Cambridge B2 First Reading and Use of English Guide

About the Cambridge B2 First Reading and Use of English Paper

The Reading and Use of English paper is a key component of the Cambridge B2 First (FCE) exam. In the past, reading and use of English were separate papers, but now they are combined into one. This means that you can approach the seven parts in the order that works best for you.

The paper tests your ability to understand various texts and demonstrate your knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar. It accounts for 40% of the total marks in the B2 First exam.

Paper Format

Parts: 7 parts with 52 questions
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Marks: 40% of total exam score

Time Management Strategies

In the Reading and Use of English exam, there is no extra time for transferring your answers to the answer sheet. Make sure you transfer your answers after you finish each question. Write something for every question, even if you don't know or aren't sure of the answer. You don't lose points for wrong answers.

Recommended Time Allocation

Parts 1-4 (Use of English): About 30 minutes
Parts 5-7 (Reading): About 45 minutes

Click on each tab above to learn about specific strategies for each part of the exam.

Cambridge B2 First Part 1: Multiple-Choice Cloze

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About This Section

Part 1 is a text with eight gaps. You must read four options and select the word that fits best in each gap.

This section tests your vocabulary knowledge, including collocations, phrasal verbs, idioms, and fixed phrases.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 1 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 1

Read the text quickly to get the main idea.

Look at each gap and the choices. Read the words before and after the gap.

Choose the best word for each gap.

Read the completed text to check it makes sense.

Extra Tips for B2 First Multiple-Choice Cloze

Cover the questions when you first read the text so that you don't get distracted.

Identify which part of speech belongs in the gap. Is it a noun, adjective, verb, etc.?

Look for other clues before and after the gap. Is it a collocation or a set phrase? Is there a preposition?

Cambridge B2 First Part 2: Open Cloze

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About This Section

Part 2 is a text with eight gaps. You must write one word to fill each gap. Unlike part 1, you have no options to choose from. It's all about finding the right word to make the sentence work.

This section tests your knowledge of grammatical structures, linking words, articles, auxiliary verbs, pronouns, and prepositions.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 2 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 2

Read the text quickly to get the main idea.

Look at each gap and read the text before it and after it.

Write the best word for each gap.

Read the completed text to check it makes logical sense as well as being grammatically correct.

Extra Tips for B2 First Open Cloze

Identify which type of word belongs in the gap. It could be a preposition, article, auxiliary, modal, pronoun, etc.

Is it a phrasal verb? You may need to write a particle or verb to complete it, e.g. set off.

Have you conjugated any verbs correctly? Check the subject and tense.

Check your spelling. Incorrectly spelled words are not accepted.

Cambridge B2 First Part 3: Word Formation

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About This Section

Part 3 is a text with eight gaps. You must form an appropriate word from the stem word in CAPITALS. You'll need to change the words to fit the sentence, like turning "CHALLENGE" into "CHALLENGING". You must always change the stem word.

This section tests your knowledge of word families, prefixes, suffixes, and how to form different parts of speech.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 3 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 3

Read the text quickly to get the main idea.

Look at the text before and after the missing word.

Identify the part of speech (noun, adjective, verb, etc.).

Modify the stem word so that it fits in the gap, e.g. action > active.

Read the completed text to check it makes sense.

Extra Tips for B2 First Word Formation

You must change the stem word. The answer is never the word provided.

This part tests your knowledge of word families, suffixes and prefixes.

Does the word need to be negative? Read the whole sentence to check.

Remember your prefixes! Negative prefixes are often missed, but you may need a less common one like over-, under-, re-, mis-, etc..

Cambridge B2 First Part 4: Key Word Transformation

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About This Section

Part 4 has six questions. This one's where you have to rephrase a short sentence. You read one sentence and rewrite it using the word in CAPITALS, but without changing the meaning of the sentence.

This section tests your ability to paraphrase and express ideas in different ways, using various grammatical structures and vocabulary.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 4 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 4

Read the two sentences. Underline the matching information in each sentence.

Use your underlining to identify the corresponding information that is missing from the gap.

Fill the gap with between two and five words, including the key word.

Check that the new sentence has the closest possible meaning as the original.

Extra Tips for B2 First Key Word Transformation

In Use of English part 3 you must change the word, but in part 4 you cannot change it at all.

There are two marks available for each gap, so even if you are only partially correct you have the chance to earn marks.

Make sure your tenses match - if the first sentence is in the present, the second should be as well!

Avoid contractions. These count as two separate words, e.g. didn't = did not. The only exception is 'cannot' which is one word.

Be as loyal to the meaning of the original sentence as possible. No information should be left out in your transformation.

Cambridge B2 First Part 5: Multiple Choice

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About This Section

Part 5 is a long text with 6 multiple choice questions. There are 4 options for each question.

This section tests your ability to understand detail, opinion, attitude, purpose, main idea, implication, and text organization.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 5 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 5

Read the title. Then quickly skim read the text for general meaning and how it is organised.

Read the questions. Highlight the key words. Don't worry about the options for the moment.

If you find it difficult to avoid reading the words, cover them with your hand.

Go back to the text and highlight where you find the answers to the questions.

Use your highlighting to answer the question and select the correct option.

Extra Tips for B2 First Multiple Choice

The options can be distracting when you first read the text. Cover them with your hand or paper.

If you have time identify which options are wrong to confirm your answer.

If the text uses the exact same wording as one of the options it is probably a distractor.

Cambridge B2 First Part 6: Gapped Text

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Part 6 is a non-fiction text which has had 6 sentences removed. These sentences are in a mixed order with an extra sentence that you don't need. You must read the sentences and the text and decide which sentence goes in each gap.

This section tests your understanding of text structure, cohesion, coherence, and global meaning.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 6 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 6

Quickly read the whole text. Then read all the sentences.

Study the text before and after each gap. Look for clues that help you choose the sentence.

If you have time, quickly read the completed text to confirm it makes sense.

Extra Tips for B2 First Gapped Text

Write a short 2-4 word summary next to each paragraph.

There is a lot of information in the main text to help you choose the correct paragraph: look for times, dates, names of people and organisations, and their pronouns.

Focus on the tenses. These will usually be the same in the sentence and the text before or after the gap.

Are any of the gaps between quotation marks? Quotes are usually in the present simple and use direct speech.

Cambridge B2 First Part 7: Multiple Matching

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About This Section

In part 7 you will read 4 short texts on the same topic by different writers, or one long text that has been divided into 4 sections. There are 10 questions which ask you to identify information from the different sections of the text.

This section tests your ability to locate specific information and detailed comprehension.

B2 First Reading and Use of English Part 7 Sample

Technique for FCE Reading Part 7

Read the 10 sentences and underline the key words.

Now go to the long texts and underline the key words and ideas you remember from the sentences.

Now read each text in more detail. For each question find the section which has the same idea as the sentence.

If you have two options make a note, then try to make a decision later if you have time.

Extra Tips for B2 First Multiple Matching

Write an answer for every question. If you guess you have a 25% chance of getting the correct answer.

In this question you must find specific information quickly. To prepare you should practise scanning and skimming texts.

If you find the exact same words from the sentence you should underline them, but be aware that is probably a distractor.