CAE Reading and Use of English Part 1: multiple-choice cloze
CAE Reading and Use of English Part 1 is a multiple-choice cloze: a short text with eight gaps and four possible words for each. The options are usually close in meaning, so the answer depends on collocation, a fixed phrase or the grammar that follows the gap, and the eight marks count towards Reading.
- Questions
- 8 (1–8)
- Marks
- 1 each
- Options
- 4 per gap
- Counts towards
- Reading
What CAE Use of English Part 1 tests
Part 1 is the first task in the 90-minute Reading and Use of English paper. You read one short text of roughly 150 words, always with a title, in which eight words have been removed. The gaps are questions 1–8, and on the paper-based exam there is also an example (0) at the start. For each gap you choose one of four options. On paper they are lettered A–D; in the digital exam the options are not lettered and appear when you click on the gap.
The four options are nearly always the same part of speech and often close in meaning, so grammar alone rarely decides the answer. Cambridge describes the focus as vocabulary: collocations (which words naturally go together, such as draw a distinction or a sharp rise), fixed phrases and idioms, phrasal verbs, complementation (what has to follow a word: a particular preposition, an infinitive or an -ing form) and semantic precision (the one word whose exact meaning fits this context). In practice, most C1 items combine two of these: the right word has the right meaning and fits the structure around the gap.
Each correct answer earns one mark, so the part is worth 8 of the paper's 78 raw marks. One detail is easy to miss: although the multiple-choice cloze looks like a Use of English task, Cambridge counts it towards your Reading score. Reading is made up of Parts 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 (50 marks); Use of English is Parts 2, 3 and 4 (28 marks). Wrong answers lose nothing, so never leave a gap empty.
Try a C1 multiple-choice cloze
Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
The return of the night train
Ten years ago, the overnight sleeper train seemed certain to (1) the way of the steam engine. Budget airlines had made it almost impossible for rail operators to compete on price, and one route after another was quietly withdrawn. Yet the sleeper is now enjoying an unexpected revival. Travellers who are (2) aware of the environmental cost of flying are rediscovering the pleasure of falling asleep in one capital and waking up in another. Operators have been quick to (3) on this change in attitude, investing in modern carriages with private cabins. Whether the trend will last remains to be seen, but for now demand comfortably (4) the number of seats available.
- A take B follow C go D head
- A steadily B increasingly C gradually D progressively
- A profit B exploit C benefit D capitalise
- A outnumbers B outstrips C overtakes D overcomes
Show the answer and explanation
1 C (go). Go the way of something is a fixed phrase meaning "disappear, as something else did before". Follow is tempting because of its meaning, but "follow the way of" is not idiomatic.
2 B (increasingly). Increasingly aware is a strong collocation. Gradually and steadily describe a process ("gradually becoming aware"), so they do not fit directly before an adjective like this.
3 D (capitalise). All four verbs share the idea of gaining an advantage, but only capitalise is followed by on. We profit from or benefit from something, and exploit takes a direct object. This is complementation: the word after the gap decides the answer.
4 B (outstrips). Demand outstrips supply is a fixed collocation. Outnumbers needs countable things on both sides (passengers can outnumber seats; demand cannot), overtakes suggests a race, and overcomes means "defeats a difficulty".
How to do the C1 multiple-choice cloze, step by step
- 01
Read the whole text, title included, before you look at a single option. Half a minute is enough to understand the topic and the writer's attitude, and some gaps can only be solved from the sentence before or after them.
- 02
Look at the words on both sides of each gap. A preposition after the gap (capitalise on), a noun the word must combine with (pose a risk), or an infinitive or -ing form that has to follow it will often eliminate two options at once.
- 03
Try every option in the sentence, not on its own. Ask which combination you have actually read or heard before. If you know the phrase as a chunk, trust it more than a word-by-word meaning.
- 04
When two options are still possible, compare how they are used rather than what they mean: positive or negative connotation (notorious or renowned), formal or neutral, countable or uncountable, a process or a result.
- 05
Keep to about 7 minutes. Choose an answer for every gap, mark the ones you are unsure of, and come back only if you have time after Part 8.
Mistakes that cost marks
Choosing by meaning alone. In the example, profit, benefit and capitalise all mean "gain an advantage". Only the preposition after the gap separates them.
Reading only the sentence with the gap. Words such as yet, however or far from in a neighbouring sentence can reverse the meaning the gap needs.
Picking the most impressive word. The rarest or longest option is not more likely to be correct. C1 items reward the natural combination, which is often a common word used precisely.
Spending too long. Part 1 is worth 8 marks out of 78. Fifteen minutes here can cost you the time you need for Part 7, where each answer is worth two marks.
What the CAE multiple-choice cloze tests most often
These are the five areas Cambridge names for Part 1, with C1-level examples of the kind of contrast each one sets up. Learn them as phrases, not single words.
| Area | C1 examples |
|---|---|
| Collocation | draw a distinction · pose a risk · a heated debate · bitterly disappointed · place emphasis on · a sharp rise |
| Fixed phrases and idioms | in the long run · by no means · on the verge of · at the expense of · come to terms with · take something for granted |
| Phrasal verbs | come up against · bring about · play down · set out to · fall back on · rule out |
| Complementation | insist on doing · deter someone from · be on the point of · regardless of · object to doing |
| Semantic precision | notorious / famous / renowned · scarce / rare / sparse · prospect / outlook / perspective |
A good way to study is a notebook organised by the key noun: under rise, write a sharp / steep / dramatic / steady rise and give rise to. When a gap sits next to that noun in the exam, the right partner will look familiar.
Practise Part 1 in full CAE Reading and Use of English tests
Each CAE Reading and Use of English test on this site has its own Part 1, timed with the whole paper and marked as soon as you submit, with an explanation for every answer.
CAE multiple-choice cloze: questions
Does CAE Use of English Part 1 count towards Reading or Use of English?
Reading. Cambridge counts the multiple-choice cloze (8 marks) towards your Reading score, together with Parts 5 to 8. Your Use of English score comes only from Parts 2, 3 and 4 (28 marks).
How long should I spend on the CAE multiple-choice cloze?
About 7 minutes. The whole Reading and Use of English paper is 90 minutes for 8 parts, and the long reading texts in Parts 5 to 8 need far more time than Part 1.
How is the multiple-choice cloze in C1 different from B2?
The format is the same: eight gaps, four options, one mark each. At C1 the options are closer in meaning, the texts are more formal and abstract, and more items test fixed phrases, phrasal verbs and the structure that follows a word.
What is the best way to practise CAE multiple-choice cloze questions?
Learn vocabulary in combinations (verb + noun, adjective + noun, word + preposition) from your reading, and do full timed Part 1 tasks so you get used to deciding quickly. Each of our six CAE Reading and Use of English tests includes a complete Part 1 with explanations.
Sources
- C1 Advanced Handbook for Teachers (Cambridge University Press & Assessment), pages 7, 10
- C1 Advanced exam format (cambridgeenglish.org)
- C1 Advanced preparation materials: Cambridge's own sample tests
CambridgeMock is independent and not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Facts on this page are checked against the official documents above; the practice items and advice are our own.
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