UOE PART 2 INSTRUCTIONS

You should always try to complete FCE Use of English Part 2 in a systematic way. Don’t forget
these essential points as you answer the task:

1. The answer will always be a single word.

2. Contractions (e.g. don’t, we’ve, won’t) count as two words. However, can’t is a
contraction of cannot, which is one word.
3. Sometimes, there is more than one correct answer. Cambridge will always
account for this and all options will be accepted. However, you should not write
more than one answer.
4. Correct spelling is essential for all of the FCE Use of English paper.
5. Read the text before and after each gap before answering.
6. If the answer is a verb, check that you are using the correct form and that it agrees
with its subject.
7. The same word is unlikely to be used to fill two different gaps within one text.
8. Always read the text quickly before you start to get a general idea. This should
not take more than 1 minute.
9. Don’t spend lots of time on a word you don’t know. Losing time on this activity
might cost you points later in the exam because you won’t have enough time to do
other tasks well.
10. Check your answers, your spelling and don’t copy the example onto the answer
sheet!

In FCE Use of English Part 2, these function words are the ones which will be removed from the
text and tested. Building awareness of function words, their uses and their purpose in a sentence
will help exam candidates more effectively analyse an open cloze text.

Students should be made to notice function words, rather than allow them to blend into the
background. Our brains naturally ignore function words. We know we need them for
grammatical accuracy, but the brian has way of adding content when it missing and ignoring
things that it doesn’t consider essential. Like your brain just did with the 3 errors in the previous
sentence.