CPE Use of English Part 2 Open Cloze Tips and Tricks
Try our practice exercise at the bottom of this article.
What is CPE Use of English Part 2?
CPE Use of English Part 2 is the Open Cloze task in the C2 Proficiency Reading and Use of English paper.
You read a short text with eight gaps. For each gap, you must write one single word. There are no options to choose from, so you need to work out the answer from the grammar, meaning, register and structure of the text.
At CPE level, this task is not mainly about obscure vocabulary. The missing word is still often a small word: a preposition, pronoun, auxiliary verb, linker, quantifier or part of a fixed phrase. The challenge is that the surrounding language is more compressed, formal, idiomatic and conceptually demanding than at FCE or CAE.
What makes CPE Open Cloze different?
At C2 level, the answer may look simple, but the reason for the answer is often subtle.
The text may deal with abstract topics, argument, analysis, culture, science, society or academic-style discussion. Sentences may contain embedded clauses, nominalisation, contrastive structures and formal discourse markers.
CAE-style difficulty
advanced prepositions
formal linkers
complex relative clauses
common fixed phrases
abstract reference
C1-level idioms
CPE-style difficulty
highly condensed syntax
nuanced discourse links
less transparent fixed phrases
emphatic negative structures
precise quantifier choices
formal or literary register
This means CPE students need to read the sentence as a whole, not as a sequence of separate words.
Typical C2-level answer areas
CPE Open Cloze often tests the relationship between grammar, meaning and register.
Formal linkers and discourse
however
whereas
whereby
notwithstanding
nevertheless
insofar
albeit
lest
Reference and clause patterns
what
which
whose
whereby
whoever
whatever
whom
that
Fixed and semi-fixed phrases
by no means
inasmuch as
as far as
to the extent that
on the grounds that
for fear that
in the event that
with respect to
Negative and emphatic patterns
neither
nor
hardly
scarcely
no sooner
under no circumstances
not until
little
You should not try to memorise every possible expression. It is more useful to notice how formal English builds relationships between ideas: concession, cause, contrast, condition, emphasis and reference.
Examples of CPE-level thinking
Look at this sentence:
The committee rejected the proposal, not because it lacked ambition, but ___ it failed to provide a realistic timetable.
Answer: because
The word itself is simple, but the structure is a balanced contrast: not because … but because.
Another example:
Rarely ___ a public inquiry produced such an immediate change in policy.
Answer: has
This tests inversion after a negative or limiting adverb: Rarely has …
Another example:
The author’s argument, ___ persuasive it may appear at first, rests on a questionable assumption.
Answer: however
Here, however + adjective/adverb introduces concession: however persuasive it may appear.
How to approach CPE Open Cloze
At C2 level, you need a slower and more analytical approach than at lower levels.
Before answering
Read the whole text.
Identify the argument or topic.
Notice the register.
Mark contrast, cause and concession.
For each gap
Read the full sentence.
Check both sides of the gap.
Identify the structure.
Test the answer grammatically.
Check spelling and register.
Do not rely only on what “sounds right”. At CPE level, several words may sound possible, but only one may fit the exact structure.
Common CPE Open Cloze mistakes
Mistake
choosing a common word where a formal linker is needed
missing inversion after negative adverbials
overlooking fixed prepositional phrases
ignoring the register of the text
treating the gap as vocabulary only
Better habit
study linkers by function
learn inversion triggers
record full expressions
read formal essays and articles
analyse the whole clause
For example, do not only learn extent. Learn the structure:
to the extent that
the extent to which
Do not only learn means. Learn:
by no means
by means of
This kind of phrase-level learning is essential for CPE.
CPE Use of English Part 2 Open Cloze Tips and Tricks; final advice for students
CPE Open Cloze tests precision. The missing word may be short, but the sentence around it may be highly sophisticated.
To improve, focus on:
Grammar precision
inversion
relative clauses
concession clauses
passive structures
modal perfect forms
comparison structures
C2 lexico-grammar
formal linkers
fixed expressions
dependent prepositions
discourse markers
negative structures
quantifier patterns
When you check your answers, do not simply write down the missing word. Write down the whole pattern.
For example:
however persuasive it may berarely has this happenedto the extent thatby no meanson the grounds thatthe extent to which
This is the most efficient way to prepare. CPE Open Cloze is not random. It tests whether you can see the hidden architecture of advanced English.
CPE Use of English Part 2 Open Cloze Tips and Tricks;
Test yourself with our C2 Exercise
Do the exercise, check the answers and if an answer comes out in red, try again. If it comes out green, then well done. When you are finished, click on the answer sheet below and check your answers, using the answer sheet as a revision tool.
C2 Test Practice:
Open Choice Gapfill
Complete each sentence with one word only.
1. Rarely has public debate been shaped by a narrow interpretation of the available evidence.
2. The policy was introduced more as a gesture of political reassurance as a serious attempt at structural reform.
3. There remains considerable uncertainty as to the agreement can be enforced in practice.
4. The findings are persuasive; , they should not be treated as conclusive until further studies have been carried out.
5. The economist, earlier predictions were widely dismissed, has since been proved broadly correct.
6. The legislation created a procedure local authorities could appeal against decisions made by central government.
7. The details were withheld their premature publication should compromise the investigation.
8. The minister confirmed nor denied that private discussions had taken place before the announcement.
Answer Key: Open Choice Gapfill
Tip: try the exercise first, check your score, then use this answer key to review the grammar, linking words and fixed expressions.
This is not official exam material, and is simply to help students in practice for various exams and general English.