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C1 Advanced (CAE) · Paper 1 · 543 free exercises
C1 Advanced Reading & Use of English: the complete guide
Eight parts, 56 questions, 1 hour 30 minutes, and two separate scores. What each part tests at C1, the marks you need, how to pace yourself through the long texts, and free practice with instant marking.
Try one now · Part 1 · 1 of 8 in the real paper
The report ___ attention to the shortage of affordable housing in the city.
- drew
- pulled
- caught
- took
Look past the gap: the phrase is “___ attention to”.
- 8 parts
- 56 questions
- 90 minutes
- 180 for a C1
Practise Part 1 free → · Try a timed paper
The eight parts, and where students lose marks
Tap a part for its guide
- Part 1 · Multiple Choice Cloze: Collocations, fixed phrases and shades of meaning · 88 free exercises. Questions: 8 questions, 1 mark each. Time: 6 min, suggested. C1 students score: 74%.
- Part 2 · Open Cloze: Grammar words and fixed expressions · 87 free exercises. Questions: 8 questions, 1 mark each. Time: 7 min, suggested. C1 students score: 65%.
- Part 3 · Word Formation: Word families, often with two changes to the root · 93 free exercises. Questions: 8 questions, 1 mark each. Time: 7 min, suggested. C1 students score: 70%.
- Part 4 · Key Word Transformations (Hardest): Same meaning in 3–6 words, key word unchanged · 96 free exercises. Questions: 6 questions, 2 marks each. Time: 10 min, suggested. C1 students score: 57%.
- Part 5 · Multiple Choice Reading: Detail, opinion, attitude and implication in a long text · 44 free exercises. Questions: 6 questions, 2 marks each. Time: 13 min, suggested. C1 students score: 76%.
- Part 6 · Cross-Text Multiple Matching: Comparing four writers’ opinions on one topic · 43 free exercises. Questions: 4 questions, 2 marks each. Time: 11 min, suggested. C1 students score: 68%.
- Part 7 · Gapped Text: Whole paragraphs removed: structure and argument · 45 free exercises. Questions: 6 questions, 2 marks each. Time: 13 min, suggested. C1 students score: 66%.
- Part 8 · Multiple Matching: Finding specific ideas across sections or short texts · 47 free exercises. Questions: 10 questions, 1 mark each. Time: 13 min, suggested. C1 students score: 77%.
- Reading score: Parts 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 (50 marks)
- Use of English score: Parts 2, 3, 4 (28 marks)
- Times are suggestions, plus 10 minutes to check
Key Word Transformations is where C1 students score lowest (57%). Each answer is worth up to 2 marks, and half-right answers still earn 1, so practice here pays off fastest. Multiple Matching is the friendliest part (77%): bank those marks.
Average score from 21,804 tries by 553 C1 students on Cambridge Ready.
The marks you need for a C1
180 on the Cambridge English Scale in each score
- Reading: 32 of 50. Parts 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8. About 64% of the marks gives 180.
- Use of English: 16 of 28. Parts 2, 3 and 4. About 57% of the marks gives 180.
Your overall result is the average of all five skills, so a strong Reading can carry a weaker Use of English.
From Cambridge’s published conversion tables. The exact mark varies slightly from paper to paper.
The method
Six habits that hold under time pressure
- Give Parts 1–4 about 30 minutes in all. The four reading parts need the rest.
- In Part 1, read the whole sentence: the word after the gap often decides between near-synonyms.
- In Part 4, change the structure first, then fit the key word in: three to six words, key word unchanged.
- In Part 6, write a one-word note on each writer’s view before you read the four questions.
- In Part 7, read the whole text with gaps first, so you know how the argument moves before placing paragraphs.
- Answer everything. A wrong answer costs nothing, so never leave a gap.
The traps
The mistakes we see most
- Near-synonyms in Part 1: Options can share a meaning and still belong to different phrases. Check which one the noun after it takes. (
carry a resemblance to→ bear a resemblance to) - Two changes in one word: At C1 the root often needs a prefix and a suffix. Read the whole sentence for a negative meaning. (RELY → unreliable)
- Changing the key word: In Part 4 the key word must appear exactly as given. If it’s a verb, it stays that verb in that form.
- Same topic, different view: In Part 6 two writers can discuss the same point and still disagree. Match the attitude, not the subject.
Practise Key Word Transformations free → The part where C1 students score lowest. 96 exercises, every answer explained.
Questions students ask
How long is the C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English paper?
1 hour 30 minutes for all eight parts, 56 questions. Answers go on the answer sheet within that time; there’s no extra time to copy them.
How many marks do you need to pass C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English?
About 32 out of 50 in Reading and 16 out of 28 in Use of English, each giving 180 on the Cambridge English Scale, the C1 level. You pass on your overall score, the average of all five skills.
Which part of C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English is the hardest?
For C1 students on Cambridge Ready, Key Word Transformations (Part 4, 57%) and Open Cloze (Part 2, 65%) have the lowest average scores.
What is cross-text multiple matching in C1 Advanced?
Part 6, found only at C1 Advanced: four short texts by different writers on one topic, and four questions asking which writer shares or rejects another’s view. Each question is worth 2 marks.
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