B1 Preliminary Exam Guide: Open Cloze
Reading Paper
Contents
Overview
Context: In this final section of the B1 Preliminary Reading paper, candidates work with a text that contains six gaps.
Task: Candidates read a short text with six numbered spaces and fill each gap with a single, appropriate word.
Objective: To test knowledge of grammatical structures, phrasal verbs, and common fixed phrases.
Scoring & Marks: The six questions are worth six points, so one point for each. There are 32 points available for the whole Reading paper.
How to Approach
- Skim the Text: Initially, skim read the whole text to understand the topic and general meaning.
- Analyse Each Gap: Consider each gap in turn, thinking of a word that fits and makes sense in the context.
- Check Spelling: Ensure that the spelling of each word is correct.
- Review for Coherence: After completing the gaps, read the text again to confirm it flows and makes sense.
Example Question
6. The room is dark; could you turn the lights, please?
Assessment Focus
This section tests candidates' understanding of grammatical structures, along with knowledge of phrasal verbs and common fixed phrases.
Tips
- Familiarise yourself with common phrasal verbs and fixed phrases used in everyday English.
- Practise reading and filling gaps in various texts to improve your ability to identify the correct word based on context.
- Create your own open cloze tests using paragraphs from books or articles. Remove key words and then, later on, try to fill them back in.
- Always record new words in context. E.g. 'looking forward TO' instead of just 'looking forward'.
How It Looks
Student Suggestion
"To strengthen my skills for this part, I regularly did crossword puzzles and word-fill exercises. They were really useful for practising how to use grammar and common phrases in context." - Jana Novak
Practice Exercises
We have a page on the site to practise: Open Cloze Exercises
