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Reading & Use of English Part 2 — Open Cloze for the FCE Exam

Part 2 tests grammar words (prepositions, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions, articles, pronouns, relative pronouns) in context. Unlike Part 1, there are no options — the candidate must supply the word independently. Functional words that are hard to produce without grammar automaticity cause the most errors.

Locale-specific study guides

Pass-rate data, regulatory context, and study tips for Reading & Use of English Part 2 — Open Cloze all change by candidate locale. Pick your context:

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

!Writing a content word when a function word is needed
!Forgetting auxiliary verbs in perfect tenses (had, has, been)
!Missing the fixed preposition in set phrases: "in spite of", "as a result of", "on behalf of"

Study tips

1Study the top 20 fixed preposition phrases that appear in FCE Part 2 practice papers.
2Practice identifying which gaps are likely grammar words (G) vs vocabulary words (V) — Part 2 is predominantly G.
3Review subordinating conjunctions: although, despite, in case, provided that, as long as.

Sample FCE Reading & Use of English Part 2 — Open Cloze questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real FCE questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1
She succeeded _____ spite of the many challenges she faced.
- AinCorrect
- Bon
- Cat
- Dby
Why this answer?
"In spite of" is the fixed prepositional phrase meaning "despite." The preposition is always "in" — not "on," "at," or "by." FCE Part 2 frequently tests these fixed phrases because the correct preposition cannot be guessed from context alone.

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B2 First — Use of English, Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking.

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