Candidates will be given 1 hour 30 minutes to complete the CPE Reading and Use of English exam.
There are 7 parts to this exam.
For Parts 1 to 4, the test contains texts with accompanying grammar and vocabulary tasks, and discrete items with a grammar and vocabulary focus.
For Parts 5 to 7, the test contains texts and accompanying reading comprehension tasks.
There are a total of 53 questions in the following format: Multiple-choice cloze, open cloze, word formation, key word transformation, multiple matching, gapped text, multiple choice.
Part 1 Multiple-choice cloze.
A single text with eight gaps. Texts are taken from the following: books (fiction and non-fiction), non-specialist articles from magazines, newspapers and the internet.
The main focus is on vocabulary, e.g. idioms, collocations, fixed phrases, complementation, phrasal verbs, semantic precision.
Part 2 Open cloze
A modified cloze test consisting of a text with eight gaps. Candidates are required to draw on their knowledge of the structure of the language and understanding of the text in order to fill the gaps. A single word is needed to fill each gap – never a phrase or contraction. There may be more than one acceptable word for a gap, as given in the mark scheme.
The main focus is on awareness and control of grammar with some focus on vocabulary.
Part 3 Word Formation
This exercise is a word-building task, consisting of a text with eight gaps plus one example. The types of word-building involve not just the addition of affixes (e.g. ‘honest’ to ‘dishonesty’ or ‘person’ to ‘impersonal’), but also internal changes (e.g. ‘strong’ to ‘strengthened’) and compounding (e.g. ‘rain’ to ‘raindrop’ or ‘set’ to ‘outset’). Any number of changes may be made to the stem word (e.g. ‘doubt’ to ‘undoubtedly’ is three changes) and candidates may be required to demonstrate understanding of the text beyond sentence level.
Part 4 Key word transformations
Part 4 consists of six key word transformations, plus one example. Each question contains three parts: a lead-in sentence, a key word and a second response sentence of which only the beginning and end are given. Candidates have to fill the gap in the second sentence so that it is similar in meaning to the lead-in sentence. The key word must be used.
Candidates are required to manipulate structures and lexical phrases in their answer, e.g. a verb in the given sentence might need to be changed to a noun. You can use between three and eight words including the given key word. The key word must not be changed in any way.
The focus is on grammar, vocabulary and collocation.
Part 5 Multiple choice
Part 5 consists of one longer text followed by six multiple-choice questions which test detailed understanding of the text, including opinions and attitudes expressed within it. The text has a title and may also have a subheading.
Candidates need to read the text closely to understand exactly what the writer is saying and in order to distinguish between apparently similar viewpoints or reasons in the options. Candidates should be able to deduce meaning from context and interpret the text for inference and style. You are required to understand text organisation features such as exemplification, comparison and reference. The questions are presented in the same order as the information in the text and the final question may depend on interpretation of the text as a whole, e.g. the writer’s purpose, attitude or opinion.
Part 6 Gapped text
The task consists of a gapped text followed by seven extracts from the text and one further extract which does not fit in any of the gaps. The text has a title and may also have a sub-heading. Candidates need to read the gapped text first in order to gain an overall idea of the structure and meaning of the text.
The focus is on understanding cohesion, coherence, text structure, global meaning.
Part 7 Multiple matching
Part 7 consists of a set of 10 questions followed by a single page of text. The text is divided into four to six sections – the ‘options’. Candidates are required to match the questions with the relevant information from the text.
You will need to understand detail, attitude or opinion in the questions, and locate a section of text where that idea is expressed. At the same time you need to discount ideas in other sections which may appear similar, but which do not reflect the whole of the question accurately.
Tips!
General
Read in English in a variety of contexts. Extend your knowledge of collocations, fixed phrases and idioms.
Part 1
Be aware that missing word(s) may form part of an idiom, fixed phrase or collocation, so you should always check the words around the gap carefully.
Part 2
Always read the complete sentence that contains the gap before deciding on their answer, and always check for the possibility of negatives, conditionals or other structures that might put forward the opposite point of view.
Only use one word to fill in each gap, you will not be expected to use a contraction.
Part 3
Read the whole text before attempting to fill in any gaps. Some questions, such as making the base word negative, require careful reading beyond sentence level.
Remember your “word family”.
Part 4
Pay careful attention to the frame for the answer, especially any verb in the final part of the second sentence as it may indicate whether a verb in the gap should be singular or plural. You should also take particular note of the words immediately before and after the gap.
Part 5
Students need to read texts in which opinion, attitudes and feelings are expressed, e.g. interviews with famous people, short stories which focus on how characters feel about the situations they find themselves in, and magazine articles in which there is a strong authorial voice or viewpoint
You may find it useful to consider a possible answer by first looking only at the stem and not at the options. Then underline the part of the text which gives the answer, and finally compare this with the options. However, it is still necessary to check each option against the evidence of the text.
Part 6
Read the main (base) text first so you gain an overall idea of the structure and development of the theme or argument of the text, before starting to do the task.
Pay attention to the information and ideas before and after each gap as well as throughout the whole of the gapped text. Students frequently make the wrong choice by selecting options which fit the text before the gap, and neglecting to check that the text after the gap follows on smoothly.
Do not rule out an answer for consideration on the grounds that you have already used it, as the earlier use may be incorrect.
Practise a wide range of linguistic devices which mark the logical and cohesive development of a text, e.g. words and phrases indicating sequence of events, cause and effect, premise and conclusion.
Part 7
Practise skimming and scanning texts in order to prepare for this task. You should practise scanning texts for the particular information required and not necessarily read every word in the text.
This exercise tests, among other things, your awareness of synonyms and paraphrase. Selecting an answer solely on the basis of matching a word in the question with a word in the text is not recommended as it is likely to be a ‘trap’.