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C1 ADVANCED EXAM STRATEGIES

READING AND USE OF ENGLISH


Part 1 (Multiple-choice cloze)
What do you have to do?
• Read a text with eight missing words.
• Choose the correct word or phrase from each set of four options.
• Mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.
Strategy
1. Read the title and the text quickly to get a general understanding of what it is about, without trying to fill
any of the gaps.
2. Read the text again. Stop at each gap and try to predict what the missing word or phrase might be.
3. Look at the options for each gap carefully. Try putting each of the options in the gap to see which one fits
best.
4. Check the words on either side of the gap to see if the option you have chosen goes with these.
5. Read the whole text again to make sure the options you have chosen make sense. Do not leave a blank; if
you are not sure, choose the one which seems most likely.
6. Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Part 2 (Open cloze)


What do you have to do?
• Read a text with eight missing words.
• Put one word in each of the eight gaps.
• Write the correct word for each gap clearly on your answer sheet.
Strategy
1. Read the title and text quickly to get a general idea of what it is about, without trying to fill any of the gaps.
2. Think about what kind of word is missing, e.g. preposition, article, pronoun, etc.
3. Write in the missing words in pencil. Only write one word in each gap.
4. When you have finished, read through the whole text again. Check it makes sense, and check the spelling.
5. Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Part 3 (Word formation)


What do you have to do?
• Read a text with eight gaps.
• Use the word in capital letters at the end of each line with a gap to form a word which fits each gap.
• Write your answers on your answer sheet.
Strategy
1. Read the title and the text quickly to get a general idea of what it is about.
2. Read the text again. This time stop at each gap. Think about whether the missing word is positive or negative,
plural or singular, a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. Use the words before and after each gap to help you
decide.
3. Write the correct form of the word in the gap.
4. Read the text again to make sure your answers make sense and the words are spelt correctly.
5. Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Part 4 (Key word transformations)


What do you have to do?
• Complete six sentences using three to six words, including a key word which is provided. Your completed
sentence must have a similar meaning to the lead-in sentence. You will usually have to change two things.
• Write your answers on the answer sheet.
Strategy
1. Read the first sentence and the key word. Work out what is being tested, e.g. you may need a passive form in the future.
2. Identify what is missing from the second sentence.
3. Think about what kind of words need to be used with the key word.
4. Write down the missing words. Do not change the key words in any way.
5. Make sure you have not written more than six words (contractions, e.g. don't, count as two words) and that you have not
changed the meaning at all.
6. Check your spelling and that the sentences make sense.
7. Transfer your answers to your answer sheet.
Part 5 (Multiple choice)

What do you have to do?


• Read the text and answer six questions. Each question has four possible answers (A, B, C or D) and the
questions follow the order of the text.
• Choose the correct option for each question, based on the information in the text.
• Mark the correct letter A, B, C or D for each answer on your answer sheet.

Strategy
1 Read the instructions, title and sub-heading of the text.
2 Skim the text to get a general idea of what it is about.
3 Read each question and highlight the key words (don't worry about the four options yet).
4 For each question, highlight the part of the text that the question relates to.
5 Read the text again carefully. When you find a part of the text you have highlighted, look at the question
and the four options and decide on the answer. The meaning will be the same but the language will be
different.
6 Check all the options again carefully, crossing out ones that are obviously wrong.
7 Make your decision. If you are not sure, choose the option that seems most likely.
8 When you have completed all the questions, transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Part 6 (Cross-test multiple matching)

What do you have to do?


• Read four short texts (A-D) and four multiple matching questions. The texts are independent of each other
but all talk about the same topic.
• Identify the opinion or attitude expressed in each question and decide whether the opinions in the four texts
(A-D) are the same or different.
• Write the correct letter for each answer on your answer sheet.

Strategy
1 Read the four questions and underline the key words.
2 For each question, underline the section of the text (A-D) referred to (e.g. Writer A's opinion about) and
make sure you understand the writer's point of view.
3 Read the other texts and underline the sections which talk about the same issue.
4 Find the text which has a similar or different opinion/ attitude to the writer referred to in each question.
5 One question may ask you to identify the writer who has a different point of view on a specific issue to the
other three writers. Check where this issue is mentioned in each text and identify the writer who expresses
a differing view to the rest.
6 Check your answers again before transferring them to the answer sheet.

Part 7 (Gapped text)

What do you have to do?


Read through the text, from which six sentences have been removed.
Read the seven sentences (there is an extra one which doesn't fit anywhere) and decide which sentence best fits
each gap.
Mark your answers on your answer sheet.

Strategy
Read the title and sub-heading to get an idea about the topic of the text.
Read the main text carefully to make sure you understand what it is about.
Read the section before and after each gap and predict what information is missing from each gap.
Underline any nouns, pronouns, linkers etc. which will help you to find a link.
Read the seven sentences and look for clues that will connect them to the gaps. Look for topic words, synonyms and
reference words.
If you are not sure about what goes in a gap, go on to the next question and return to it later.
When you have finished, read through the completed text to check that it makes sense. Make sure you have filled in
all the gaps and not used any sentences more than once.
Try the extra sentence in each gap again to make sure that it doesn't fit anywhere.
Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Part 8 (Multiple matching)

What do you have to do?


• Read four to six short texts around the same theme, or one longer text divided into four to six paragraphs.
To answer the questions, you will have to read quickly to find specific information.
• Match ten questions or statements to the text or paragraph that it relates to. The text does not follow the
same order as the questions.
• Write the correct letter for each answer clearly on your answer sheet.

Strategy
1 Read the title of each text and any subheadings.
2 Skim each text quickly to get an idea of what it is about.
3 Read the questions carefully and highlight key words.
4 Scan each section of the text to find the information in the questions. You do not need to read in detail. Look
for words or phrases which are similar in meaning to the words or phrases in the questions.
5 Underline or highlight possible answers. Do not mark them on your answer sheet yet: you may find similar -
but not exactly the same - information in other sections.
6 Read the information carefully to check which one is an exact answer to the question.
7 Leave any questions that you are not sure about; but always go back and answer them at the end as you will
not lose marks for a wrong answer. Choose the most likely answer.
8 When you have finished, transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

LISTENING

Listening (approximately 40 minutes)


Part 1 (Multiple choice)
What is being tested?
In Part 1 the focus of the questions may test the main idea, the purpose, the attitude or opinion of the speakers.

What do you have to do?


• Listen twice to three short dialogues, each on a different topic, involving two speakers.
• Answer two multiple-choice questions about each of the three dialogues.
• Write the correct letter (A, B or C) on your answer sheet (You are given five minutes at the end of the test to
transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer sheet.)

Strategy
1 Read the questions and options and highlight the key words before you listen. (You are given some time to do
this.)
2 The first time you listen, mark the answer you think is best.
3 Check your answers the second time you listen and make sure the options you have chosen answer the questions
correctly. If you aren't sure, choose the answer you think is most likely—you may be right.
4 Transfer your answers to the answer sheet

Part 2 (Sentence completion)


What is being tested?
In Part 2 the focus is on your understanding of detail, specific information and opinion.

What do you have to do?


1 Read eight sentences with gaps about the recording.
2 Listen twice to a monologue. It may be part of a radio report or a talk on a topic.
3 Complete eight sentences with the exact word/words from the recording.
4 Write your answers on your answer sheet.
Strategy
1 Before you listen, read the sentences carefully and highlight key words. Think about the kind of information that's
missing. You have some time for this.
2 As you listen, try to complete the sentences. The sentences are in the same order as the information on the
recording. Write one to three words to complete each sentence. You should only write the words you hear and
you should not change these words.
3 If you can't complete a sentence the first time you listen, leave it blank.
4 The second time you listen, complete any remaining sentences and check your answers. Don't leave any of the
gaps blank; guess if you aren't sure.
5 Check your spelling and grammar (e.g. singular, plural) is correct and that the sentences make sense.
6 Be careful not to make any mistakes when you copy your answers onto the answer sheet at the end of the test.

Part 3 (Multiple choice: longer text)


What is being tested?
In Part 3 the focus of the questions will be on understanding the opinions and attitudes of the speakers in a longer
dialogue.

What do you have to do?


• Listen to an interview or a conversation on a topic, usually between two or three speakers.
• Answer six multiple-choice questions.
• Write the correct letter (A, B, C or D) for each answer on your answer sheet.

Strategy
1 Before you listen, read the introduction to the task to get information about who the speakers are and what they
will talk about.
2 Read the questions and options and highlight the key words. Think about the kind of information you need to
listen for.
3 Listen for paraphrases of the words and phrases on the recording and choose one of the options, A, B or C. If you
are not sure of the answer, continue answering the other questions and come back to it in the second listening.
4 During the second listening, check the options you have chosen. Make sure you have chosen an option which
answers the question correctly. The information in the other options may also be true but it may not be the right
answer to the question. If you aren't sure, choose the one that seems most likely.
5 Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Part 4 (Multiple matching)


What is being tested?
Part 4 tests understanding of informal speech. The focus is on gist attitude and opinion.

What do you have to do?


• Listen to five short monologues on a related topic twice.
• There are two tasks each containing eight statements. Match one statement from each task to each of the five
monologues. There are three extra statements in each task which do not match any of the monologues.
• Write the correct letter (A—H) for each answer on your answer sheet.

Strategy
1 Read the rubric carefully. This tells you what topic the speakers will talk about
2 Read the sentence. Highlight key words or phrases in each statement.
3 The first time you listen, try to identify the main idea of what the speaker is talking about and mark the statement
which you think matches most closely. Listen for paraphrases or synonyms for key words in the statements. But
be careful as you may hear similar words repeated in several texts because they are all on the same topic.
4 During the second listening, check that the statements match exactly what the speaker says. Don't choose a
statement just because it contains a word from the monologue.
5 Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

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