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FCE- Introduction
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Paper 1- Reading and Use of English
- Introduction to the Reading and Use of English section of the FCE exam
- Developing reading skills: skimming, scanning, and reading for detail
- General Information and Tips- Reading and Use of English- Paper 1
- Tips: Part 7- Multiple Matching- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 7-Multiple Matching- Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 4-Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 4- Key Word Transformations- Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 3-Word Formation- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 3- Word Formation-Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English-
- Tips Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English-
- Tips Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- General Overview and Tips- Reading and Use of English
- General Review- Reading and Use of English
- Paper 1 Practice- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze-Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 3- Word Formation- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 4-Key Word Transformation-Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 7- Multiple Matching- Reading and Use of English
- Protegido: Sample Paper Test- Reading and Use of English
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Grammar
- Dynamic vs Stative Verbs- MN Video- Listening- Grammar Focus
- Dynamic vs Stative Verbs – Quiz – Practice Focus
- Verb + Gerund- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- Verb + Infinitive- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- Verb + Gerund/Infinitive- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- Verb + Gerund/Infinitive- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- The Use of Articles (a/an/the)- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
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Vocabulary
- Vocabulary development and strategies for word formation and collocations
- Vocabulary- Learning Tips
- Collocations- Part 1
- Collocations- Part 2
- Collocations- Part 3
- Collocations- Part 4
- Collocations- Part 5
- Prefixes and Suffixes- Part 1
- Word Formation -“-ed” vs “-ing”
- Phrasal Verbs (1): meanings and types
- Phrasal Verbs (2): Separability
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Paper 2- Writing
- Writing- Preparing for the exam
- Writing- Some Common Questions
- Writing- Dos and Don’ts
- Writing- How is FCE Writing Scored?
- Informal Letter/Email- Writing Guide
- Informal Email/Letter- Sample and Tips
- Informal Letter or Email-Tips/Sample questions and answers
- Informal Email/Letter- Sample and Practice
- Formal Email/Letter – Steps to Writing
- Letter of Application- Writing Guide
- Letter of Application- Understanding and Model
- Letter of Application- Sample and Practice
- Letter of Application-Writing Topics- Practice
- Formal and Semi-formal Letter/ Email- Tips and Samples
- Email/Letter General Writing Guide
- Article- Steps to Writing
- Article- Writing Guide,Tips and Sample Questions and Answers
- Article- How to Write an Article- Video
- Article- Writing Topics- Practice
- Essay- Writing Guide
- Writing Essays for the FCE- Types and Organization
- Essay- Writing Guide, Tips and Sample Questions and Answers
- Essay- Tips and Samples
- Essay- Samples,Tips, and Practice
- Review- Writing Guide, Tips, and Sample Questions and Answers
- Review- Steps to Writing and Tips
- Review- Tips and Sample
- Review- Tips and Sample
- Review- Sample Questions- Practice
- Report- First Steps to Writing a Report
- Report- Writing Guide
- Report- Writing Sample Questions-Practice
- Writing-10 B2 First Writing Exam Tips
- Writing- B2 First Writing Checklist
- Protegido: Writing- B2 First Writing Sample Paper Test Parts 1 and 2
- Writing Essays- 5 most common mistakes
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Paper 3- Listening
- FCE Listening- Introduction and General Tips
- FCE Listening- Do’s and Dont’s
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- Listening Practice- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- Listening Practice- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- Listening Practice- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Protegido: Listening- Sample Paper Test 1
- Protegido: Listening- Sample Paper Test 2
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Paper 4- Speaking
- Varieties of English
- Speaking- Preparing for the exam
- Speaking- Some More Tips
- Speaking- Some Common Questions
- Speaking- Do’s and Don’ts
- Speaking- Examiners Comments
- Speaking- Exam Assessment
- Speaking Part 2- Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Part 2- Practice
- Speaking Part 2- Practice
- Speaking Part 3- Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Parts 3 and 4-Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Part 1- Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Part 1- Practice
- Speaking Part 1- Practice
- Speaking Exam Review
- Speaking Test Practice
General Overview and Tips- Reading and Use of English
The Reading and Use of English paper is about grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. There are 7 sections to do in 75 minutes – basically 10 minutes per section.
- Part 1 – multiple-choice cloze
- Part 2 – open cloze, text with gaps
- Part 3 – word formation
- Part 4 – key word transformations
- Part 5 – gapped text with 6 multiple choice questions
- Part 6 – text with 6 sentences missing
- Part 7 – multiple matching, 10 questions
The order
Most students start with part 1 and finish with part 7. That’s fine, of course, but it isn’t really the most efficient way. And many students leave part 4 to the end because they hate it. That’s a mistake! If you look at an FCE answer sheet you’ll see that some of the answers are multiple choice and some require you to write words.
So, start with the sections that ask you to write words and leave the multiple choice till later. That’s because if you run out of time at the end of the exam you can quickly choose some multiple choice answers and maybe get a lucky point. But you can’t just write words at random – you have no chance of getting it right.
Do the tasks in this order:
4, 3, 2, 1, 5 ,6, 7
or
2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7, 1
Or you might start with part 1 because it’s one you can do very quickly (see section 5) but DO NOT leave parts 2-4 to the end.
Time management
Some of the sections in Reading and Use of English have answers that you can work out if you spend enough time thinking about them. But some of the answers are ones where you either know the answer or you don’t.
The trick is to whizz through questions where you know/don’t know the answer – that will give you more time to spend on other parts of the exam. (Whizz means go quickly.)
- Start with part 4. Do it quickly. You either know the answer or you don’t. Don’t waste time here.
- Go to part 3. Spend a bit more time here because you can lose ‘easy’ points by being careless. It’s worth spending a minute checking your answers before you move on.
- Part 2 has a lot of ‘you know it or you don’t’ kind of questions, so do it quickly.
- Next is part 1. It’s also one with ‘I know this’ or ‘I have no idea’ type questions. This should be the fastest section of them all.
- If you follow these tips and practice a few times, you should find that you have lots of time left to do sections 5, 6, and 7. That’s important because there’s a lot of text to read and you don’t want to have time stress when you’re trying to understand a long piece of writing.
Read the titles
Some of the sections have titles, and some students often ignore them. But the headings give you quite a lot of information. Imagine a text with the heading ‘Why You Should Never Eat Ice-Cream’ – now you know the theme and it will make reading easier.
Read the examples, but don’t do them
Some parts of the Reading and Use of English test have example answers. This is for students who don’t know what to expect in the exam. Don’t waste time trying to find the answers. The answer is right there at the top of the page!
What about spelling?
In this part of the exam spelling is super important. All the words you have to write are FCE level words – you won’t be asked to spell ‘serendipitous’ or ‘commensurate’. Cambridge do expect you to be able to spell words like ‘variety’, ‘objective’, ‘fashionable’. (Those are actual answers to recent FCE exam questions.)