CAE Reading Part 7: gapped text
CAE Reading Part 7 is a gapped text: six paragraphs have been removed from a long article, and you put them back from a set of seven. The CAE gapped text is worth 12 marks, as much as Part 5, and the clues lie in how each paragraph links to the text before and after it.
- Questions
- 6 (41–46)
- Marks
- 2 each
- Options
- 7 paragraphs (A–G)
- Counts towards
- Reading
What the CAE gapped text tests
Part 7 is one long text, usually non-fiction or journalism such as a magazine feature or a profile, from which six paragraphs have been removed. The gaps are numbered 41–46. After the text you see seven paragraphs, A–G, of roughly equal length. Six of them fill the gaps; one does not fit anywhere. The whole task, text plus paragraphs, is typically around 800 words.
Cambridge describes the focus as cohesion, coherence, text structure and global meaning. In plain terms: can you follow how a long text is put together? Each removed paragraph is tied to the text around it by references (she, this, such a move), by vocabulary that repeats or paraphrases what came before, by time sequence, and by the logic of the argument or story. The paragraph that does not fit is usually on the right topic but breaks one of these links.
Each correct answer earns 2 marks, so Part 7 is worth 12 of the 50 Reading marks. It is also the part where one mistake tends to cause another, because a paragraph placed in the wrong gap is no longer available for the right one. That is why checking the whole sequence at the end matters more here than anywhere else in the paper.
Try a shortened CAE gapped text
Read the extract from a magazine article. Choose from paragraphs A–C the one which fits each gap (41–42). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need. A full Part 7 task has six gaps and seven paragraphs.
Rescuing a forgotten orchard
When Helen Marsh bought a run-down farm in Herefordshire, the twenty-odd trees behind the barn looked like firewood. Their trunks were split, their branches were tangled with ivy, and most had not produced a decent crop for years. Her neighbours advised her to clear the lot and start again.
(41)
Identifying them took the best part of two years. Some varieties turned up in old nursery catalogues; others could only be named by a retired fruit expert who travelled from Gloucestershire with a suitcase full of reference books. Three trees matched nothing on record at all.
(42)
That cautious approach has paid off. Last autumn the orchard produced over a tonne of fruit, and Marsh now sells cuttings to growers across the country who are anxious not to lose the old varieties.
A She very nearly did. What stopped her was a conversation with the previous owner's daughter, who mentioned that her grandfather had planted the trees from cuttings collected around the county in the 1920s. Some of the varieties, she believed, no longer existed anywhere else.
B Knowing that the trees might be unique made Marsh nervous about touching them. Rather than prune them all at once, which can shock an old tree into dying, she cut back a few branches each winter, and for several seasons the orchard looked worse rather than better.
C Clearing the site, however, proved far more expensive than she had expected. The ivy alone took a team of volunteers three weekends to remove, and hiring machinery to pull out the stumps used up most of her savings.
Show the answer and explanation
41 A. She very nearly did responds directly to the neighbours' advice to clear the lot. A also introduces the varieties that the next paragraph begins to identify (Identifying them).
42 B. Knowing that the trees might be unique follows from three trees matched nothing on record, and B's slow pruning is what the following paragraph calls that cautious approach. The link forward is as strong as the link back.
C is the extra paragraph. It repeats ivy and fits the topic, but it describes clearing the site, which contradicts the story: Marsh kept the trees.
How to do the CAE gapped text, step by step
- 01
Read the main text from start to finish, ignoring the gaps, to understand the overall structure: a story told in time order, an argument, or a mix of the two. Allow about three minutes.
- 02
Read paragraphs A–G and note in a few words what each is about, paying special attention to its first and last sentences.
- 03
For each gap, read the end of the paragraph before it and the start of the paragraph after it. The missing paragraph has to connect in both directions.
- 04
Follow the reference chains: pronouns (she, they), demonstratives (this, that approach, such), the + a noun mentioned earlier, synonyms, time words (by then, eventually) and contrast words (however, yet).
- 05
Identify the extra paragraph: it usually fits the topic but contradicts the facts or breaks a reference. When you have finished, read the full text in order to check it flows.
- 06
Allow about 15–16 minutes. If the last gap will not work, an earlier answer is probably wrong; check the gap where you were least sure.
Mistakes that cost marks
Matching on a repeated word. Paragraph C repeats ivy, but its content contradicts the story. Repeated vocabulary is a clue to check, not proof.
Checking only the paragraph before the gap. In the example, the strongest clue for gap 42 is That cautious approach in the paragraph after it.
Never revisiting answers. One misplaced paragraph usually forces a second error. If something does not fit, reconsider your least certain choice rather than forcing the last paragraph in.
Ignoring time and tense. A paragraph that says by then or uses the past perfect can only go at a particular point in the sequence.
Linking clues in a CAE gapped text
| Clue | What to check | From the example |
|---|---|---|
| Reference words | What does this, these, such, it, they, the former point back to? | That cautious approach → B's slow pruning |
| Lexical chains | Synonyms and paraphrase of earlier ideas | clear the lot → She very nearly did |
| Time signals | at first, by then, eventually, two years later | for several seasons → Last autumn |
| Contrast and concession | however, yet, even so, that said: what is being contrasted? | C's however has nothing to contrast with |
| Cause and effect | as a result, this meant that, knowing that | Knowing that the trees might be unique |
Practise Part 7 in full CAE Reading and Use of English tests
Each CAE Reading and Use of English test on this site has its own Part 7, timed with the whole paper and marked as soon as you submit, with an explanation for every answer.
CAE gapped text: questions
How many paragraphs are there in CAE Reading Part 7?
Seven paragraphs, A to G, for six gaps. One paragraph is extra and does not fit anywhere in the text.
How many marks is the CAE gapped text worth?
Twelve. There are six gaps worth 2 marks each, so Part 7 and Part 5 are the two most valuable reading parts.
What is the difference between C1 Reading Part 7 and the B2 gapped text?
In B2 First the gapped text is Part 6 and whole sentences are removed. In C1 Advanced it is Part 7 and whole paragraphs are removed from a longer text, so you follow the structure of the whole article rather than a single sentence.
How long should I spend on CAE Reading Part 7?
About 15 to 16 minutes, including a final read-through of the completed text. It is worth the time, because each answer earns two marks.
Sources
- C1 Advanced Handbook for Teachers (Cambridge University Press & Assessment), pages 7, 16
- 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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