C2 Proficiency Exam Guide: Open Cloze
Reading & Use of English Paper
Contents
Overview
Context: Part 2 of the Reading & Use of English paper presents a text with eight gaps, requiring a single word to fill each gap. This part tests knowledge of language structure and text comprehension.
Task: Candidates must draw on their understanding of grammar and the context of the text to fill the gaps. Only one word is needed per gap, and contractions are not allowed. There may be more than one acceptable word for each gap.
Objective: To evaluate candidates' grasp of grammatical structures and their ability to apply this understanding in context.
Scoring & Marks: The eight questions are worth eight points, so one point for each. There are 72 points available for the whole Reading & Use of English paper.
How to Approach
- Whole Text Comprehension: Approach the open cloze like any other reading text. Begin by understanding the text's title and overall content before attempting to fill in the gaps. This aids in grasping the text's overall meaning, which is essential for task completion.
- Sentence-Level Analysis: Read the entire sentence containing each gap before deciding on an answer. Look for hints like negatives, conditionals, or other structures suggesting an opposite viewpoint.
- Contextual Clues: Pay close attention to words before and after the gap. These words might form part of an expression completed by the missing word.
- One-Word Answers: Only one word is required for each gap. Avoid contractions and, if unsure, leave the gap blank initially, then return to it after completing the rest of the text.
Example Question
6. The southern states of the USA ________ to be hot and humid in the summer.
Assessment Focus
Focuses on lexical and lexico-grammatical understanding within the context of a text.
Tips
- Work with a friend to look at a standard text and work out the words that would be omitted in an exam.
- Familiarise yourself with a variety of texts to understand different grammatical structures and vocabulary usage.
- Regularly review and learn new grammatical patterns and fixed phrases.
- Experiment with different strategies for filling gaps, like predicting before reading and confirming afterwards.
How It Looks
Student Suggestion
"I kept a database of wrong answers or ones that I found difficult and I would regularly review them." - Elena Tavare
Practice Exercises
We have a page on the site to practise: C2 Proficiency: Open Cloze Exercises
