The Cambridge CAE Reading and Use of English Test, Part 1 is an activity based on vocabulary. The best way to practice for this portion of the test is to read as much as possible and take practice tests to understand the strategies Cambridge ESOL uses. For additional practice, take this Reading and Use of English Part 1 practice test using the tips we provide.

CAE Reading and Use of English Test Part 1 Tips and Practice Tests

Format of Reading and Use of English Part 1

You will read a paragraph, but the paragraph is missing eight words. You must choose the correct vocabulary word from four choices: A, B, C, or D.

Below is a sample test, which was released from the Cambridge testing center as part of the CAE 2015 Handbook. The answers to this test are at the bottom of this post.

Tips for the Reading and Use of English Part 1

Read the paragraph once, quickly, to get an overview of the paragraph and its main ideas.
Read the paragraph again, sentence by sentence, to answer each of the eight questions.
You have four choices, and it doesn’t hurt to guess. Do not leave a question blank: you have a 25% chance of getting it right!
As with all multiple-choice tests, use the process of elimination when possible to increase your chances of answering correctly.
Sometimes the answer is a matter of vocabulary. You are expected to know which word is appropriate, and the best way to prepare yourself is to read in English as much as possible.
Sometimes the answer requires an understanding of the meaning of the paragraph as a whole. This is why it is important to read the entire paragraph. (This is especially the case when you are required to put in a word like a connector, which often relies on the meanings of the sentences that come before and after.)
Pay attention to the potential collocations or phrasal verbs that the word could be a part of.
Make sure that the word works grammatically in the sentence (subjects and verbs agree, it is the correct tense, etc.)

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 1 Practice Test

Below is a paragraph adapted from a National Geographic article about the amount of worldwide food waste. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. For the complete article, click here.

One-Third of Food is Lost or Wasted: What Can Be Done

Anyone would say this (1) _______, which is the size of two African elephants, represents a tremendous, even criminal, (2) _______. But this is nothing. Over the (3) ________ of the day, the transfer station will receive another 10 to 20 loads of (4) ________ edible vegetables originating from nearby grower-packers. Between April and November, the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority landfills (5) ________ between four and eight million pounds of vegetables (6) ________ from the fields. And that’s just one transfer station (7) ________ of the many that (8) ________ California’s agricultural valleys.

Questions

1. A. heap B. group C. cluster D. grouping

2. A. wasting B. waste C. wastefully D. waster

3. A. time B. course C. rest D. most

4. A. perfectly B. totally C. absolutely D. obviously

5. A. deposit B. give C. yield D. hand over

6. A. just B. fresh C. originating D. coming

7. A. coming B. out C. just D. born

8. A. are B. complete C. serve D. make up

Answers and Explanations

1. A. heap B. group C. cluster D. grouping

A group is typically a group of something: people, animals, etc. Not a group of trash. A heap of trash is a common expression.

2. A. wasting B. waste C. wastefully D. waster

You need to choose the correct noun for this answer. The other nouns have different meanings; “wastefully” is an adverb.

3. A. time B. course C. rest D. most

The expression “over the course of the day” is common in English.

4. A. perfectly B. totally C. absolutely D. obviously

“Perfectly + good” is an expression used to show that something is in good condition and worth using. The others are not natural collocations.

5. A. deposit B. give C. yield D. hand over

The correct choice is “deposit” because “give” is transitive and takes an object; “yield” is used with “from.” The phrasal verb “hand over” should be “hands over.”

6. A. just B. fresh C. originating D. coming

The expression “fresh from the garden/field/etc” is common.

7. A. coming B. out C. just D. born

“Out of the many” is also an expression.

8. A. are B. complete C. serve D. make up

The station serves (works for) the valleys.

One-Third of Food is Lost or Wasted: What Can Be Done

Anyone would say this heap—the size of two African elephants—represents a tremendous, even criminal, waste. But this is nothing. Over the course of the day, the transfer station will receive another 10 to 20 loads of perfectly edible vegetables originating from nearby grower-packers. Between April and November, the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority landfills deposit between four and eight million pounds of vegetables fresh from the fields. And that’s just one transfer station out of the many that serve California’s agricultural valleys.

Answers to the Cambridge Sample Test:

1 B
2 C
3 C
4 A
5 B
6 B
7 C
8 D

Check out the CISL Website for more info on upcoming CAE and other test preparation classes. For more tips on improving your CAE score, we suggest some of the following articles:

Are you taking the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English test? Converse International School of Languages offers comprehensive CAE test preparation courses, and is proud of the incredibly high pass rate of our students. For additional practice, we are offering an overview of Part 1 of the Reading and Use of English section, including two practice tests. Note: the CAE test changed in 2015. For an explanation of changes, please click here.