which the gap occurs, to look for clues as to what kind of word you need.
  3. Check the words before and after each gap and look for grammatical collocations.
  4. Remember you must write only one word.
  5. You are never required to write a contraction. If you think the answer is a contraction, it must be wrong, so think again.
  6. Read the whole text through once you have completed it to make sure you have not missed any connectors, plurals or negatives.

Instructions

For questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.

Exercise Details

Author

Christopher Hauschildt

@christopher-hauschildt

User Prompt

"Design a Reading & Use of English Open Cloze exercise for C1 level that resembles the Cambridge English exam in structure and difficulty."

Tone: Standard
Level: C1

Created on:

May 29, 2026

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