Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Reading & Use of English

Difficulty level: C1 / advanced

What is the Cambridge Advanced Reading & Use of English test like?
The test has 8 parts and takes 90 minutes:

  1. Part 1 - Multiple-choice cloze
  2. Part 2 - Open cloze
  3. Part 3 - Word formation
  4. Part 4 - Key word transformations
  5. Part 5 - text with multiple-choice questions
  6. Part 6 - Cross-text multiple matching
  7. Part 7 - text with paragraphs missing
  8. Part 8 - Multiple matching

Scoring
There are 56 questions in the Cambridge Advanced Reading & Use of English test. It makes up 40% of the entire exam.

How to prepare for the Cambridge Advanced Reading & Use of English test

  • This paper tests your knowledge of reading, vocabulary and grammar.
  • Read as much as possible, and use a dictionary to help you learn new words
  • Use a grammar book to help you understand sentence structure
  • Read the instructions carefully before you start each part
  • Correct spelling is necessary. Get into the habit of checking the spelling of words
  • Read the surrounding context before giving an answer
  • Don’t give alternative answers for any questions
  • Read widely. The texts used in the reading can be: newspapers, magazines, journals, non-literary books, leaflets, brochures, etc
  • Read the instructions carefully before you start
  • Read all the text before you answer any questions
  • Remember that questions come in the same order as the answers in the text in the multiple-choice part of the paper.