Presentation on the Use of English part of the FCE for CUP Online Course.

1. Use of English Test Focus
This paper tests the ability of
candidates to apply their
knowledge of the language
system. Tasks focus on grammar
and vocabulary.

2. Part Task Task Format
1 Multiple-choice A modified cloze test containing 12 gaps and
cloze followed by 4-option multiple-choice items.
2 Open cloze A modified cloze test containing 12 gaps
3 A text containing 10 gaps. Each gap
Word formation corresponds
to a word. The stems of the missing words are
given beside the text and must be changed to
form the missing word.
4 Key word Eight separate items, each with a lead-in
transformations sentence
and a gapped second sentence to be
completed in
two to five words, one of which is a given ‘key
word’.

3. 1.Multiple choice cloze
0 A. drink B. drinking C. drinks
16. A. every B. all C. most
17. A. some B. the C. a
18. A. up B. with C. by
19. A. on B. in C. at
20. A. open B. opened C. opening
21. A. these B. this C. their

4. Exam Tips
2. Open cloze
When the day comes give yourself plenty of time (0) ... do everything: have breakfast
but don't drink (1) ... much; go to the toilet; arrive on time, but not too early or you
will find yourself getting more and more nervous while you wait to start. Try not to
talk (2) ... the exam before you go in.
In the exam, calm (3) ... down by breathing deeply and thinking positively. Read (4) ...
exam questions carefully and underline all of the key instruction words (5) ... indicate
how the questions should (6) ... answered. If possible start with the ones (7) ... can do
easily to give you confidence. Remember what you've learnt from practising
questions and doing mock exams previously and plan your use of time. Don't panic (8)
... everyone around you seems to start writing furiously straight away and don't be

5. 3. Word formation
Food Production
In the not-too-distant past farm animals were able to
live (0) NATURAL lives in what we would now term NATURE
'free-range' conditions. Such farming methods however,
were not able to supply the rapidly growing (1) ... POPULATE
of the world and the increasing demands on food
(2) ... In order to cope with this rising demand, factory CONSUME
farming methods were introduced along with the (3) ... DEVELOP
of genetically engineered (4) ... hormones, which GROW
resulted in a massive increase in food (5) ... PRODUCE
However, these developments in the use of factory
farming and drug (6) ... have led to a widespread TREAT
feeling that animals are being caused a lot of distress
and that the quality of the food itself suffers as a
consequence. Certainly, many people (7) ... with the idea AGREE
of keeping animals in one building for their entire (8) ... EXIST
and argue that more emphasis should be given to (9) ... ALTERNATE
farming methods. A growing number of people are
choosing to eat organic food, supporting farmers who use
free-range methods, a system which has proved to be
both (10) ... and more humane. ECONOMY

6. 4. ¨Key¨ word transformation
1. I want to go to university this year.
INTERESTED
I ........................................ to university this year.
2.2. "Have you been on holiday recently, Jane?" asked Tony.
BEEN
Tony asked Jane ........................................ on holiday recently.
3. I was too tired to go to the party.

7. DOs
• Read the words following the gaps in Parts 1 and 2 as they
may have an effect on the answer.
• Make sure that any verb you write in a gap in Part 2 agrees
with its subject.
• Write the prompt word in your answer in Part 3 without
changing it in any way.
• Write between two and five words as your answer in Part 4.
• Check your spelling in all parts of the test.

8. DON’Ts
• Don't choose your answer in Part 1 before you have
read all the options.
• Don't write out the full sentence when answering
the questions in Part 4.
• Don't leave the base word at the end of the line in
Part 3 unchanged.
• Don't decide on your answer before reading the
whole of a sentence in all parts.

9. Vocabulary Training
• FCE Wordlist
• Vocabulary trainer

10. Common Grammar Mistakes at
FCE
• Using have or have got.
• Must or have to.
• Say or tell.
• Make or do.
• Like or as.
• Rules for using apostrophes, capital letters and commas.
• Confusing (fun/funny, bored/boring).
• Still, yet or already.
• Very, too or enough.
• Confusing tenses (past perfect, present perfect, past simple)

11. Now go on with your exercises…