CAE Reading and Use of English Test 1: public seating, shade surveys and stage design
CAE Reading and Use of English Test 1 is a free C1 Advanced practice paper: 56 questions in eight parts, timed at 90 minutes, with 3,226 words of text. You read about the design of shared spaces, unfinished ideas, shade surveys, stage design, sound archives, portable workshops and useful feedback.
- Free, no sign-up to start
- Layout modelled on the computer-based exam
- Estimated Cambridge English Scale score
What is in CAE Reading and Use of English Test 1
| Part | Task | Questions | What you read | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple-choice cloze | 1–8 | “The social life of a bench” | 153 |
| 2 | Open cloze | 9–16 | “Returning to an unfinished idea” | 157 |
| 3 | Word formation | 17–24 | “Mapping the shade” | 143 |
| 4 | Key word transformations | 25–30 | Six sentences to rewrite, 3–6 words each | — |
| 5 | Multiple choice | 31–36 | “What an empty stage can offer”: an article by a stage designer. Stage designer Leena Aran reflects on a production with an unusual condition. | 747 |
| 6 | Cross-text multiple matching | 37–40 | “What should a sound archive preserve?”: four extracts from articles in which researchers discuss recording everyday sounds as cultural heritage. By Dr Amina Vos, Professor Tomas Wei, Dr Saira Linton and Professor Gabriel Neri. | 590 |
| 7 | Gapped text | 41–46 | “A workshop that does not stay put”: an article about a portable workshop service. A travelling service discovers what it means to leave useful skills behind. | 834 |
| 8 | Multiple matching | 47–56 | “Learning to make feedback useful”: an article in which four people describe learning to give useful feedback. Mara (magazine editor), Joel (technical trainer), Priya (project coordinator), Evan (sailing coach). | 602 |
| Total | Within Cambridge’s 3,000–3,500 words (questions not counted) | 3,226 | ||
How the long texts begin
- Part 5: For much of my working life as a stage designer, I treated an empty stage as an invitation to fill it. I could explain why every staircase, balcony and weathered door was necessary, usually at considerable length.
- Part 7: When Rafi Sen proposed taking a workshop from village to village, people imagined a large vehicle with machinery permanently fixed inside. His plan began somewhere less impressive: a list of requests collected at local meetings.
Examples (0), shown answered in the test
Part 1
Public seating is often (0) for granted, yet deciding where a bench should go involves more than finding an empty space.
- held
- taken
- put
- kept
Answer: B, taken
Part 2
Anyone who has worked (0) a creative project knows the moment when progress stops.
Answer: on
Part 3
A survey of shade in a city can make a useful (0) contribution without expensive equipment. SCIENCE
Answer: scientific
Part 4
I regret not keeping a copy of the original plan. WISH
I (0) a copy of the original plan.
Answer: wish I had kept (4 words)
How it is marked
CAE Reading and Use of English marking
Reading (Parts 1, 5–8) is out of 50 and Use of English (Parts 2–4) out of 28; Part 4 gives up to 2 marks per question and spelling must be correct. 32/50 Reading is about 180. Scores are estimates.
More CAE Reading and Use of English tests
CAE Reading and Use of English practice tests · CAE Mock Test 1 · Updated 15 November 2026
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