Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Guide

Cambridge C1 Advanced Exam Format

The Reading and Use of English paper is divided into eight parts. The first four parts test your grammar and vocabulary (Use of English), while the last four focus on reading comprehension skills.

Parts 1-4 (Use of English) test your knowledge of vocabulary, collocations, phrases, and grammatical structures. These parts include multiple-choice cloze, open cloze, word formation, and key word transformations.

Parts 5-8 (Reading) assess your reading comprehension skills, including understanding of detail, opinion, tone, purpose, main idea, implication, attitude, and text organization. These parts include multiple choice, cross-text multiple matching, gapped text, and multiple matching.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Overview

Preparation Tips for C1 Advanced

To prepare effectively for the C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English paper:

Read widely from a range of sources including newspapers, magazines, novels, and academic texts
Practice with past papers to familiarize yourself with the format and timing
Learn common collocations, phrasal verbs, and idiomatic expressions
Study word formation patterns and prefixes/suffixes
Practice paraphrasing sentences using different grammatical structures

Scoring in C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English

This paper carries 40% of the total marks for the exam. Parts 1-4 each have one mark per question. Parts 5-8 have 2 marks per question.

To achieve a C1 level score, you need to correctly answer about 60% of the questions.

Time management is crucial - aim to spend about 10-12 minutes on each part.

Part 1: Multiple Choice Cloze

Part 1 is a text with eight gaps. You must read four options and decide which word best fits each gap.

This section tests your knowledge of vocabulary in context, including collocations, phrasal verbs, idioms, and fixed phrases at C1 level.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 1 Sample

How to Approach C1 Advanced Part 1

Read the text quickly to get the main idea.

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

Choose the best word for each gap.

Read the completed text to check it makes sense.

Expert Tips for 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?

Options may be synonyms but only one will collocate correctly in the context. Think about natural word partnerships and fixed expressions.

Part 2: Open Cloze

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.

This section focuses on grammar and vocabulary at C1 level. It tests your knowledge of grammatical structures, linking words, articles, auxiliary verbs, pronouns, and prepositions.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 2 Sample

How to Approach CAE Open Cloze

Read the text quickly to get the main idea.

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

Write the best word for each gap.

Read the completed text to check it makes sense.

Expert Tips for C1 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.

The missing word is often a functional language item rather than a content word. Common answers include prepositions, articles, and linking words.

Part 3: Word Formation

Part 3 is a text with eight gaps. At the end of the line there is a stem word in the margin. You must form an appropriate word from the stem word. Remember you must change the stem word. You may need to add a prefix and/or suffix.

This section tests your knowledge of word formation, including how to form different parts of speech and use prefixes and suffixes appropriately. It requires a strong understanding of word families at C1 level.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 3 Sample

How to Approach C1 Word Formation

Read the text quickly to get the main idea.

Look at the text before and after each gap.

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.

Expert Tips for Advanced 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.

Be aware of irregular forms and spelling changes. At C1 level, you may encounter complex forms with multiple affixes (prefix + stem + suffix).

Part 4: Key Word Transformation

Part 4 has six questions. Each question has a sentence to rephrase, a key word, and another sentence with a gap in the middle. You must complete the sentence with 3-6 words including the key word so that it has the closest possible meaning to the original.

This challenging section tests your ability to paraphrase and express ideas in different ways, requiring mastery of a wide range of grammatical structures and vocabulary at C1 level.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 4 Sample

How to Approach CAE Key Word Transformations

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

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

Fill the gap with between three and six words, including the key word.

Check that the new sentence has the exact same meaning as the original.

Expert Tips for C1 Transformations

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.

Common transformations involve passive/active voice, conditionals, reported speech, causatives, and advanced verb patterns.

Part 5: Multiple Choice Reading

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

This section tests your detailed reading comprehension at C1 level. Questions focus on understanding opinion, attitude, purpose, main ideas, details, implication, and text organization.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 5 Sample

How to Approach C1 Multiple Choice Reading

Read the title. Then quickly skim read the text for general meaning.

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

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

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

Expert Tips for CAE 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.

At C1 level, questions often require you to understand implied meaning, tone, and the writer's attitude. Look beyond the surface meaning of the text.

Pay attention to qualifying words in the options like "always," "never," "completely," or "possibly" as these can make an otherwise correct statement incorrect.

Part 6: Cross-Text Multiple Matching

In part 6 you will read 4 short texts on the same topic by different writers. There are 4 questions about their opinions, feelings, and attitudes which require you to identify areas of agreement and disagreement.

This challenging section tests your ability to compare and contrast different perspectives across multiple texts, understanding nuanced opinions and implied meanings at C1 level.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 6 Sample

How to Approach C1 Cross-Text Matching

Quickly read the question, title and subtitle to identify the theme of the text.

Read the four questions and underline the key words.

Find the section of the text referred to in the question. Do you understand the opinion of the writer?

Find the text which has a similar or different opinion to the writer, as referred to in the questions.

Expert Tips for Advanced Cross-Text Matching

One question may ask you to find the 'odd one out.' Find each writer's opinion on this specific issue and select the text that is different.

Pay close attention to language expressing opinion, attitude, or evaluation. Look for phrases like "I believe," "in my view," "clearly," or "undoubtedly."

Remember that agreement doesn't always mean saying exactly the same thing. Writers may express similar opinions using different language.

Create a quick chart or table to track each writer's opinion on the key issues mentioned in the questions.

Part 7: Gapped Text

Part 7 is a long, non-fiction text which has had 6 paragraphs removed. These 6 paragraphs, plus a 7th paragraph are given to you in a mixed order. You must read the paragraphs and the text and decide which paragraph goes in each gap.

This section tests your understanding of text structure, cohesion, coherence, and how ideas are connected across paragraphs at C1 level.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 7 Sample

How to Approach CAE Gapped Text

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

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

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

Expert Tips for C1 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 connect and allow you to form a sequence of events.

Are there any contrasting arguments or related sentences on cause and effect?

Pronouns are a big help: Look for and underline words like this, those, it, then, there and find what they refer to.

Pay attention to linking words that show relationship between ideas (however, furthermore, in contrast, consequently, etc.).

Part 8: Multiple Matching

Part 8 is one page of text. This may be continuous text, broken into sections or consist of several short texts on the same topic. There are 10 questions which ask you to identify information from the different sections of the text.

This final section tests your ability to locate specific information quickly and efficiently across multiple texts at C1 level. It requires excellent scanning and skimming skills.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Part 8 Sample

How to Approach C1 Multiple Matching

Read the 10 sentences and underline the key words.

Quickly read the 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.

Expert Tips for Advanced Multiple Matching

Do not leave any question blank. If you guess you have a 25% chance of getting the correct answer.

This question tests your ability to 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 likely a distractor.

Focus on paraphrasing - the correct answer will often express the same idea using different vocabulary from the question.

If you're stuck between two sections, look for more specific details that match the question precisely.

Cambridge C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English Exam